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Guyana Amazon Warriors and Barbados Royals faced off in a thriller in the opening match of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2024 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. Defending champions Royals, led by Hayley Matthews, beat the Amazon Warriors by one wicket to open their account in the tournament on Wednesday, August 1.
With the win, the Royals started the Women’s Caribbean Premier League 2024 on top of the table with two points and a net run rate of +1.402. The Amazon Warriors, on the other hand, have plenty of work to do with a net run rate of -1.402. Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) are yet to start their campaign in the championship.
Hayley Mathews shines for Barbados Royals in Women’s Caribbean Premier League 2024 opener
After being asked to bat first, the Warriors put up a score of 118 for nine on the board in the first match of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League 2024. Former West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor scored 38 runs off 36 balls with the help of four fours and a six. Winfield-Hill, Natasha McLean, Erin Burns, and Shemaine Campbelle also got into double digits but failed to convert their starts.
Aaliyah Alleyne was the pick of the bowlers for the Royals after she finished with impressive figures of 4-0-21-3. Hayley Matthews, Qiana Joseph, and Amanda-Jade Wellington accounted for two scalps apiece.
Despite defending a below-par total, the Warriors did not throw in the towel as they kept picking wickets at regular intervals. Shabnim Ismail, who recently bowled a brilliant spell for Welsh Fire in the Hundred Women’s competition, rocked the Royals with figures of 4-0-16-4.
Royals’ skipper Matthews kept her team in the hunt after bringing up her fifty off 47 balls. With seven runs needed off the last over, the match could have gone either way.
But in the end, Matthews held her nerve to take the Royals past the finish line on the penultimate ball. The Caribbean skipper stayed not out on 61 off 58 balls, laced with seven fours.
