Hayley Matthews takes over as West Indies captain from Stefanie Taylor

Hayley Matthews has taken over the captaincy of the West Indies women's team from Stefanie Taylor, who remained at the helm for seven years. According to a Cricket West Indies (CWI) release, Matthews will assume the role ahead of the team's next series, which is "expected to be played later this year".

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Taylor was named captain in 2015 and made a straight mark. Meanwhile, notably, she led his team to the 2016 T20 World Cup title as well as the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. She has scored 5298 runs in 145 ODIs and 3121 runs in 111 T20Is apart from taking 152 wickets and 98 wickets respectively across formats. Taylor captained the West Indies with 25 wins in 62 ODIs and 33 wins in 55 T20Is.

The recommendation of the women's selection panel to make Hayley Matthews the captain was confirmed at a meeting of the CWI Board of Directors on June 24.

The 24-year-old Mathews made his West Indies debut in 2014 and played a major role in his side's 2016 T20 World Cup win. Meanwhile, she was adjudged Player of the Match in the final against Australia, where she scored 66 runs in 45 balls and was appointed the vice-captain ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2018. She has 1764 runs and 78 wickets in 69 ODIs, and 1055 runs and 58 wickets in T20Is.

"I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to captain the West Indies women's team": Hayley Matthews

"I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to captain the West Indies women's team. "It is certainly an encouraging feeling and I welcome the experience of leading and learning with open arms.

This team has been very close to my heart since the beginning of my professional career eight years ago and during those eight years, Stephanie's leadership has had an impact and played a major role in the player I am today."

Hayley Matthews said

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"I want to thank Stephanie for her amazing leadership of the team over the years. We've achieved some of our biggest milestones with her and I look forward to continuing to play with her," She added.

Head coach Courtney Walsh said: "We felt the timing was right with the ICC Women's T20 World Cup early next year, if we are looking to make any changes now it would be the best time so we can give the new captain some She has a series under her belt before entering the World Cup. Hayley Matthews is young; she has longevity in the game, and she can lead the team long enough to gain experience and we're going to support her. It's a win-win for us as we will have Stephanie focus on her best cricket and guide Haley as she grows into the role of taking the team forward."