Scotland, playing this tournament for the first time since 2017, had the perfect start to their women's World Cup Qualifier campaign with a win over top seeds West Indies today despite a heroic batting performance from West Indian captain Hayley Matthews.

Matthews won the toss on a hot day at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground, with temperatures reaching towards 40 degrees celsius and humidity north of 60% - hardly conditions that Scotland would be familiar with - and asked her opponents to bat first.

Scotland openers Abbi Aitken-Drummond and Darcey Carter began the innings with a 48 run partnership before they and number three Kathryn Bryce fell in a four over spell starting from the 12th over.

The younger Bryce sister Sarah had more success, scoring 55 and sharing in an 82 run partnership for the fifth wicket with Megan McColl. McColl fell for 45 soon after as Scotland lost their last six wickets for 62 runs to be bowled out for 244, five overs short of their full quota.

Sarah Bryce batting (Cricket Scotland)

Hayley Matthews was the pick of the West Indian bowlers with 4-56, and she ended up playing a key role with the bat in the West Indian run chase. Qiana Joseph was dismissed for a duck in the second over of their innings before Matthews and Zaida James added 113 for the second wicket.

The partnership ended when James was dismissed for 45. Matthews carried on but was clearly struggling, and after the sixth wicket fell in the 39th over, she left the field having scored 95. She returned after the fall of the eighth wicket and hit a four from the next ball she faced.

Scotland celebrate a wicket (Cricket Scotland)

At this point she fell to the ground screaming in pain and was stretchered off. Karishma Ramharack was caught and bowled by Katherine Fraser - her third wicket - and Matthews heroically pulled herself up from her stretcher and hobbled out to bat again.

She brought up her century from 101 balls and added another thirty runs before Aaliyah Alleyne was trapped lbw by Abtaha Maqsood to bring an end to the match with Matthews left stranded on 114 and West Indies 11 runs short of the Scotland total.

The win for Scotland was the first in three matches against the West Indies, with the only previous meeting in the one-day format coming at the 2003 IWCC Trophy in the Netherlands. They will next be in action on Friday when they take on hosts Pakistan.