Legendary fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, does not believe Shimron Hetmyer is ready to be captain of the West Indies team as the batsman still has areas of his individual game to develop.

Earlier this week, former Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dave Cameron was reported as saying that Hetmyer should replace Pollard as the team’s new white-ball captain.  In further clarifying the issue, however, Cameron has since explained that he believes his administration would have done more to groom the player to take over the post by now.

With Hetmyer plagued by issues of inconsistency and fitness over the last few years, however, Ambrose does not believe having to handle the pressure of the captaincy would be the right move for the batsman at this time.

“I certainly wouldn't (make him captain).  Hetmyer is a young man and could be a future captain in the making but I think Hetmyer needs to get his game in order first,” Ambrose told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“He needs to get his game in order.  It’s too big a responsibility for the young man at this moment when he’s not playing as well,” he added.

“For me, I would like to see Hetmyer focus on his batting.  First and foremost get it right and then who knows what can happen a few years later but I wouldn’t give it to him now, being the captain is added pressure.”

In ODI cricket, Hetmyer is currently averaging 35.29 and has played 47 matches for the regional team.

Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh has thanked the governments of Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago for strongly supporting Cricket West Indies in hosting its fourth global tournament.

Speaking in the aftermath of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) announcement of the host venues and match schedule for the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, he noted it would not have been possible for the Caribbean to hold the event without important government guarantees.

Citing tax waivers, upgrading cricket infrastructure, and collaborating with hotels to ensure accommodation for all 16 teams, match officials and support staff, Baksh revealed regional governments are investing substantial efforts and resources in the tournament which will leave a major cricketing legacy while boosting host economies.

“A number of community clubs and grounds will benefit from enhanced cricketing infrastructure after this event. Of course, there will also be a welcome financial impact in host territories, in terms of hotel bookings, transportation, catering, and the hiring of temporary staff,” he added.

Baksh also lauded the visionary enthusiasm with which host venues readily embraced the U19 event which will be held in the West Indies in January-February 2022.

“When Cricket West Indies voiced its aspirations of hosting the Under 19 Cricket World Cup, regional governments were immediately receptive to the idea, especially from a developmental perspective. This is an opportunity for our youth – and fans in general – to see young men engaged in positive, healthy competition; many of them en route to becoming future stars in international cricket. It’s a great way to inspire boys and also girls across the West Indies, showing what is possible with discipline and dedication.”

The U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, the Tournament Director pointed out, will continue the West Indies’ stellar tradition of staging the sport’s premier events.

“Since 2007, when the West Indies historically hosted the Men’s Cricket World Cup in nine countries, we have distinguished ourselves in rolling out the red carpet for world-class cricket events.  We held the men’s and women’s T20 World Cups jointly in 2010 and, most recently, the women’s T20 World Cup in 2018,” he said.

“We are proud of these achievements, and the cadre of home-grown professionals which we now have in sport-events management.”

The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 takes place in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago, from January 14 to February 5, 2022, featuring 16 participating nations in 48 matches.

 Host team, West Indies, start their title quest on January 14 against Australia at Guyana National Stadium while reigning champions, Bangladesh, begin their defence versus England on January 16 at Warner Park, St. Kitts.

Olympic bronze medallist, Candice McLeod, says her success on the track this season was due mainly to getting more rest and a proper diet during the pre-season.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt has expressed delight with a decision that will see the West Indies serve as joint hosts of the 2024 T20 World Cup along with the United States.

The West Indies will be hosting a World Cup-type event for the fourth time, with the US set to make history with its first.  In addition, the 2024 edition will be the first T20 World Cup to feature 20 teams.

Based on the fixtures, approximately two-thirds of the 55 matches will be held in the Caribbean, with the World Cup venues being drawn from the 13 established international cricket grounds in the West Indies.  The United States will host the remaining one-third of the matches where they will be played at five venues.

“The CWI welcomes this historic announcement by the ICC.  It means that the Caribbean has been handed another opportunity in 2024 to host a premiere world cricket event

“We’ve done this before and I’m very sure we are going to do very well doing this again.  This time its historic because we are partnering with our neighbours from the north USA Cricket.  We know that strategic partnership has helped with accepting our bid and we must soon get to work to make this exciting historic decision a truly successful one for all concerned.”

Reggae Boy striker Michail Antonio says he is eager for more goals, having opened his account in a draw against El Salvador last week.

The West Ham star, who was making just his second appearance for the Jamaica national team, after switching from England earlier this year, needed only seven minutes to get on the scoresheet against the Central Americans.

Picking up the ball midway the opposition half, Antonio charged into the area before executing a trademark dink over the El Salvador goalkeeper in the 82^nd minute.  The Jamaicans were forced to settle for a share of the points after El Salvador struck back in the 90^th minute.  Having opened his account, the player is looking for more and hoping to do so against the region’s biggest teams.

It’s always good to get off the mark quite early.  So, you can release all the pressure off yourself and keep going and get more goals.  Hopefully, now that I’ve got one, I can keep going and get more,” Antonio said.

