‘We let ourselves down’, West Indies' Matthews reflects on World Cup heartbreak

LAHORE: West Indies' captain Hayley Matthews expressed her disappointment over her team narrowly missing on the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup qualification, stating that their 'inconsistency proved costly'.

The West Indies women's team suffered a gruelling heartbreak on Saturday as they failed to qualify for the mega event despite a dominant seven-wicket victory over Thailand.

The Matthews-led side needed to chase down 167 in 10.1 overs to surpass Bangladesh on net run rate.

They, however, fell just 0.1 NRR short of qualification, with Pakistan and Bangladesh securing the coveted World Cup spots.

Reflecting on the heartbreak, the West Indies captain revealed that her team entered the tournament with high spirits and expectations but could not perform up to their potential and let themselves down.

"Coming into this tournament as the number one seeded team, we had a lot of expectations — not just from the outside, but from ourselves as well," said Matthews.

"We all feel like the 50-over World Cup is the pinnacle of any tournament you want to be part of, and as a team ranked six or seven, it's quite disappointing not to make it.

"We definitely let ourselves down earlier in the tournament."

Matthews lauded her team's fighting spirit but termed inconsistency as a major factor behind the heartbreak.

"The fight we showed today was incredible, but our inconsistency proved costly," Matthews said.

The mathematics were cruel - victory in 10.1 overs was required, though finishing on 166 in 11 overs with a six would have sufficed.

"We knew the equation was tough batting second," Matthews said.

"The courage shown today proves our potential, but we must deliver more consistently," she added.

West Indies ranked sixth in ODI’s, the pre-tournament favourites now face an uncertain future with several veterans nearing retirement.

"With the next 50-over World Cup only in 2029, it's heartbreaking for players like Taylor and Campbelle who've given so much," Matthews concluded.

Amid the despair, Matthews highlighted emerging talents like Aaliyah Alleyne and Chinelle Henry as beacons of hope, "Their progress shows our future remains bright despite this setback."