Stafanie Taylor says West Indies Women will look to complete a clean sweep of Ireland when the two sides meet in the third and final ODI at Bready on Wednesday, after the veteran’s unbeaten century helped seal the series with a game to spare.
West Indies lead the three-match series 2-0 with a commanding six-wicket victory in the second ODI, chasing down Ireland’s 241/7 in just 38.5 overs. Captain Hayley Matthews struck 100 off 94 balls while Taylor remained unbeaten on 100 from 105 deliveries, as the pair shared a match-winning 158-run partnership for the second wicket after an early setback.
Speaking ahead of the series finale, Taylor reflected on her partnership with Matthews, crediting the understanding the pair have built over years of batting together. “I love batting with Hayley Matthews; we do support each other because we know how each other plays, so it is easy to bat with her.”
The hundred carried extra significance for the former West Indies captain. It was her first ODI century against Ireland after previously falling short of the milestone, and it came in a successful chase, something she admitted made the achievement even more satisfying. “This century is a bit special because my highest score that I got against Ireland is around 90 — and with that score [100], winning the game put the icing on the cake. When I scored the century against Australia we lost the game, but scoring a century against any team is great.”
Taylor’s innings also saw her become the first West Indies woman to score an ODI century against Ireland and take her tally beyond 500 ODI runs against the hosts. It complimented another outstanding display from Matthews, who followed her unbeaten 159 in the opening ODI with a second successive hundred as West Indies maintained their dominance throughout the series.
While the scoreboard reflected an emphatic chase, Taylor said her approach remained rooted in patience rather than chasing boundaries. With wickets in hand and a manageable required rate, the experienced batter focused on rebuilding whenever a wicket fell. “For me, it is all about resetting. I know how this team plays, so for me it’s about knocking it around and getting the other batters into the game. When a wicket falls you can’t just go bang bang; you have to reset and pick up singles.”
That philosophy was tested late in the innings when West Indies needed only 11 runs to win and Taylor was still 10 runs away from a century. Rather than prioritising the personal milestone, she insisted the result remained the only objective before teammate Shemaine Campbelle encouraged her to push for three figures.
“For me, I said to Shemaine Campbelle (that) I didn’t care about the hundred as long as we get over the line, because I didn’t want to train the next day. As long as we get over the line. But Campbelle said I should go for it, and I said I would try. Everyone in the dugout was cheering, and I had a go, and it came off.”
Having already secured the series, West Indies will now aim to finish the tour unbeaten when the final ODI gets underway on Wednesday. Ireland, meanwhile, will be searching for a consolation victory after suffering defeats by nine wickets in the opening match and six wickets in the second, with the visitors’ batting unit led by Matthews and Taylor proving too strong across the series.
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