Young Windies pacers Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales took three wickets apiece to reel in a comfortable-looking Bangladesh who seemed set for a big opening day in the second Test, at the Darren Sammy Ground in St Lucia.

Batting first Bangladesh found themselves in a strong position at 105 for 2 with a solid partnership between Anamul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto, who came together following the dismissal of Tamim Iqbal.  After looking set at the crease, Iqbal was dismissed by Joseph on 44.

 After briefly steading the innings the duo departed in quick succession, Haque was sent back for 23 by Phillip while Kyle Mayers dismissed Shanto Lbw for 26.  Shakib Al Hasan was then bowled by Jayden Seales for 8.

Bangladesh were 159-6 at tea with Liton Das set at the crease, but as soon as he reached 14th Test fifty, he was dismissed by Joseph on 53.

Tailenders Shoriful Islam and Ebadot Hossain pushed the team past 200 but the innings was wrapped up soon after.

At the close of play, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and opening partner John Campbell pushed the team to 67 without loss.  Campbell and Brathwaite were untroubled in making 32 and 30 respectively.  

Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson sent shockwaves through Kingston’s National Stadium on Friday with a blistering 10.77 to win the Women’s 100m on day two of the 2022 Jamaican National Senior Athletics Championships.

Jackson, who stomped her feet in joy after the race, finished ahead of NCAA Championships 100m silver medalist Kemba Nelson who ran a personal best 10.88 for second while defending double Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was third in 10.89.

Meanwhile, 2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake turned back the clock to secure the Men’s title in a time of 9.85, his fastest time since 2012.

Pre-meet favorite Oblique Seville ran 9.88 for second while Ackeem Blake was third in a new personal best 9.93.

Elsewhere, Jaheel Hyde successfully defended his title as national 400m hurdles champion with a 48.51 effort to narrowly finish ahead of Kemar Mowatt (48.53) while Shawn Rowe ran 49.66 for third.

The Women’s equivalent was won by Janieve Russell in 53.63 ahead of Shiann Salmon who ran a personal best 53.82 for second. 2019 World Championship bronze medallist Rushell Clayton was third in 54.20.

Andrenette Knight, who entered the final as the third fastest woman this year with a 53.39 effort in Nashville on June 5, was leading the event after six hurdles but failed to finish the race after unfortunately clipping the seventh and falling to the track.

Defending World 100m Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stole the show Thursday’s day one of the Jamaican National Senior Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston with a blistering 10.70 to win her heat of the Women’s 100m.

Reigning Olympic Gold and Bronze medallists Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson were also safely through to Friday’s semi-finals with times of 11.06 and 10.99, respectively.

2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake ran his fastest time since 2017 with a 9.93 effort to advance to the semi-finals in the Men’s equivalent.

The fastest Jamaican in 2022, Oblique Seville, was also in fine form with an easy 9.98 clocking to win his heat.

Conroy Jones (10.00), Ackeem Blake (10.01), Oshane Bailey (10.03) and Kemar Bailey-Cole (10.06) were also among the fastest qualifiers to Friday’s semis.

There was a surprise in the Women’s high jump as Kimberly Williamson won her seventh national title with a 1.88 clearance ahead of pre-meet favourite Lamara Distin on Texas A&M University who cleared 1.85m.

Distin, the NCAA Champion, twice broke the Jamaican national record this season and her best clearance, 1.97m, places her third on the world list this season.

“I just felt like my run-up felt wrong today. It wasn’t the perfect day to jump so I just feel like it’s one of those days I have to accept and move on from,” Distin said.

“My expectation at the World Championships is to be in the medals,” she added.

World championships bronze medallist Rushell Clayton and 2018 Commonwealth Games Champion Janieve Russell advanced to the finals of the 400m hurdles on Thursday’s opening day of the Jamaica National Senior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.

