Hayley Matthews’ century in vain as England Women dominate West Indies in 1st T20I

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England Women kicked off their home series against West Indies Women with a convincing eight-wicket victory in the first T20I of the West Indies Women tour of England 2025 at the St Lawrence Ground. Despite a magnificent century from West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, England comfortably chased down the target of 147 with 3.3 overs to spare.

After winning the toss, England Women opted to bowl first. The decision initially seemed to pay off as West Indies struggled to build momentum around their captain. Hayley Matthews, however, played a lone warrior’s innings, smashing an exceptional 100 runs off just 67 balls, including 16 fours and 1 six. Her brilliance accounted for the vast majority of West Indies’ total of 146/7 in 20 overs, with contributions from Mandy Mangru (17) and Shabika Gajnabi (11) being the only other double-digit scores. For England, Lauren Bell was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets for 29 runs, while Linsey Smith, Emily Arlott, and Issy Wong each chipped in with a wicket.

In response, England’s chase was anchored by a superb half-century from Sophia Dunkley. Dunkley scored a commanding 81 runs off 56 deliveries, finding the boundary 12 times. She built a strong partnership with captain Heather Knight, who provided excellent support with a quickfire 43 runs off 27 balls, including 6 fours. Despite an early wicket by Zaida James and one by Afy Fletcher, West Indies’ bowlers found it tough to contain the English batters. England reached their target of 150 for the loss of just two wickets in 16.3 overs.

Also READ: England vs West Indies 2025, Women’s T20I series: Broadcast, Live Streaming details – When and Where to watch in India, USA, UK and other countries

Despite being on the losing side, Hayley Matthews was deservedly named the Player of the Match for her extraordinary century, a testament to her individual brilliance.

Captain Hayley Matthews wins Player of the match award 🥇#women #cricket #ENGvWI #HayleyMatthews #westindiescricket

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) May 22, 2025

The two teams will now head to Hove for the second T20I, scheduled for Friday, May 23, where West Indies will be eager to bounce back and level the series.

Also READ: Latest ICC Women’s Rankings

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.