Matthews hails WI ‘strategic’ preparation but urges consistency

LONDON, (CMC) – Captain Hayley Matthews has underscored the importance of consistency if West Indies Women are to make an impact at next month’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup, and believes the pitches will also be a decisive factor in results.

The Caribbean side, winners of the 2016 edition of the tournament in India, have found themselves on a wretched nine-game losing streak in T20 Internationals but Matthews said she was buoyed by their “strategic and calculated” preparation for the South African showpiece.

“As a team we have big aspirations of playing a high level of competitive cricket. One of the main objectives we have is to expectantly showcase our improvements upon our first-round exit from the tournament in 2020,” Matthews said in her column for the International Cricket Council.

“We’ve had time to regroup and make developments to both our individual and team game which can, hopefully, assist us in creating some upsets to take us along a path to the finals.

In a contentious tournament like this, we believe consistent performances are vital to a successful run. As a result, we believe a confident run can also bring about the breakout of budding talent within the squad.”

She added: “Heading