BASSETERRE, St Kitts – Following three competitive T20 Internationals in St. Vincent, the West Indies Women now turn their attention to the ODI format to close out the series against the Australia Women at Warner Park in St. Kitts.
The Maroon Warriors went toe-to-toe with the world’s top-ranked side at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in a series that showcased both resilience and emerging promise.
While Australia’s experience proved decisive across the series and resulted in a 3-0 victory for the visitors, the West Indies produced phases of cricket that underlined their growth and intent in a crucial year of white-ball competition.
Captain Hayley Matthews once again led from the front, contributing with both bat and ball, including a hard-fought half century in the second T20, while Deandra Dottin delivered impactful performances that reminded everyone of her match-winning pedigree while veteran Stafanie Taylor added stability to the batting.
Coming out of the contest, West Indies’ opener Qiana Joseph was a major climber in the ICC Women’s T20 Batting Rankings, moving up 14 places to 33rd in the charts, with Taylor also moving up two places to 48th.
There are three changes from the T20 squad for the three upcoming ODIs, with Realeanna Grimmond, Ashmini Munisar and Shunelle Sawh joining in place of Eboni Brathwaite, Zaida James and Mandy Mangru.
Ahead of the opening match, head coach Shane Deitz spoke about the team’s preparations and the challenge that lies ahead:
“It’s great to be back in St Kitts for this ODI series against Australia. We had a wonderful series against Bangladesh here at the start of 2025 and have fond memories of this ground.”
“Australia is the number one ranked team in ODI cricket and that’s a format where they’ve been dominant for a long time, so it’ll be a fine challenge for us. We’ve been rebuilding our ODI team in preparation for the 2029 World Cup, which is a long way off, but first, we’ve got to qualify through this championship series so it’s important we get a win and some strong results here against Australia.”
Reflecting on the T20 series, Deitz highlighted several encouraging performances despite the result:
“The T20 series didn’t go the way we hoped, but I saw some strong performances, particularly from the younger players. Jahzara Claxton bowled important overs and showed that she’s a capable international cricketer.”
“Some of the senior players were also back to their best. Afy Fletcher bowled brilliantly at times, and she’ll have an important role to play here. Deandra Dottin was back to her big-hitting best and with the ball, bowled some important overs and took crucial wickets so it’s good to have her back at her best again.”
“Against Sri Lanka and in the T20 series against Australia, we were behind the game at times, but we fought back well and never gave up. That’s a good sign for the culture in the team, but we’ve got to execute our skills for longer periods of time.”
The ODI series in St Kitts presents a fresh opportunity for the West Indies to apply lessons learned, build longer innings and refine their execution against a dominant Australian unit.
Fans in St. Kitts are urged to come out in their numbers, with admission to all matches free of charge. While supporters throughout the region can follow each match of the thrilling series live on ESPN’s Disney+.
West Indies Women’s ODI Squad vs Australia:
Hayley Matthews (captain)
Chinelle Henry (vice-captain)
Aaliyah Alleyne
Shemaine Campbelle
Jahzara Claxton
Deandra Dottin
Afy Fletcher
Jannillea Glasgow
Realeanna Grimmond
Shawnisha Hector
Qiana Joseph
Ashmini Munisar
Karishma Ramharack
Shunelle Sawh
Stafanie Taylor
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Shane Deitz
Team Manager: Sheena Gooding
Assistant Coach: Ryan Austin
Assistant Coach: Damien Wright
Assistant Coach: Shane Dowrich
Physiotherapist: Ashley Stephens
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Hector Martinez Charles
Performance Coach: Dr. Nadine Sammy
Media & Content Officer: Nicholas Maitland
Series Schedule: (All games played at Warner Park commencing at 2 PM each day)
1st ODI – Friday, March 27
2nd ODI – Sunday, March 29
3rd ODI – Thursday, April 2
