The West Indies will face India on Friday in the first of three ODIs in Trinidad and Tobago but they will be without one player that Captain Nicolas Pooran would dearly like to see taking the field sometime soon.
Shimron Hetmyer, who has not played for the West Indies since November 2021, has been training with the squad but according to the Windies' white-ball captain, the Guyanese middle-order batsman, still has a lot of work to do on his fitness before he can suit up once again.
“He is here doing a lot of work on his fitness and that is really nice to see, the effort that he has been putting in,” Pooran said during a media session on Thursday.
“He wants to play for the West Indies and trainers and coaches working with him, so expect to see him sooner than later.
“I have full confidence that he will be putting on the maroon colours again. He has a fitness test to pass shortly, so he is preparing himself for that.”
Former West Indies batting coach Toby Radford says the team needs to be more adaptable to compete with the best teams in the world in white-ball cricket.
Radford was a guest on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday in the wake of the Windies suffering a 0-3 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh.
“Clearly things have got to change with the white-ball because it is inconsistent. I’m sure the talent is there. It needs good planning, structure and organization,” Radford said.
“50-over cricket isn’t won by hitting balls over the ropes. You have to play the pitch; you’re not going to smash the ball over every boundary. On big grounds, you have to look for you ones and twos then when you get on small grounds, you can look to hit boundaries,” he added.
The hosts had a horrid time with the bat in the series, being restricted to scores of 149-9, 108 and 178 in their three times at the crease, unable to manoeuvre the Bangladeshi spinners on some difficult Guyanese pitches.
“You’ve got to be adaptable and flexible, play the situation, the team you are in front of and the ground you’re playing on. You can’t play white-ball cricket one way in every game and win. It’s not that type of game,” Radford said.
“If you can’t use your feet or you can’t sweep then you’ve really got to get one side of the ball, either stay leg-side or off-side. You have to do something. Just staying one place and allowing somebody to bowl at you and build up pressure is not going to take you anywhere,” he added.
Andrew Edwards, Jamaica’s former national U17 head coach, has taken the job as Technical Director for reigning Manning Cup champions, Kingston College.
Edwards was the technical director in the Turks & Caicos Islands between 2019 and 2021 and returned home in December last year. He told Sportsmax.TV Thursday that the appeal to be part of the development process of the 16-time Manning Cup winners was too good to turn down.
“The job at Kingston College is one of the most appealing at the schoolboy level in the country,” Edwards said while confirming that he started on Wednesday.
“I have a number of friends in management and among the teachers including Head Coach Raymond Watson. The only concern was how I could make it work alongside Genesis, my football academy.”
Genesis is based in Mandeville, Manchester.
In his first year as technical director, Edwards doesn’t believe Kingston College has a lot of rebuilding to do despite the loss of several players from the team that defeated Jamaica College 5-4 on penalties at Stadium East in Kingston after they played to a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation and extra time in January.
He revealed to Sportsmax.TV that KC has retained a number of players from last season and there will good transition from the U16 team from last season.
Edwards has had a long history coach at the youth level in Jamaica. He was head coach of the national U17 squad from 2014-2017 and was the assistant coach of Jamaica’s U23 team in 2015 during the 2016 Olympic campaign. He was also the assistant coach of the national U20 squad from 2010-2013.
He also coached at St Elizabeth Technical High School, Munro College and Titchfield High School.
West Indies coach Phil Simmons expects a much better showing from the team’s batsmen ahead of the upcoming series against India.
The Windies line-up struggled mightily against Bangladesh, albeit in difficult circumstances for batting in the most recent One Day International series. In three matches the team, batting first on each occasion, managed just a total of 435.
The team’s captain Nicholas Pooran was the team’s scorer with 91 runs but scored 73 in the final game when the series was already decided. Shamarh Brooks was the next best and he totalled 42 over the three matches. Despite facing superior opposition, India, in another series beginning on Friday, Simmons does not expect such a brutal showing with the bat.
“You expect a better batting performance. You don’t really want to make excuses and in the last game we showed what we should have shown in the first two games, on what were bad cricket wickets on whole but we expect differently,” Simmons told members of the media on Wednesday.
“We’ve had two days of practice, we practiced yesterday and a really good session today, something that we did not get between Dominica and Guyana because of the rain that stopped us from practicing. From the sessions I have seen so far, the guys seem to be switched on again.”
Jamaica Reggae Girlz forward Khadijah Shaw and midfielder Drew Spence have been named to the Concacaf W Championship Best XI for the recently concluded tournament.
The duo was outstanding for the Jamaica national team who finished third overall at the event behind winners the United States and second place Canada.
The typically outstanding Shaw, the Jamaica national team’s all-time leading scorer, managed to net a tournament-leading three goals, which added up for a very productive 12 overall.
The introduction of Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Spence was a major boost for the Jamaicans as she racked up a tournament-leading 15 pass interceptions an assist and a goal.
Also joining Shaw and Spence in the W Championship Best XI was Haiti livewire Melchie Dumornay who proved a slippery customer for opposing defenses to handle time and time again. The Caribbean players were selected as part of a 3-4-3 formation. The rest of the team was comprised of players from the United States and Canada.