“Right now, my performances are getting better.  So, the only way I can show it is by doing it against the better teams, the USA’s and Canadas.”

Jamaica will play against the United States in a crucial encounter on Tuesday.

History will be made when the West Indies and the United States co-host the 2024 T20 World Cup and Pakistan will stage the Champions Trophy the following year.

The USA will host a first major global cricket tournament along with West Indies in June 2024.

Just eight months later, a first major global competition since 1996 will take place in Pakistan, where the Champions Trophy will be held in February 2025.

The announcements came when the ICC revealed host nations for every men's limited overs tournaments until 2031.

India and Sri Lanka have been selected for the T20 World Cup in February 2026, before the 2027 50-over World Cup is contested in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October to November.

Australia and New Zealand are co-hosts for the T20 World Cup in October 2028, with the Champions Trophy held in India 12 months later.

England, Ireland and Scotland have been awarded the T20 World Cup in June 2030. India and Bangladesh will co-host the Cricket World Cup in October and November 2031.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) should appoint Guyanese batsman Shimron Hetmyer as the new white-ball captain after the disappointing run of Kieron Pollard at the ICC T20 World Cup and, generally, for the men in Maroon.

This assertion has come from former CWI President Dave Cameron who believes that the current CWI leadership is not looking at the precedent of players’ leadership records when selecting captains.

“We felt as an organization that Hetmyer would be a future leader for West Indies. The way he conducted himself when we won the 2016 Under-19 World Cup and coming through the ranks,” Cameron said while speaking as a guest on Line & Length on SPORTSMAX.

“Hetmyer is a very confident young man, very aggressive and talented, we felt he could be someone who could lead us and be a future captain of the West Indies.”

Cameron spoke as part of a review of the leadership roles in the team and CWI managerial structure after the side won one in five matches and finished near the bottom of the table with captain Pollard once again contributing very little with the bat.

After 23 matches in four T20 World Cups, Pollard has scored 254 runs at a poor average of 14.11. Since he was appointed West Indies T20I captain in September 2019, Pollard has played 31 matches, winning 10, losing 16 with five no-results.

During the T20 World Cup, Hetmyer topped the batting with 127 runs averaging 31.75. Only two others managed over 100 runs – Evin Lewis (105, avg 21.00) and vice-captain Nicholas Pooran (103, avg: 20.60) - as the defending champions bowed out.

“I am disappointed but not surprised, we tried a different method a few years ago and we started to have results. This administration has decided that they wanted to go back to what has been tried and failed… so the results were always there,” Cameron said.

“We won two games at the 2019 World Cup and now we won one at this event. Everybody has a different strategy and different leadership styles. You require different types of leadership and management depending on where you are in your cycle.

“In 2013 when we took over, West Indies Cricket was at a serious crossroad with our players and finances and we had to make some different decisions then.

“In my mind Cricket West Indies needs professional leadership. It’s not just West Indies cricket, I think cricket as a game is not growing as it should because we focus on the game itself rather than opportunities within the sport to expand it so that so many more people can participate. That is where I was, and I think this is where we need to be heading. So, in my mind, however you want to structure CWI, you need to take it out of this parochial structure and give it the opportunity to really perform as a company.”

Proper time management and self-discipline might sound like clichés, but it is exactly what has propelled Jamaica College’s Digicel Manning Cup Captain Duncan McKenzie to nine CSEC Subjects – all grade 1s with eight straight A profiles.

The 17-year-old player, who as a precocious 15-year-old netted three goals and had eight assists as Jamaica College (JC) won their 30th Manning title in 2019, is now trusted with the task of leading the “Dark Blues” this season to defend their crown and to lead his school’s pursuit of a record 31 Manning Cup titles.

The pressure has never been an issue for McKenzie based on his ability to successfully balance school work and sports over the years even as he is expected to lead with distinction on the field as he did in the classroom.

While in third form, he aced his Human and Social Biology CSEC examinations with a Grade 1 and a straight-A profile and followed up with passes in English A, English B, Mathematics, Spanish, Physics, Information Technology, Principles of Business and Principles of Accounts.

“I believe the key to balancing school work and football is proper time management and self-discipline. From a very young age, this has been emphasized by both my parents and I have learnt to structure my time well,” said McKenzie.

“Yes, it is difficult to strike the balance but it can be achieved. My advice to the younger generation is to practice good habits from early so that they become routine”.

Young McKenzie who idolizes Lionel Messi and loves Barcelona, one day hopes to play football at the highest level.

“I aspire to play football professionally. However, I would still like to pursue a degree in Accounting or Business Management,” he explained.

JC drew their opening match against Calabar 0-0 on Saturday and is joint third in what is arguably the group of death that includes five former champions in early group leaders St George’s College and Charlie Smith High School.

However, McKenzie is confident his team will rise to the challenge.

