West Indies Women’s Captain Hayley Matthews has been named among three nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April.
A past winner of the award and current holder of the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, Matthews is another top-ranked performer to have grabbed headlines in April.
The 26-year-old skipper piled on the runs in her six outings for the West Indies, notching two brilliant ODI centuries followed by back-to-back half-centuries in the T20I contests against Pakistan.
Alongside her 451 runs in April, Matthews also flourished with the ball, taking 12 wickets; six in the ODI matches at an average of 14, and six more in the T20Is at 10.50.
Matthews’ competition for the award are South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu.
The South African opener is looking to claim her maiden Player of the Month award in what is her fourth nomination, and is a strong contender after another historic series of displays in April.
Wolvaardt started the month with a half-century in the final T20I contest against Sri Lanka before carrying her excellent form into the ODI series.
Her innings of 41 in the first match preceded an emphatic 110 not out in the second to claim a vital win, but the 25-year-old saved her best score for the last game, blasting a national record score of 184 in 147 balls only for South Africa to be outdone by the brilliance of Athapaththu.
Athapaththu, last year’s ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, continued her dominance in the 50-over format, reclaiming the top spot in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting rankings after a stellar showing in April.
Records tumbled for the Sri Lanka skipper, thanks to a sparkling unbeaten 195 in Potchefstroom against South Africa as the tourists won in a record run chase.
258 ODI runs was complemented by 148 runs in T20Is, which included two half-centuries in South Africa, plus another against Scotland in the ongoing Women’s T20WC Qualifier in Abu Dhabi, where Sri Lanka eventually sealed their qualification thanks to semi-final success on Sunday.
West Indies complete 3-0 series win over South Africa
West Indies completed a perfect 3-0 T20I series with an eight-wicket victory over South Africa on Sunday to boost morale ahead of the approaching World Cup.
Brandon King’s side had already secured an unassailable lead after a 16-run victory in Kingston on Saturday but ensured they finished on a high in their final game.
South Africa were limited to just 163 runs, with Rassie van der Dussen contributing 51 off 31 balls, as they struggled against an inspired bowling performance led by Obed McCoy (3-39) and Gudakesh Motie (2-21).
With the ball, South Africa could not limit West Indies’ threat as Johnson Charles plundered a quick 69 off 26, while captain Brandon King added 44.
Kyle Mayers’ 36 not out saw West Indies over the line with a little help from Alick Athanaze to reach 165-2 with 37 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Clean sweep
Charles hit West Indies' third-fastest T20 fifty, reaching his half-century after just 20 balls - in total, he hit nine fours and three boundaries before being caught.
Having won only one of their previous four men's T20Is against South Africa at home (L3) prior to this series, West Indies have now won each of the last three.
'SRH were outplayed', Cummins concedes after IPL final defeat
Pat Cummins conceded Sunrisers Hyderabad "were outplayed" in their Indian Premier League final defeat by Kolkata Knight Riders.
KKR enjoyed a dominant eight-wicket victory in Chennai - just as they did in the first qualifier on Tuesday - as SRH were bowled out for 113.
It was the lowest run total registered in an IPL final - SRH's third as they squandered the opportunity to land a second title after first lifting the trophy in 2016.
KKR were inspired with Mitchell Starc (2-14) and Andre Russell (3-19) preventing their opponents from establishing any momentum, before chasing down their total with relative ease.
Cummins, who top-scored with 24 off 19 balls, was disappointed to come out on the losing side, but praised his team-mates' efforts throughout the campaign.
"I thought they bowled fantastically. We did not have enough on the board," the SRH skipper said. "We were outplayed tonight. They gave nothing away, just like the last game in Ahmedabad.
"It was a tricky track to figure out. [It] didn't feel like a 200-plus wicket; 160 would have given us a chance.
"The style of our play, particularly with the bat, scoring 250 three times is a good feat. So, it was a great season.
"I had not worked with many of the guys before, but it was great working with them. A great squad and the staff were amazing. [I've] had a great time."
Russell left with 'no words' after winning IPL title
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell says he has "no words" to describe the feeling of winning the Indian Premier League title.
KKR dominated the final, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets after stifling them with an excellent bowling display in the first innings.
Russell took three wickets as SRH were limited to just 113 runs before KKR surged to the win with 57 balls remaining.
Asked how he was feeling after such a strong performance, Russell told reporters: "No words to explain right now.
"It means so much with all the fans that have been supporting us throughout the season. We are the players who go game after game and make sure that we get the job done. And it's the first time we're actually celebrating our victory and I think it's the right moment.
"I'm happy that all of us, we are very disciplined and want the same goal. This franchise has done so much for me, with the fitness and everything. This is a big gift from all of us to them, so I'm happy."
To Star Sports, he added: "I'm kind of lost for words, emotions is all over. It's my first final for KKR and to get three wickets as well, it means a lot to me, and all the bowlers did their job.
"I just mentioned to [Mitchell Starc], I said, 'Hey, big man, you saved the best for last,' and I'm happy with that because he started on the rough side and I kept feeling that he's still a world-class bowler, he doesn't take a few bad games to decide the destiny."
Nitish Rana quickly turned the focus to Gautam Gambhir's work in leading KKR to the title, saying: "When Gautam Gambhir was signed as our mentor, I had congratulated him on WhatsApp.
"I wrote a long message to him, and he thanked me, but he also said he'll be the happiest when we'll lift the trophy at the podium. Today is that day and I'll remember that message forever."
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