At the age of 21, with limited experience in domestic cricket, Mathew Ford has played 12 matches in the Mathew Ford List and 18 T20 matches. However, despite this limited experience, he proved himself in international cricket by playing against England in a historic match.
In his first 25 balls in pace, bounce, and seam movement, he took 3 wickets in the international career. In a rain-interrupted series-deciding third ODI, he led the team to victory. This win against England in 2007 marked West Indies’ first ODI series win after that year against England, and after 25 years, they lost this series in England.
Due to rain in Bridgetown, the match was reduced to 43 overs. The game started but was interrupted by rain again, reducing it to 40 overs. England, batting first after losing the toss, faced a major setback. They lost the wickets of opener Phil Salt and third batsman Zak Crawley early, followed by captain Josh Butler’s zero runs, collapsing to 49 runs in 9.4 overs, losing 5 wickets.
Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone revived England with an 88-run partnership. Duckett scored 71 runs out of 137, while Livingstone scored 45 runs out of 142. Even after this, England managed to reach 200 runs with the last wicket partnership of Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson, scoring an average of 35 runs.
Ford, the man of the match, said, ‘I have worked very hard behind the scenes. I have practiced rigorously in the camp. It’s a special moment for me, a dream come true. Thanks to everyone who made this possible. It’s touching to perform in front of the home ground spectators, in front of my parents… it’s heartwarming.’
Batler, disappointed with the loss, expressed regret for losing 5 wickets quickly, saying, ‘We’ve reduced the runs by losing wickets. Losing 5 wickets at 40 runs was a major setback for us. The pitch was challenging, but we performed well with the ball. The spinners made a comeback. This is just the beginning of a long journey for the boys. Hopefully, we can build something for the future.’
