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Hayley Matthews says her West Indies team are leaning into their status as massive underdogs when they play Australia in the first T20 World Cup semi-final at the Oval on Tuesday.
Australia may have surrendered their 20-over crown two years ago and the 50-over title last year, but over the past fortnight they have looked far and away the best team in the world. They have had a clinical tournament, sweeping aside all and sundry in Group A including the reigning 50-over champions India at Lord’s on Sunday.
By contrast, West Indies’ path to the semi-final has been far from smooth. On Saturday, the squad experienced the full gamut of emotions when they lost against Ireland – a team who had never before won a match in a T20 World Cup – and then had to wait nervously for the England v New Zealand result to find out if they had qualified.
Matthews, the West Indies captain, labelled the Ireland result “disappointing” but said her team would use the experience to drive them. “There is an added fire to us when people think we can’t get the job done,” she said. “We have nothing to lose, and that puts us in a position where we can be quite fearless going out there.
“When we step out on to that field, everyone’s expecting us not to win. More of the pressure is on a team like Australia who are going to be expected to beat us, and if they don’t, it’ll probably be a massive disappointment for them. That eases a bit of the pressure off of our shoulders.”
West Indies’ talismanic leader has been short of runs this tournament, with a highest score of 48 against New Zealand, but the prospect of a Matthews Special should give even Australia pause. Only twice in history have West Indies beaten Australia in T20 women’s cricket: the 2016 World Cup final at Eden Gardens, and a bilateral match in Sydney in October 2023. On both occasions it was Matthews who recorded the winning knock, scoring a spectacular 132 on the latter occasion.
Nevertheless, Australia will be quietly confident. The Australian selectors came under fire earlier in the year when they named Sophie Molineux as their new captain, given her track record of injury. But she seems to have brought fresh energy to the group. It is notable that each of Australia’s top five have contributed at least one half-century this tournament, showcasing their surfeit of match-winners.
Ellyse Perry, who scored 56 against India on Sunday, said: “Soph brings a very unique style. She’s such a people person. She makes everyone laugh. She knows when to have fun, when to be serious.
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“And I think she just gives people a huge amount of belief and confidence in themselves. She makes sure that they’re heard all the time and valued for their contribution to the group. It’s been so much fun this tournament. When you’re playing with that kind of enjoyment, it creates an opportunity for a team to do some really good things.”
We will find out on Tuesday whether those good things include reaching a tournament final.
