The squads
Australia: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
Lucy Hamilton is poised to make her T20I debut after being included in Australia’s squad, while new captain Sophie Molineux has been included as she recovers from a back injury.
Star allrounder Annabel Sutherland will sit out the tour, however, as Australia look to ensure arguably their most valuable player is fresh and primed for the looming T20 World Cup in June.
Grace Harris has missed selection for the tour comprising three T20Is and three ODIs across St Vincent and St Kitts but is understood to remain in CA’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Tahlia Wilson was also named for the tour and will join the group for the ODI leg.
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Eboni Brathwaite, Shemaine Campbelle, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Shawnisha Hector, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor
Hayley Matthews leads an unchanged squad to the side that was defeated 0-2 by Sri Lanka in Grenada last month. Matthews is back in full flight having recovered from the shoulder surgery that ruled her out of WBBL|11 and will bring plenty of firepower to the Windies XI alongside fellow Big Bash imports Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry.
The hosts also have exciting young talent in their ranks, including teenagers Eboni Brathwaite, 17, and Jahzara Claxton, 19.
What’s on the line?
With the T20 World Cup looming close on the horizon, this is a crucial chance for both teams to fine-tune their plans for the tournament in England.
For Australia, it’s a chance to bed in new captain Molineux and to course-correct following their T20I series loss to India last month.
The hosts meanwhile need to respond after being soundly beaten by Sri Lanka last month, and they will be desperate to make an impact in England after missing out entirely on qualification for last year’s ODI World Cup.
Form Guide
Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, NR: no result
Australia: L W L W W W W W W L
Australia are coming off a rare T20I series defeat, having gone down to India 2-1 at home last month. They lost a rain-affected encounter in Sydney before bouncing back strongly in Canberra, but were soundly defeated in the series decider in Adelaide. Those games were Australia’s first in the format since March 2025.
West Indies: L L NR W W L L L L W
Worrying signs for the hosts, who lost 0-2 to Sri Lanka in Grenada last month. Their batting line-up failed to fire across the three-game series; which saw them bowled out for a paltry 49 in the opening game before it was washed out just 2.5 overs into Sri Lanka’s chase.
They lost the following two games by margins of four and nine wickets, as their batting again proved a concern, dismissed for 101 in the second match then kept to 5-119 in the third.
Last time they met
It’s been a long time between matches for Australia and West Indies, who last met in a bilateral series in 2023, where the Aussies took out the T20Is 2-1.
They were in different groups at the most recent T20 World Cup in 2024, and West Indies did not feature at the ODI World Cup last October after missing qualification.
Head-to-head in T20Is
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Australia
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Local knowledge
The picturesque Arnos Vale Stadium – a classic Caribbean venue situated next to the sea – has only hosted three previous women’s T20Is, between West Indies and South Africa in 2014.
All three were low-scoring affairs, with 111 the highest total scored across the three matches. At the men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, the average first-innings score was 129.
The most recent men’s T20I at the venue, in December 2024, saw Bangladesh score 7-189 batting first against the Windies.
How else can I follow along?
Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app will have live scores for every match to go with reports and interviews from our reporters throughout the series.
Make sure you’re following all the @auswomencricket and @cricketcomau social channels for extra interviews and behind-the-scenes action.
In exciting news, The Scoop Cricket Podcast has returned to eardrums all around the country after an almost two-year hiatus.
Esteemed broadcaster Rana Hussain and star spinner Molly Strano are co-hosting the revamped show, and were joined by Australia’s latest call-up Tahlia Wilson ahead of the West Indies tour.
The Scoop is released on Wednesday mornings, so remember to hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. The show is also on the cricket.com.au YouTube channel.
The forecast
The outlook for Arnos Vale is looking good, with tops of 29-30 degrees Celsius tipped throughout the coming week, cooling to the low 20s in the evening. There’s a small chance of showers but if they do eventuate, should be brief.
Rapid Stats
- Australia have won 14 of their 16 T20Is against West Indies, including all five games in the Caribbean, the most recent of which was by nine wickets at Bridgetown in September, 2019.
- The West Indies have lost six of their past eight T20Is including their past two in a row, while only one of their past 12 wins in the format has come when they were batting first.
- Australia have lost two of their past three T20Is but won six in a row prior to that. They have not had back-to-back losses in the format since July 2023.
- Australia have won 12 of their past 13 women’s T20Is on the road. Their last road loss was to South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Dubai in October 2024. Their last unsuccessful chase on the road was a three-run loss to England at The Oval in July 2023.
- Shemaine Campbelle (West Indies) is set to play her 150th T20I and will become the first West Indies player to reach the milestone and just the eighth overall in the women’s format.
- West Indies’ captain Hayley Mathews (2,939) is 61 runs away from becoming the third player to reach 3,000 runs for the team in women’s T20Is (after Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin); she’s scored 310 runs across her past three innings against Australia which included a career-best 132 from 64 balls in October 2023.
- Ashleigh Gardner (99) is set to play her 100th T20I and would become the seventh player to reach the milestone for Australia in the women’s format; she took three wickets in her past T20I innings against the West Indies but has never scored more than 14 runs in an innings against them with the bat.
Australia’s tour of the West Indies 2026
First T20I: March 20, Arnos Vale, St Vincent, 9:30am AEDT (March 19, 6:30pm local)
Second T20I: March 22, Arnos Vale, St Vincent, 9:30am AEDT (March 21, 6:30pm local)
Third T20I: March 24, Arnos Vale, St Vincent, 9:30am AEDT (March 23, 6:30pm local
First ODI: March 28, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (March 27, 2pm local)
Second ODI: March 30, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (March 29, 2pm local)
Third ODI: April 3, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (April 2, 2pm local)
West Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Eboni Brathwaite, Shemaine Campbelle, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Shawnisha Hector, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham, Tahlia Wilson
