West Indies Women are aiming to win all of their matches in the upcoming tri-series against Pakistan and Ireland.
Captain Hayley Matthews believes that winning all games would boost confidence before the Women’s ICC T20 World Cup. The Windies face Ireland in their opening match at Castle Avenue on Thursday. The series will serve as final preparation for the World Cup, which begins on June 12 in England and Wales.
Windies Seek Confidence Boost
Matthews said the tri-series is important before the World Cup. She added that it will help the team determine where they are as a team and finalise their plans.
“We want to get some confidence under our belts, hopefully with a few wins. Playing two teams like Ireland and Pakistan, we know those are teams that are improving every day and getting better, so it’s going to be a really good test for us before the World Cup …” said Matthews.
West Indies Women are currently ranked sixth in the T20I rankings. Pakistan are ranked eighth, and Ireland are ninth.
Dominance is the Goal
Matthews explained that success in the series means winning all matches. “Success for us probably is very clear coming into a series like this. Playing against two teams that we’re ranked higher than in the T20 rankings, we probably want to go out there and win all the matches, and I think that’s going to be the real goal for us this series. It puts us in a position that if we do win those matches, we certainly feel that we’re in really good stead going into the World Cup,” the skipper added.
Preparation in Wales
Matthews said the team’s 10-day preparatory camp in Wales helped them get used to the conditions for the tri-series and the World Cup.
“The prep was really good for the group. Being up in Wales, having similar conditions to what the World Cup is going to be like was really crucial to get accustomed and acclimatised to what it’s like over there, and to get the girls in really good nick before coming down here to Ireland and getting ourselves in the best possible position to be able to come down here and perform, and then over to the World Cup to perform, too,” she said.
West Indies Women will face Ireland in their opening match on Thursday.