However, the fastest woman heading into the final on Friday was the 2018 World U20 silver medallist Shian Salmon, who won the opening heat in a season’s best 54.10. Clayton, who missed the last year of competition because of injury, clocked an encouraging 54.67 to also advance while Russell eased into the final clocking 55.04 that was good enough to win the second of the two heats.

Also through to the final is Andrenette Knight, the fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year. Knight, whose 53.39 makes her the third fastest in the world this year, was third in the first heat in 54.55.

Also through to the finals are Kimesha Chambers (56.03), former national champion Ronda Whyte (56.50), Garriel White (58.16) and Abigail Schaaffe (59.03).

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is adamant that the team has full confidence in batsman Raymond Reifer who recently took up responsibility at number 3 in the team’s batting line-up.

The move to insert the batsman so high in the team’s batting line-up has sparked discussion in some arenas and consternation in others, with many questioning the batsman’s suitability for the position.

The batsman is typically known for batting further down the line-up, but during the most recent West Indies Championship made cameos in the position on three occasions.  Batting at three, Reifer had notable scores of 79 and 71 and also scored 74 batting at number 4.  Overall, he scored 345 runs from 5 matches.

“Mentally he is a very strong character but batting at three for Barbados would certainly have propelled this decision and we back him 100 percent,” Brathwaite told members of the media on Thursday.

“We 100 percent believe that Raymond can do the job.  As an opener, the number 3 position is similar to an opener, it’s all about mental strength and we know Raymond has that and we are baking him to do well.  He did well for Barbados at three this year.  The year before he wasn’t at three, but mentally, and in terms of toughness, he is a guy that can get the job done and we back him 100 percent.”

Reifer has had a difficult start to the series against Bangladesh after being dismissed for 11 in the first innings and 2 in the second.

Game 1 - Position 3       23, 45

Game 2 – Position 4      74

Game 3 – Position 6 –   29, 27

Game 4 – Position 3 -    79

Game 5 – Position 3 -   71,  

18-year-old Jamaican sprinting sensation Brianna Lyston will take her talents to the NCAA next season after signing with Louisiana State University (LSU), the school announced on Thursday.

Hydel’s Lyston achieved personal bests this season of 11.14 in the 100m to win at the Central Championships on March 15 and 22.53 to win the 200m at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships on April 9.

That 22.53 effort broke Simone Facey's class one record of 22.71 set back in 2004.

She also ran 23.16 to win gold at the 49^th Carifta Games at the National Stadium in Kingston on April 18.

Lyston will hope to join the likes of Trinidadian 2011 World Championships 100m bronze medallist Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Jamaican Olympic and World Championship 800m finalist Natoya Goule, Jamaican 400m hurdler Nickiesha Wilson and others as Caribbean NCAA champions representing LSU.

Rising American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson also attended LSU where she set a NCAA record of 10.75 while winning the National Division I title in 2019.

Jereem Richards, the 2022 World Indoor 400m champion, will contest only the half-lap sprint at the Trinidad and Tobago National Championships set for June 25-26 at the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago.

Newly minted Jamaica 800m record holder Navasky Anderson says he is feeling fresh and confident as he prepares to bow into battle against the best of his compatriots at the Jamaica National Senior Championships set to get underway at the National Stadium in Kingston Thursday afternoon.

Top­-class West Indies fast bowler, Kemar Roach, admits that the depth and quality of the new generation of fast bowlers is an encouraging sign for the regional team.

The 33-year-old Barbadian-born speedster continued to enhance his own legend this week when he moved up to join Michael Holding on the all-time Windies wicket-takers list.  With 249 Test wickets, Roach has established himself as the premier fast bowler of this Windies generation.

At 33, however, the player is heading towards the back end of his career, with the likes of Shannon Gabriel in the same position.  For pace bowling wickets though, it seems the Windies will continue to have plenty of options for years to come with the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, and all-rounder Kyle Mayers all showing plenty of promise in recent times.

“You have Jayden and Alzarri 24, 25, and Kyle Mayers who is showing great skill with the ball and there are other guys on the outside trying to get in as well,” Roach told members of the media on Wednesday.

