Hayley Matthews to take over from Stafanie Taylor as West Indies captain

Prior to the squad’s next series against another side, Hayley Matthews has been named the West Indies Women’s team captain, taking Stafanie Taylor’s position. At the Cricket West Indies Board of Directors meeting on June 24, the Women’s selection panel’s recommendation to alter the leadership was approved. Here in this article, we talk about the West Indies captain for the women’s cricket team.

Taylor’s lengthy tenure as captain of the group that led West Indies to victory in the T20 World Cup in 2016 and the quarterfinals of the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year may come to an end as a result. 2012 saw Taylor lead West Indies as their first T20I captain, while 2013 saw her take the helm of the ODI team for the first time.

“The selection panel has done a review of the team including the leadership. After this review, the panel decided to recommend that Hayley Matthews take over the role as captain. Hayley has made notable progress over the years, serving as Vice-Captain of the West Indies Women’s Team and is the current Captain of her National Team, Barbados.

She has matured as a player and is one of the leading players worldwide with a good grasp of the game. Given the experience she would have gained in both roles, we are confident this is the ideal time for her to step into the role of captain,” the lead selector, Ann Browne-John, said.

We acknowledge that Stafanie has contributed enormous amounts of effort and energy to guide the team for seven years, which is a noteworthy accomplishment. As one of the best all-around players in the league, we think Stafanie is a world-class performer who will undoubtedly continue to contribute a tonne of value to the squad, she continued.

The team’s head coach, Courtney Walsh, commented on the change in captaincy, saying: “The Selection panel believed that it was time to make the move. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup starting early in 2019, we felt the time was ideal.

If we were considering any changes, now would be the ideal moment so that we could give the new captain some experience before the World Cup. We are here to support Hayley Matthews while she leads the team since she is young, experienced in the sport, and capable of doing so for a while. For us, it’s a win-win situation because Stafanie can focus on playing her best cricket while also guiding Hayley as she develops into the role of leading the team ahead.”

Matthews, who has participated in 69 ODIs and 61 T20 Internationals, discussed the satisfaction of captaining the West Indies and how Taylor’s leadership influenced her as a cricket player. “I am honored and humbled to get the chance to lead the West Indies Women’s Team. It is indeed a thrilling sensation, and I eagerly await the opportunity to lead and educate others.

Since the start of my professional career eight years ago, this team has held a special place in my heart, and Stefanie’s leadership during those eight years has had a significant impact on the player I am today. I’m looking forward to working with the players to continue advancing the team’s success in the future.”