Hayley Matthews Crowned ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April 2024
West Indies’ star all-rounder, Hayley Matthews, has outshone her competitors to clinch the title of ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April 2024.
Matthews’ exceptional performance in the white-ball fixtures against Pakistan earned her this recognition. The 26-year-old surpassed South Africa’s captain Laura Wolvaardt and Sri Lanka’s skipper Chamari Athapaththu to secure the prestigious monthly award.
Player of the Match award in seven of her last eight T20I contests. A promising sign for the West Indies and their skipper Hayley Matthews ahead of this year’s #T20WorldCup https://t.co/SSJp2yMBrB
This marks the third time Matthews has bagged the monthly ICC award, adding to her previous victories in November 2021 and October 2023.
Only Ash Gardner, with four wins, has claimed the women’s monthly award more times than Matthews. The West Indies skipper expressed her delight at winning the award once again and closing in on the Australian star.
“I’m really happy to win the award again. The performances resulted in the team’s success and that’s the most important thing for me as captain,” Matthews said.
“To win in Pakistan … was always a big goal. I wanted to perform well and contribute to the team’s success so to be able to have performances and get the results that was really good and showed that the hard work and the concentration in Pakistan paid off.
“Being able to set some new records and achieve some new milestones as well was good for me so I’m extremely happy. We have confidence and we will take this with us going into the tour of Sri Lanka and look to secure more crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.”
In April, Matthews showcased her prowess in three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs against Pakistan.
During this period, the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year for 2023 amassed 325 runs at an impressive average of 162.5, along with six wickets in the ICC Women’s Championship ODI series. In the T20I series, she scored 126 runs at an average of 42 and claimed six wickets.
Matthews also bagged four Player of the Match awards, two each in the ODI and T20I series, and was named the Player of the Series in ODIs.
In the ODI series opener, Matthews delivered a stunning 140* off 150 balls, including 15 fours and a six. She also led the bowling attack with 3/17 from her six overs, helping West Indies secure a significant 113-run victory over Pakistan.
In the second ODI, Matthews contributed 44 runs and took a wicket, aiding the Windies in a thrilling last-ball, two-wicket win. In the final ODI, she shone with a solid 141 off 149 balls, including 19 fours. She also made an impact with the ball, returning figures of 2/26 from eight overs.
The T20Is that followed saw Matthews dismissed for a rare duck in the opening fixture, but she compensated with an economical spell of 1/14 in her four overs. She scored a brisk 58 in the second game and was the star bowler with figures of 3/25. In the final game, she scored a 49-ball 68 and returned 2/22 with the ball.