Matthews' all-round heroics hand Barbados Royals WCPL title

Hayley Matthews' all-around heroics helped Barbados Royals beat Guyana Amazon Warriors by eight runs in the final as Royals clinched the Women's Caribbean Premier League title in Tarouba on Sunday. The Royals captain scored a 59-ball 82 to take the team to 169 for 7 and then picked up two wickets with her offspin.

Chasing a competitive total, Amazon Warriors started off well, scoring 47 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay. While Sophie Devine made 22, her opening partner Suzie Bates scored a run-a-ball 36. But Shemaine Campbelle and Natasha McLean picked up pace in the middle order, hitting 47 not out and 28 respectively, with the equation coming down to 29 off 15 balls.

However, McLean's run-out triggered a collapse as Warriors went from 141 for 3 to 161 for 8. Australia legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington's crucial 19th over fetched her three wickets, with all of Shabika Gajnabi, Shreyanka Patil and Sheneta Grimmond getting stumped in the same over. Wellington finished with excellent figures of 4 for 23, which includes the wicket of Stefanie Taylor just after the powerplay.

Earlier in the game, Royals lost their opener Gaby Lewis for 21 in the fifth over, bowled by Shabnim Ismail, which propelled Matthews to take charge. She hit ten fours and two sixes in her innings and stitched a match-saving stand of 108 runs with Rashada Williams for the second wicket, with the wicketkeeper contributing 36 runs from 23 balls. Ismail then struck twice in the 17th over to remove Williams and Laura Harris as Royals lost four wickets for five runs in 11 balls. Wellington then smashed ten runs in four balls to lift Royals at the end. Ismail added one more wicket to her tally to finish with 4 for 30.

Devine was adjudged the Player of the Series for 253 runs and five wickets in five innings. Shreyanka, the uncapped Indian allrounder, ended the competition as the highest wicket-taker with nine scalps.