West Indies escape with a ball to spare! Full and wide, half-volley on seventh stump, Matthews slices a drive high and deep over cover and it races to the rope for the winning runs to break the West Indies 15-match T20I losing streak.
IRE Women vs WI Women, 13th Match, Group 2 at Cape Town,WT20 WC, Feb 17 2023 - Ball by Ball Commentary
WI Women won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)
10.10 pm Ireland only have themselves to blame for this. They dominated large chunks of this match. Tremendous platform of 116 for 2 derailed losing 7 for 21 off the final 28 balls in their innings. Then in the field, they missed chance after chance after chance. Matthews got the first of her reprieves on 8 and goes on to finish unbeaten on 62. Henry was second top-score with 34 and was spilled on 23. So many other misses, it's hard to keep track of them all. West Indies manage to win without Stafanie Taylor and go to 1-2 in group play, level on points with Pakistan though Pakistan have two matches in hand.
Jon: "There are some games where you feel both teams deserve to win. This is one where I think both deserve to lose."
Player of the Match is Hayley Matthews: "I think as captain and as one of the leaders in the batting lineup, we needed someone to bat through the innings and that's the role I tried to take on today. There was definitely a lot of pressure. We knew it was a score that we needed someone to bat through the innings really deep in order to get. Kudos to the Irish girls. They bowled really well and bowled in some really good areas at points in time. But I think it was a complete team effort the way Chinelle Henry came in and batted. Even Shabika Gajnabi at the end the way she was able to hold her own was really good as well. Kudos to the Irish girls for the way they bowled, but also I'm really proud of the team too. For me, I just had to take up a bit more responsibility [as captain]. At the same time, over the last couple of weeks and games, it has been helping me to bat deeper as well. It's obviously a new role that I'm taking on but it's helping me in a lot of ways."
Ireland captain Laura Delany: "[Asked if they were too tense in the field] I think we were actually pretty relaxed but that may not have reflected in the way that we fielded. I thought we batted with great intent. I think the last five overs is something that we will look at from the first innings. And then in the field, we just have to be better in the field if we want to compete with some of the best sides in the world. The best players give you one opportunity and if you don't take it, they'll take the game away from you. I'm sure there were definitely nerves out there for a lot of the girls because it's the first World Cup that they've played in. We've trained much better than that and performed much better than that so that's one area that we'll definitely want to correct ASAP. [On the Prendergast/Lewis 90-run partnership] I reckon we were probably about 30 runs short. Orla and Gabby batted really well. Orla is so confident at the moment and is making the most out of the time in the middle and I hope they continue that form into Monday. It's a tough one. We've got a very young side and a lot of these girls haven't played in a World Cup before so there will definitely be nerves that were there in the second innings but I know we are better than that. We're not here to fight, we're here to win games. That's what it comes down to. [On facing India] The best is yet to come."
Hayley Matthews again in the captains interview: "It got pretty tight in the end but it was a good all-round effort that we were able to get to the total. [On the Prendergast/Lewis partnership] I think we gave them a bit too much width but we knew a few wickets and we were right back in it. Kudos to the way Karishma Ramharack bowled. She was beautiful the way she held the team together while everything was going rough and then we were able to pull it back and get them restricted to a better total in the end. It was a great team effort to restrict Ireland to 137 after the start they got off to. We've lost a lot of games in a row so to get that first win on the board not only for the World Cup but for a long stretch now was really really good. We always knew England and India were going to be tough but I think these last two games are going to be a test of where we are at as a team. Hopefully against Pakistan we can carry this momentum going forward. [On playing without Dottin and Taylor] We're going through a bit of a transitioning phase but at the same time it's really good to see the young girls getting out. Young Zaida James and Trishan Holder were in the side today and these times are going to test us and how we can stay together as a team. We need to stay together through the wins and the losses and keep building as a group and keep getting a bigger pool together."
That's it for today's coverage. Come back tomorrow for a start-studded doubleheader as two undefeated sides - England and India - square off in the early match before the hosts South Africa take on Australia in the nightcap. I'm Peter Della Penna. Until then, take care!
good length ball on the legs, goes back to flick into midwicket and misses. Big lbw shout denied. The ball dribbles into short midwicket and Waldron is slow reacting trying to deny a single. The West Indies pair run a single easily despite the ball not dribbling more than five yards away. Ireland call for a review. Replays show ball-tracking clipping leg stump on umpire's call. It stays on field as a run.
chaos! Gajnabi charges a full ball on middle, flicks this straight to short midwicket... and yet another misfield opens the door for an easy single. But for some bizarre reason Matthews wants a second run instead of wanting to keep the strike. Lewis charges in from long-on and fires a one-bounce relay to Waldron behind the stumps who takes the bails off with Gajnabi 10 yards short. Matthews wanted two the whole way there. I'm not sure why. Gajnabi was fully prepared to settle for a single so Matthews could have the strike but the captain was pushing for two all the way.
full on middle, whipped to deep midwicket for one.
full on the legs, flicked into midwicket for one.
Confusion before Delany runs in for the start of the final over as Waldron shouts out from behind the stumps for a fielding change.
Despite shooting themselves in the foot countless times with some porous fielding, Ireland are still in with a chance in the final over with a few toes left and five runs to defend.
yorker jammed out back to the bowler for one.
Jim: "Ireland will only have themselves to blame if they lose this. Their fielding is truly dreadful"
full on fourth stump, slices a thick edge that floats in the air for a few seconds to short third. Richardson doesn't read it well off the bat and hangs back on the ring to field it on one bounce rather than try to dive forward to create a catching chance.
Raji: "Don't have words to explain this fielding performance :( "
length ball on fifth stump, slices this to short third, fumbled collection ensures a single.
Anish : "Ireland would have been in driving seat if they have hold even half of the chances."
full on the stumps, driven past Matthews to long-on for one.
short and wide, slaps this in the gap between mid-off and extra cover before bouncing away to the rope.
Gajnabi shuffles down the track and shovels a full ball from middle stump high and deep over the bowler's head before dribbling to the rope.
Alex: "Are Ireland still amateurs? There fielding is no where near the level you'd expect at this level. I'm thinking they all have full time jobs and can't train in the same way that other teams can". It's been shocking at times.
length ball on the stumps, punched to long-on for one.
length ball on fifth stump, slapped to Delany at neck height on the ring at extra cover. Henry survives a pair of lives, the first of them on 23 before another in this over. But Delany holds onto the simplest of chances floating gently to her on the ring. It was not a great ball by any stretch, but Paul lucks out.
full on the stumps, miscues a slap back to the bowler.
length ball on middle, backs away to punch wide of Little at cover sweeper, sliding stop to keep it to two.
dropped! Little with a terrible misjudgment on the cover sweeper rope! Length ball wide outside off, sliced in the air not in control toward Little on the off side rope. It's coming straight to her five yards in from the rope but she's come in too far and reaches up late getting fingertips to it and it goes one bounce over the rope. Should have been a straightforward catch.
short and wide, slapped to backward point. Terribly sloppy misfield by Richardson. Matthews calls for an immediate run even before the misfield knowing how poor Ireland has been in the field. Henry was ball watching and responds very late but still has time to get to the non-striker's end.
full on fourth stump, driven powerfully but straight to mid-on for none.
length ball on fifth stump, heaves for midwicket, big inside edge goes off the pads into the off side for one.
length ball on fifth stump, slapped to the cover sweeper for one.