“It’s good that we have a crop of fast bowlers coming through that can get the job done and they are learning every day at practice, how to improve their skills, their body and technique and whatever, that’s all you ask from these guys.  It’s good that we have a pretty big quartet of fast bowlers now.”

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a spot in the next round of the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship following a 2-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday.

Goals from Zion Scarlett and Jahmari Clarke, on either side of half-time, ensured that the team would at least finish third in Group H and condemned their Caribbean neighbours to a winless goalless campaign.

That does not mean that the Jamaicans had things all their own way, with Antigua and Barbuda showing plenty of fighting spirit, and goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke doing his best to keep the Reggae Boyz at bay.  There was very little to be done when Scarlett was given too much time in the area and spun away from the attending defender to find plenty of space to put the ball wide of a stranded Boyce-Clarke in the 41^st minute.

With the Antiguans failing to find a way to get back on level terms Clarke made full points for the Jamaicans safe in the 81^st minute from the penalty spot after substitute Tyler Roberts was brought down in the area by Antigua defender Dajun Barthley.  Barthley was later ejected from the game by referee Rubiel Vázquez after reviewing the VAR system.  The Jamaicans will now face Haiti on Sunday in Tegucigalpa.

Former West Indies cricketer Sylvester Joseph admits he was surprised by the decision to deploy Raymond Reifer at number 3 in the team’s batting line-up for the first Test against Bangladesh.

The 31-year-old batsman struggled to make an impact in the opener, dismissed for 11 in the first innings before being one of three batsmen dislodged in a brutal spell from Khaled Ahmed, this time without scoring.

Reifer cobbled together a strong season for the eventual champions Barbados Pride scoring 345 runs at an average of 49.28 in five matches.  Typically, however, the batsman was deployed to the middle order.

“Where he is batting is not where he batted throughout the season, which was at number 5, number six and you could understand that,” Joseph told the Mason and Guest radio show.

“To be honest when I just saw his name, I thought he might have been there to replace Kemar Roach who had some injury issues…it was really surprising to me that they had him as the number three batter,” he added.

“It was a bit of a shock…the selection of batting Reifer there was kind of baffling and it’s still baffling now because we are looking to see what the next move is, if they will carry on with him.”

Eight-time national 800m champion Natoya Goule was announced as a second brand ambassador for Recycling Partners of Jamaica at the company’s offices on Retirement Road in Kingston on Wednesday. Veteran entertainer Sasco is RPJ’s other ambassador and he continues in that role but Goule, the Olympic and World Championships finalist in 2019 and 2021, respectively, will be the face of the company at sporting events.

The announcement was made by RPJ Marketing and Communications Manager Candice Ming, who explained what Goule’s role will be during the initial one-year agreement.

“We decided to partner with Natoya for sporting events in particular,” Ming said, “she will be our face in sports as we expand our reach from having the bins and having Sasco’s jingle on the radio. We have been at sporting events. We have been at sporting events, I am not sure if you are familiar with us partnering with the Carifta Games earlier this year for the collection of plastic bottles and so we are expanding the initiative off the success of the Carifta Games including to the National trials this weekend.

“All four days we will be collecting plastics so as we move further into the field of sport you will be seeing a lot more of us, particularly through Natoya and her efforts.”

RPJ Chairman Dr Damien King explained that selecting Goule to be a brand ambassador was a straightforward decision.

“Our proudest moments as a nation have to do with what we have achieved on the track. We want Jamaica to be known just as well for environmental management. We want all Jamaicans and the entire rest of the world to know that Jamaica is serious about having a clean and inviting, beautiful environment. It is natural that our ambitions to be number-one on the track and number-one on the environment come together,” he said.

The 31-year-old Goule, who is on the island for the 2022 National Senior Athletics Championships where she will go for a ninth consecutive title, expressed her delight at being selected for such an important role.