Full squad
GK Kailen Sheridan, Canada
DF Becky Sauerbrunn, United States
DF Vanessa Gilles, Canada
DF Naomi Girma, United States
MF Melchie Dumornay, Haiti
MF Rose Lavelle, United States
MF Jessie Fleming, Canada
MF Drew Spence, Jamaica
FW Julia Grosso, Canada
FW Alex Morgan, United States
FW Khadija Shaw, Jamaica
Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson insists the team was prepared for a battle of attrition with Costa Rica after several recent close encounters between the teams.
A second-half extra-time goal from Kalyssa van Zanten secured a 1-0 win for Jamaica in a hard-fought encounter against their Central Americans in the third-place playoff. The win capped off a successful tournament for the Jamaicans who secured third place and with it a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Having successfully secured a spot in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Jamaicans will now have the chance to make more history when they face defending champions Canada in a home-and-away play-off next year. Getting past Costa Rica proved to be a challenge.
“We knew it was going to be a very tight game. Every time we play Costa Rica it comes down to the second half or overtime so we figured if we could get some speed on the field late on, we could get something, and Kiki came on and had a good finish,” Donaldson said.
The last 6 matches between the teams have been decided by a 1-0 score line with Costa Rica winning 3 of the matches with one draw. The coach was also full of praise for the young goal scorer.
“She’s been in a few games she’s a rookie, she’s a young player so she got over excited but this game she was calmer. When we looked in her eyes when I spoke to her, I told her you to have a goal in your boot and gave her some confidence but she has been growing confident.”
Inter Miami hope to be able to sign Lionel Messi and establish themselves as "the benchmark of soccer in the United States", co-owner Jorge Mas has reiterated.
The MLS outfit are owned by a group including former Manchester United, Real Madrid and England great David Beckham, so they are no strangers to big names.
But the arrival of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi in the United States would likely represent a landmark transfer in the sport's history.
For now, Messi, who had spent his entire club career with Barcelona until last year, is under contract at Paris Saint-Germain for another season, while there is the option for a further 12 months, too.
However, Inter are not giving up hope of recruiting the 35-year-old before he calls time on a legendary career.
The club's chief business officer Xavier Asensi hinted at interest in Messi earlier this week, and Mas doubled down on their transfer market ambition in an interview with Sport as Barca visit Miami in pre-season.
Mas, a co-owner alongside Beckham, said: "Well, look, both David Beckham and I aspire to bring the best players in the world here to Miami.
"[It is] not only because of the project we are creating, because we want to be the benchmark of soccer in the United States, but when you talk about the best players in the world, Leo is obviously the best player on the planet.
"Hopefully the conditions will be for him being there, playing in the shirt of Inter Miami of the United States. We aspire to that. Hopefully the circumstances will arise.
"We have nothing guaranteed, there is no agreement, but I am a very optimistic man, and hopefully in the future Leo Messi can be part of our project."
Kalyssa Van Zanten's goal in extra-time strike earned Jamaica's Reggae Girlz a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica to secure third place in the CONCACAF Women’s Championships in Mexico on Monday night.
West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons has retired from international cricket, according to an Instagram post from his sports agency 124notout on Monday.
The post further said that Simmons had written a letter to Cricket West Indies last Friday informing them about his decision to become a free agent and pursue opportunities on the franchise circuit.
Simmons' international career spanned 16 years. He represented West Indies in eight Tests, 68 ODIs and 68 T20Is, scoring 3763 runs across all formats. He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2006. His T20I debut came a year later against England at The Oval and he made his Test debut in 2009 against England in Port-of-Spain.
Simmons has also enjoyed a stellar career in franchise cricket representing several teams like Mumbai Indians, Trinbago Knight Riders, Karachi Kings and Sylhet Sunrisers.
He is the leading run-scorer in CPL history with 2629 runs from 91 innings including 20 half-centuries.
He also helped the Mumbai Indians to two IPL titles in 2015 and 2017, scoring a total of 1079 runs from 29 innings during his time with the franchise.
Simmons played a key role in West Indies' triumph during the 2016 T20 World Cup, blasting a 51-ball 82 in the semi-final against hosts India. In total, Simmons scored 1527 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 120.80, with nine half-centuries.
He last represented West Indies during the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Jamaica’s senior men's football team, the Reggae Boyz, is set to play Morocco, Qatar and Ghana in a four-team tournament to run from August 20-26, 2022.
World Championships 100m semi-finalist Kemba Nelson will be training with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce under the guidance of Reynaldo Walcott at Elite Performance come next season.
Lionel Messi moving to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami would serve as a "reference point for football in the U.S." as David Beckham's franchise look to make high-profile signings.
That is the message from Miami's chief business officer Xavier Asensi, who hinted to Mundo Deportivo that his side will look to make a move for Messi.
Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini made their MLS debuts on Sunday for Los Angeles FC in a 2-1 win over Nashville SC.
Five-time Champions League winner Bale and Chiellini, who won Euro 2020 with Italy last year, joined Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Beckham as some of the biggest names to play in MLS.
