Matthews named Windies vice-captain
Olivier Giroud ended his drought by scoring the only goal to lead Chelsea to a 1-0 win at BATE Borisov yesterday, clinching a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League with two group games to spare.
Giroud had not scored for Chelsea for six months but he knows what it is like to net against BATE. Last season, the France forward was on target in both games against the Belarusian champion when he played for London rival Arsenal in Europe’s second-tier competition.
Arsenal also made it through after a 0-0 home draw against Sporting marred by Danny Welbeck’s injury. The England striker was carried off on a stretcher after appearing to sustain a serious ankle problem. He needed to receive oxygen before he was taken to hospital.
Zurich reached the next stage, together with Bayer Leverkusen, after the German side won their encounter 1-0. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Apollon Limassol 3-2 to advance, while Lazio beat Marseille 2-1 to march into the next round and eliminate last year’s runner-up.
Dinamo Zagreb was another team to progress to the knockout phase after the fourth round of matches. Ten-man Sevilla won 3-2 at Akhisar, thanks to a late penalty, but Anderlecht’s hopes of going through are over.
Hayley Matthews, the Windies Women’s 20-year old all-rounder, has been named vice-captain of the squad at the ICC World Women’s T20 Tournament which starts today, supporting captain, Stafanie Taylor.
Matthews was one of the stars when the Windies lifted the championship in 2016, producing a top knock of 66 from 45 balls in the final. She has been on a constant upward trajectory since then, establishing herself as an important player in the Windies setup and has now been rewarded with this role.
Speaking on the appointment, Matthews said: “I am very delighted that the hierarchy of Cricket West Indies see me as a good fit for vice-captain. I think the added responsibility will be of great benefit to my overall game. It will be an amazing feeling to play in front of home fans here in the West Indies.”
Taylor is confident that Matthews will take the responsibility in stride and continue to put in top performances, while also pushing her teammates forward. “Hayley is young, but very confident and knowledgeable about the sport. She is someone who can lead from the front, with bat and ball, and encourages her teammates to raise their game in varying situations.”
Meanwhile, 17-year-old fast bowler, Qiana Joseph has replaced injured Sheneta Grimmond. Joseph has been with the squad through all of their recent training camps held in Antigua all this year, and was part of the Windward Islands team for the Women’s Championship earlier this year.
Joseph is excited about the competition and looking forward to playing in front of her home crowd in St Lucia.
“It’s so unfortunate that Sheneta had to be withdrawn, as it would have been a great experience for her. However, I must take this selection as a blessing and do my best to assist the team in retaining our World (Women’s) T20 Championship at home. The team will do the best to make her proud.”