Windies Women Reach World Cup Semis Despite Ireland Loss

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews acknowledged her team's subpar performance in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, stating they must use the pain of their loss to Ireland as motivation for a vastly improved semifinal showing. England's win over New Zealand ultimately rescued the Caribbean side's campaign, securing their place in the semifinals for the second consecutive time.

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We haven’t been at our best at all this tournament and if we do reach the semi-finals I certainly feel like we need to show up and turn up.

Matthews admitted the team had fallen well below the required standard. "We haven’t been at our best at all this tournament and if we do reach the semi-finals I certainly feel like we need to show up and turn up," she said. "I think the pain we feel right now and probably the anxiety we feel right now, we’re going to have to channel that if we do get through and remember that we don’t want to feel this way again."

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I think the pain we feel right now and probably the anxiety we feel right now, we’re going to have to channel that if we do get through and remember that we don’t want to feel this way again.

Head coach Shane Deitz echoed this sentiment, bluntly assessing the performance as the team's poorest of the tournament. "We probably brought our worst game for the most important game," Deitz stated. "Destiny was in our hands and we weren’t able to get across the line. We probably didn’t deserve the win. We played a pretty poor game and Ireland took the opportunities."

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We probably brought our worst game for the most important game.

The Windies struggled after being sent in to bat, managing only 128 for seven. Matthews noted a lack of batting intent, describing the approach as "timid." Despite a promising start from Qiana Joseph, key batters like Matthews (22), Stafanie Taylor (16), and Deandra Dottin (21) failed to provide a solid foundation. Chinelle Henry's unbeaten 27 offered late resistance, but Ireland's bowlers Cara Murray and Aimee Maguire took four wickets combined. Ireland's chase was anchored by Player-of-the-Match Orla Prendergast's 63, with Amy Hunter contributing 66 for the second wicket. Matthews also pointed to issues with bowling execution and fielding errors.

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Destiny was in our hands and we weren’t able to get across the line. We probably didn’t deserve the win. We played a pretty poor game and Ireland took the opportunities.