ENG W vs WI W | West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews ruled out of third ODI with shoulder injury

‌West Indies Women’s cricket team captain Hayley Matthews was ruled out of the third and final ODI against England on Friday. The star all-rounder injured her shoulder while fielding in the first ODI in Derby last week, which they lost by 108 runs. As a precautionary measure, the Mumbai Indians player decided to rest and sat out of the second ODI in Leicester on Wednesday with the host winning it handsomely by 143 runs.

The decision to skip the final ODI comes on the heels of her visit to a specialist in London on Thursday. That will be a body blow to the visitors who are trying to avoid the ignominy of back-to-back whitewashes against England, who also won the three-match T20I series by a 3-0 margin.

"It's unfortunate Hayley's picked up an injury and she won't be available for the last ODI here in England," West Indies head coach, Shane Deitz, said. "She's played a lot of cricket over the past few years and obviously injuries are part of being an elite-level athlete in all sports.”

Matthews was adjudged the Player of the Series in the T20I leg despite the Windies not being able to win a single match. She topped the overall run charts with 177 runs, including a hundred and a fifty, in three matches at an impressive average of 88.50 and a strike rate of 137.20. She was also West Indies’ joint-highest wicket-taker with her off-spin resulting in three scalps.

In the ODI leg too, she started off brightly with a 47-ball 48, a knock which she played after getting injured, albeit in a losing cause. She was replaced by all-rounder Realeanna Grimmond, who scored a half-century while opening the innings, in the second ODI.

"We will miss her greatly on and off the field, but there's a great opportunity for other players to step up as Realeanna Grimmond did in the second ODI,” Deitz explained. “She stepped up in Hayley's role and played a great innings so it's a great opportunity for other players to be able to fill the void that Hayley leaves with bat and ball and leadership on the field.

"The medical team are looking at options now for what's best for her long-term future to get her body 100 percent right and continue her fantastic career."

Shemaine Campbelle will continue to lead West Indies Women in the third ODI on Saturday as the visitors search for their maiden win to end the tour on a high.