“I believe that we have a talented and highly motivated squad that is capable of defending our title,” said McKenzie.

“Playing without spectators is a new and strange experience. I believe that it lessens the performances of all teams in the competition.

“We are all aware of how important it is to have fan support at matches. They spur teams on and provide additional motivation for players to perform well. I hope that in the near future, we will be able to bring back fans safely to the games.”

JC has again been tagged as favourites but McKenzie is not taking any team lightly.

“As a result of the pandemic, there are a lot of unknowns. Consequently, I regard all teams in the competition as challengers for the title,” he said.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite have both backed wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva to return to form during the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka later this month.

Stafanie Taylor became just the third woman in history to score 5,000 ODI career runs, as she made a magnificent seventh century to lead West Indies Women to a superb victory. The star captain finished on 102 not out as the visitors reached 226-4 to secure the win in Sunday’s third and final match and sweep the series 3-0 over Pakistan Women.

Taylor played the ultimate captain’s knock as she added a West Indies all-time record for the fifth wicket with Chadean Nation. The pair came together with the score at 98-4 and stayed together until Nation struck the winning run. They added an unbroken 128 in 23 overs. Nation found great confidence batting with his inspirational leader and made the highest score of her career – 51 not out off 67 balls with seven boundaries.

It was a day of records for Taylor. When she reached 42, she joined Mithali Raj of India and Charlotte Edwards of England as the only players in history with 5000 runs. She moved on to notch her seventh ton – and second of the year – another record for West Indies. It was the second century in the series for West Indies – following the career-best 132 by Deandra Dottin on the first match last Monday.

Earlier, Hayley Matthews played some stunning shots as she made 49 off 58 balls with eight fours, as she added 83 for the fourth wicket with Taylor. This pulled the West Indies out of deep trouble after they slipped to 15-3 in the fifth over – as the top three batters all fell in single figures.

Matthews was named Player-of-the-Series for her outstanding all round performances. She was the second-highest run-maker with 132 runs at an average of 44 and the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at an average of 14 runs per wicket.

Emerging young West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales is looking to build on a promising start to his Test cricket career when the team faces Sri Lanka in its upcoming series.

The 20-year-old has been a revelation for the regional team, since making his debut against South Africa earlier this year.  In four games so far, the young bowler has claimed 16 wickets, including a five-for against Pakistan in August.

On debut, Seales impressed with his ability to swing the ball at pace and also the consistency and quality of his length deliveries. 

“I was satisfied with my performances in my debut series and the series after that but it just for me to look to build on those performances now and try to improve in the areas that I can improve in,” Seales told members of the media on Saturday.

On his first overseas tour, the bowler faces unfamiliar conditions on the subcontinent, which typically favours spin bowlers, but he remains determined to try and make an impact.

“For me it’s just about trying to go out there and execute my plans as best as I can, to try and work with the conditions and see what I can get done for the team.”

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor struck a masterful unbeaten century on Sunday to lead West Indies Women to a comprehensive six-wicket victory with six over to spare over Pakistan Women and complete a sweep of the three-match series in Karachi.

Chasing Pakistan’s Women’s 225-7, Taylor scored 102 not out after coming to the rescue of her team that has slumped to 15-3 within the first five overs.

Taylor shared in an 83-run fourth-wicket partnership with Hayley Matthews, who made 49, and then a match-winning unbroken partnership of 128 with Chedean Nation, who scored 51 not out, her maiden ODI half-century.

Taylor faced 117 balls for her score that included 12 fours while Nation struck seven boundaries facing 67 balls during the match-winning stand.

Anam Amin, who did the early damage by dismissing the in-form Diandra Dottin for 4 and Shemaine Campbelle for one, finished with 2-45 from her 10 overs. Diana Baig, who dismissed Rashada Williams for 6, returned figures of 1-36 from her eight overs.

Sadia Iqbal, who snagged Matthews’ wicket, finished with 1-36 from seven overs.

Earlier, sent in to bat, Pakistan Women owed their best score of the series to opener Muneeba Ali, who scored a patient 58. She and Ayesha Zafar staged an opening stand of 49 before the latter was out caught and bowled by Aaliyah Alleyne (2-41) for 13.

Ali and Javeria Khan put on 74 over the next 20 overs as the West Indies bowlers tightened their grip on the innings. Ali eventually fell to Taylor in the 31^st over with the score on 123. Six runs later, the pressure began to take a toll as Taylor ran Khan out for 13.

Two balls later, Alleyne picked up her second wicket when she bowled Omaima Sohail for 27.

Iram Javed and Aliya Riaz held up the progress of the West Indies bowlers with a 44-run fifth-wicket stand that was eventually broken when Javed was dismissed by Shakera Selman for 26.

Riaz would eventually get Pakistan Women past 200 with her unbeaten 44 that helped set up a decent total for the West Indies Women to chase.

Selman took the wicket of Fatima Sana for nine to end with figures of 2-40.

Baig was run out for nine off the last ball of the innings.