With Messi's Paris Saint-Germain contract set to expire at the end of the upcoming season, Asensi suggested Miami will attempt to sign Messi but conceded the aim may be unrealistic.
When asked whether signing a player like Messi was a target for Beckham's side, Asensi said: "Yes, with some caveats. You can't compare Leo Messi with any other player; he's different.
"Having said that, what we're looking for is to be the reference point for football in the U.S., and to do that, the important thing is the players and the show that you can put on.
"To do so, you need the best players, and having them is a genuine objective at this club. In terms of Leo Messi, there's him and then there's everyone else.
"It depends on him and what he wants. We want to have the best players in the world, and I think Messi is the best in history. From there it's up to him."
Messi, 35, experienced a lean first season by his own high standards for PSG, scoring 11 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions.
That return was 17 fewer than he managed for Barcelona in the 2020-21 campaign, his final campaign before ending a 21-year association with the Blaugrana.
Though his goal tally diminished, Messi set up 14 league goals – only once in his last five seasons at Camp Nou (21 in 2019-20) did he assist more in a term.
After making his intentions and admirations for Messi clear, Asensi's focus turned to the pre-season friendly against Barca on Wednesday.
"From an emotional point of view it's marvellous and professionally it's exceptional," he added. "Barca are, if not the biggest, one of the three biggest clubs in the world for sure, and clubs are the ones that capitalise on the passion for football.
"I don't know of any fans of FIFA or UEFA. In international football everyone supports their country, but clubs don't have any borders, they go everywhere. And in terms of clubs, Barca are among the biggest, looking at the numbers.
"Emotionally, it's the biggest thing for me. To have them here, for the people of Miami, is spectacular."
Gareth Bale claimed the standard of football in Major League Soccer has risen in recent years after he and Giorgio Chiellini made their Los Angeles FC debut in a 2-1 win over Nashville SC.
Bale made his MLS bow as a 72nd-minute substitute in Tennessee, while Italy and Juventus legend Chiellini played the first hour of a victory that put LAFC one point clear at the Western Conference summit.
The Wales winger, who won five Champions League titles during a trophy-laden spell with Real Madrid before his contract expired in June, suggested last week that MLS was "not a retirement league".
And Bale repeated that assertion after his maiden appearance, telling LAFC's website: "The standard of football, even just watching, has improved massively from when I used to watch it in the past and when I've played against an all-star team or played other teams in the past.
"The football's good, I enjoyed being on there. I definitely think the perception [of the league] is changing, I think a lot of players came over and really struggled and got a big wake-up call by it.
"I've spoken to other players about it, so I know the quality is improving. I haven't come here just to wind down, I want to contribute as much as I can, to try to win games and trophies."
Bale caught the eye during his first cameo with the 2019 Supporters' Shield winners, and admitted he had grown restless watching from the bench early on.
"It felt amazing, I was itching from the first half, as soon as I got on the bench I wanted to get off and help the team," he added. "[It's] important as well for me individually that I get my fitness going, obviously it's the end of the season in Europe.
"It's good to get some minutes and more importantly, we got the three points, so everybody's happy.
"I want to come in and do what I do, but fit into the team's style of play as well. It's going to take a bit of time to get used to everything, but I'm quite switched on."
Chiellini, meanwhile, highlighted the difficulties caused by the humid conditions in Nashville, but was pleased to have passed his first test since departing Serie A.
"I expected the difficulties we had in the match because it is good team and also for me especially, it's my first match for almost two months, and it's too hot in Nashville!" the defender said.
"But I was feeling better minute by minute. I'm very happy because it was a difficult game, and it is very important for us to win"
New York City earned an important win for their season on Sunday, defeating local rivals New York RB to claim the Hudson River Derby on Sunday.
With City and NYRB second and third respectively in the Eastern Conference coming into Sunday's match, the stakes were higher than usual and it reflected in the fine margins the game was played within.
It was fitting the winning goal also reflected that, with NYRB defender Sean Nealis caught square for just a fraction of a second in the 69th minute, as the game grew increasingly tense.
That lapse was enough for Santiago Rodriguez to perfectly weigh a pass over his head for Valentin Castellanos, who ran onto it off his blind side, before finishing first-time past the approaching Carlos Coronel for his MLS-leading 13th goal of the season.
City restored their one-point deficit to the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union with the win, while opening up a critical five-point gap to NYRB in third.
Elsewhere in the East, Atlanta United and Orlando City could only manage a 1-1 draw, while Columbus Crew took full advantage, moving to sixth win a 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati.
Meanwhile in the Western Conference, Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale made their debuts for Los Angeles FC as they reclaimed top spot with a 2-1 win over Nashville SC.
Chiellini started while Bale came off the bench but by then, LAFC had already reclaimed the lead via Jose Cifuentes, after Hany Mukhtar cancelled out Cristian Arango's opening goal.
Real Salt Lake took full advantage, moving back into third in the West with a 3-0 win over Sporting KC, while Houston Dynamo claimed a 2-1 victory over the SJ Earthquakes.
In Sunday's final game, the traditional rivals from the NASL and USL in the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers played out a 1-1 draw.
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