The Barbados Tridents are one victory away from becoming the first team to reach every final since the tournament began in 2022.
The Tridents meet Guyana at Kensington Oval on Wednesday for a place in Thursday’s final against Trinbago Knight Riders, with the three-time defending champions seeking to extend their remarkable run.
Captain Hayley Matthews says the Tridents are ready to chase another piece of history. “I think as a team we want to go out there and hopefully win it and create history by becoming the only team to get into the finals every year, so we’re looking forward to it and obviously it’s gonna be a really big game.
“We’re playing against Guyana again who just got the better of us in that third group stage match. It’s gonna be fun, but it’s also gonna be a big challenge for us.”
The Tridents have been involved in a number of keenly contested games over the years and as skipper, Matthews has embraced the pressure as a learning experience.
“It’s really easy to flow and do well when you’re in a comfortable position, but when I think you’re in those tight moments where it can go either way and you kind of have to lock in, and get everything done there and then, it can certainly teach you how to deal with those situations where it either goes one way or the other.
“It’s a great experience for the younger girls especially to be playing in moments like this, and to go out there in the pressure of the moment and hopefully be able to succeed at what they’ve been working on really hard at on the training ground,” Matthews explained.
Although Matthews is the International Cricket Council’s top-ranked women’s T20 all-rounder, she stressed that it is the team’s collective effort and strong sense of unity that have made the Tridents such formidable opponents in the WCPL.
“When we step out onto the field, we try to take all the pressure off, go out there, enjoy ourselves, and try not to focus on the result too much.
“I think just the camaraderie that we have within the group, that winning mentality and the girls never really wanting to give up, leaves us with a group that I think is always really confident, and willing to fight to the very end and that always puts us in a pretty good place.” Matthews said.
Guyana will enter Wednesday’s playoff with the psychological edge after narrowly defeating the Tridents in their group-stage meeting on September 13.
Captain Chloe Tryon said the momentum from their group-stage win was important in getting the players into the right mindset for the playoff.
“Having different players standing up in different situations is really good.
I just think the flexibility in the team is good (and) the girls are clear on what we’re trying to do.
“In different scenarios, you’ve gotta try and adjust as much as you can, so you know, players are putting up their hands, which is really good for us and it’s kind of giving us that depth in the batting line-up,” Tryon added.
(KH)
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