Matthews sidelined from WCPL, set for shoulder surgery

West Indies women’s captain Haley Matthews watched with a tinge of jealousy that she is not able to parade her skills in the ongoing Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) after picking up an injury during her stint in England in the Women’s Hundred.

In an interview on the WCPL broadcast on Wednesday, Matthews broke down the extent of the injury and the process that will transpire in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately, I’ve torn the shoulder socket,” Matthews stated. “I am going to have surgery next week and get that all fixed and repaired. Probably not what I wanted, but I just had a bit of a fall over in England.”

The recovery timeline will see the West Indies captain sidelined for a significant period, which she explained will be taken in stride.

“They gave me about nine to 12 weeks or so, which would put me to about December. So, some good time, I guess, to get the body right for the end of the year and get back ready for a really big 2026.”

Despite the disappointment, Matthews displayed a remarkably positive perspective. She reflected on a career largely free of major injuries, calling herself “fortunate.”

“This is my first, I guess, major injury since my career started about 10 or 11 years ago. So, I am quite thankful for that. I know that is a pretty fortunate place to be in.”

She also saw a potential silver lining in the enforced break after a relentless schedule.

“I’ve been going for a very long time and playing a lot of high-level international and franchise cricket, so the body probably does need a bit of a rest. And I guess it’s good that it’s come about in a time where we don’t have too much on at the end of the year as well.”

The Barbados Royals will certainly miss the services of Matthews, the undisputed MVP of the WCPL. The Barbadian is not just a key player for the Royals; she is the league’s dominant force.

She currently tops the tournament charts as both the leading run-scorer, with 424 runs at a strike rate of 113.06, and the leading wicket-taker, with 23 scalps at an economical 5.79 runs per over.

Her performances have been instrumental in the Royals’ back-to-back title-winning campaigns in 2023 and 2024.

Matthew was Player of the Match in the 2023 final, blasting 82 from 59 balls and taking two wickets against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and followed it up by being named Player of the Series for the entire 2024 season.

(CMC)