After Mumbai Indians extended its winning streak over the Gujarat Giants, Player of the Match Hayley Matthews said she was happy to execute her game plans on Tuesday.
“I felt like (the pitch) was definitely conducive to my bowling style and the way I go about it,” said the West Indies all-rounder, who finished with figures of three for 16.
“We’re fortunate to have a pretty good history against them and get another one over (5-0). They’ve obviously got a really strong team, who competes really hard. Just pretty happy to get that win but still hard-fought at the end of the day,” she said after the match.
The Harmanpreet-led side beat the Giants by five wickets to score its first points this season. After a narrow defeat in its opening game, Matthews said that the team was ‘pretty hungry’ to turn things around.
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“We knew it was going to be a very important match. The first game definitely did hurt. How close it was, knowing that it was a situation where we could have been one from one,” the 26-year-old said, referring to MI’s two-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals.
“At the same time, we just wanted to stay calm. We know the quality of players that we have within the dressing room and that on our day, we are capable of beating any team.”
The concise bowling efforts by MI helped restrict the Giants to 121, which it chased down with ease courtesy of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s second fifty on the trot. “She (Nat Sciver-Brunt) is a class player and has been for quite some time,” added Matthews.
“She had a difficult season last year with the bat So, it’s really good to see her come out in these two matches and have the start she’s had.
“Everyone was pretty good with the ball. I think every single bowler played a massive role in keeping them to 120.”
With a win in the bag before heading to Bengaluru, Matthews shared that she was happy to play in front of the huge crowds in Vadodara. “I had a good time down here in that series (India vs West Indies ODI series, 2024),” said Matthews, who also scored a century during the three-match series.
“The crowd, nothing kind of matches up to it when it comes to the WPL and just the fan craze around people wanting to support it. I love playing in front of big crowds, and I feel like it adds so much energy and excitement to the tournament,” she said.