“It is a great pleasure that I am a part of this and I am going to be here to do my part and contribute as much as I can,” said Goule, who RPJ will engage in a number of initiatives islandwide that they intend to roll out. Some of those initiatives will unfold in Goule’s home parish of Manchester, Ming disclosed.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosted the Professional Cricketers Draft for 2022-2023 on Friday, which took place over two rounds via a video call with representatives from all six Territorial Board Franchises. Each team had 13 retained players and then drafted two players to complete their 15-member squads for the forthcoming 2022-23 season to compete in the CG United Super50 Cup and the West Indies Championship.

Two key picks saw all-rounder Justin Greaves and wicket-keeper Tevyn Walcott being chosen by the Windward Islands Volcanoes. Both have played first-class cricket for the Barbados Pride. Greaves was also a member of the Emerging Players team which won the CG United Super50 Cup back in 2019.

The other franchises all picked players from their home territories. Barbados Pride selected off-spinner Chaim Holder and batter Zachary McCaskie; Guyana Harpy Eagles chose experienced left-handed batter Vishaul Sigh and allrounder Antony Adams; Trinidad & Tobago Red Force selected batter Jyd Goolie and allrounder Tion Webster; Jamaica Scorpions picked right-arm pacer Gordon Bryan and newcomer Khari Campbell, a left-arm fast-medium bowler; while the Leeward Islands Hurricanes added allrounder Karima Gore and uncapped keeper Daren Benta.

Greaves made his international debut for the West Indies against Ireland in the CG United ODI Series at Sabina Park, Jamaica in January. He has so far played 29 first-class matches and 29 List A matches with a highest score of 114. Gore previously played for the United States of America at the international level. The 23-year-old has played 16 ODIs and eight T20Is but is yet to make his first-class debut.

The six franchises will now continue their preparations for the upcoming season and Regional Tournaments. The CG United Super50 Cup is planned to return in November where defending champions the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force will attempt to retain their title and the Sir Clive Lloyd Trophy, named in honour of the great captain who led West Indies to the World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979. The Barbados Pride were crowned champions of the 2021-22 West Indies Championship, when they won in Trinidad earlier this month, to retain the Headley/Weekes Trophy named in honour of West Indies legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.

FULL SQUADS:

Barbados Pride: Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Dominic Drakes, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Ramon Simmonds, Shamar Springer, Jomel Warrican. 2022 Draft Picks: Chaim Holder, Zachary McCaskie

Guyana Harpy Eagles: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tevin Imlach, Akshaya Persaud, Nial Smith, Demetri Cameron, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Leon Johnson, Ronsford Beaton. 2022 Draft Picks: Vishaul Singh, Antony Adams

Jamaica Scorpions: Brad Barnes, Carlos Brown, John Campbell, Akim Fraser, Nicholson Gordon, Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Paul Palmer Jr, Javor Royal, Aldaine Thomas, Alwyn Williams. 2022 Draft Picks: Gordon Bryan, Khari Campbell

Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Rahkeem Cornwall, Devon Thomas, Colin Archibald, Keacy Carty, Jeremiah Louis, Jahmar Hamilton, Kieran Powell, Terrence Warde, Sheeno Berridge, Daniel Doram, Ross Powell, Kofi James, Damion Williams. 2022 Draft Picks: Karima Gore, Daren Benta

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Uthman Mohammed, Khary Pierre, Shannon Gabriel, Terrance Hinds, Jeremy Solozano, Isaiah Rajah, Anderson Phillip, Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Keegan Simmons. 2022 Draft Picks: Jyd Goolie, Tion Webster

 Windward Islands Volcanoes: Sunil Ambris, Alick Athanaze, Keron Cottoy, Darel Cyrus, Kenneth Dember, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Johann Jeremiah, Shermon Lewis, Daurius Martin, Preston McSween, Nicklaus Redhead, Jerlani Robinson. 2022 Draft Picks: Justin Greaves, Tevyn Walcott.