Legendary West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose has expressed surprise at the unusual circumstances that have led to the dropping of explosive batsman Shimron Hetmyer ahead of the team’s campaign for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
According to a release issued by Cricket West Indies (CWI), which roiled the cricketing world on Monday, the body opted to replace Hetmyer with Shamarh Brooks after the player missed a rescheduled flight, having been advised of the consequences of doing so.
The release stated that the player's original flight was changed from Saturday to Monday due to family reasons but did not mention if Hetmyer had given a reason for being unable to catch the second flight.
“I must say I am a bit surprised because who wouldn’t want to play in the World Cup tournament and who wouldn’t want to represent their country,” Ambrose told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“What I heard in the media is that he had some family issues. So, I take it that if you are going to miss playing for your country, or playing at the World Cup then he has some serious issues to deal with. I reckon that if that’s the case, you want to ensure that whatever issues he has with his family are being sorted, so he has to miss the World Cup. I wish him well.”
West Indies white-ball Captain Nicholas Pooran on Tuesday gave his first reaction to the absence of left-hander Shimron Hetmyer from the squad preparing for their series against Australia and the subsequent ICC T20 World Cup.
Hetmyer was originally named in the 15-man squad for the Australia series and the World Cup before being replaced by Shamarh Brooks on Monday.
The Guyanese batsman, who recently captained the Guyana Amazon Warriors to a playoff appearance in the Caribbean Premier League, was scheduled to travel to Australia to join the squad on Saturday before informing CWI that he would be unable to make the flight.
He was then rebooked for a flight on Monday before, once again, informing the CWI that he wouldn’t be able to make it. CWI’s selection panel then unanimously voted to replace him with Brooks. Before scheduling the Monday flight, he was informed that failure to make the flight would leave CWI no choice but to replace him in the squad.
“To be honest, that’s not my focus at the moment,” Pooran said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“The decision has been made, there are consequences for your actions. At the moment, I just want to focus on why we’re here and how we’re going to achieve our goals. Obviously, we planned with him but, unfortunately, he’s not here and we have to plan differently now,” he added.
“He’s definitely an experienced cricketer,” was Pooran’s reaction when Australian journalists questioned him about Hetmyer’s replacement in the squad, Shamarh Brooks.
“He’s been in our white-ball set up for the last year and has been doing fantastic. He had a really good CPL as well. He has a vital role to play for us,” he added.
Brooks is fresh off a fantastic CPL playoffs where he had scores of 47, 109* and 47 to help the Jamaica Tallawahs win their third CPL title.
Shamarh Brooks has replaced Shimron Hetmyer in the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, Cricket West Indies announced on Monday. CWI has advised the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the change after Hetmyer missed his re-scheduled flight to Australia.
The flight was rescheduled at the request of the player, who cited family reasons.
According to CWI, with flight availability a real challenge, a seat was found for him to leave Guyana today, Monday, October 3, meaning he would miss the first T20 International (T20I) against Australia on Wednesday, October 5 at the Metricon Stadium.
“This morning, Mr Hetmyer, informed the Director of Cricket that he would not be able to get to the airport in time for his flight this afternoon to New York,” CWI said.
“This afternoon we informed the CWI Board of Directors that the Selection Panel had unanimously decided to replace Shimron Hetmyer with Shamarh Brooks in our T20 World Cup squad,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.
“ Whilst we changed Shimron’s flight from Saturday to Monday due to family reasons, it was made clear to him that if there were any further delays and issues with his travel to Australia then we would have no choice but to replace him in the squad, as we are not prepared to compromise the team’s ability to prepare for this extremely important global event.
“Shamarh has been a part of our recent T20 International squads and delivered strong performances in the latter stages of the recently concluded CPL. He will fly out as soon as possible this week to Australia and I wish him and all the squad all the very best for the tournament.”
Brooks has been in good form scoring an unbeaten 109 from 52 balls against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the semi-final of the 2022 Hero CPL. He scored 47 from 33 in the finals to help the Jamaica Tallawahs win their third title and their first since 2016 on Friday, September 30.
The squad will now be: Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Rovman Powell (Vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith
2021 finalists Manning’s got their sixth win in as many games in the 2022 ISSA/Digicel DaCosta Cup with a 5-1 win over Black River at Black River.
With 18 points, Manning’s now have a sizeable seven-point Zone D lead over Petersfield, who drew 0-0 at home with Grange Hill, their second consecutive draw. The other Zone D game also featured no goals between Belmont Academy and Godfrey Stewart at the Crawford Sports Complex.
STETHS also now have six wins from six games thanks to a 1-0 win over B.B Coke in the second game of a home double-header. The first game of that double-header saw Maggotty and Lacovia play out a 1-1 draw. Munro College remain second but are now eight points adrift of STETHS after a shock 1-2 loss to Sydney Pagon at home.
Dinthill Technical now have seven wins in as many games after a 4-1 win over Charlemont at Charlemont in Zone K. Charlemont now have 15 points and sit third in the zone behind their opponents and McGrath High, who also have 15 points but a better goal difference after a 2-0 home win over Ewarton. The zone’s other game saw Enid Bennett beat Guys Hill 1-0 at the Bybrook Sports Club.
Belair secured a 1-0 home win over Bellefield to move to second in Zone F on nine points, one behind leaders Manchester High. DeCarteret College are third on eight points after a comprehensive 5-0 home win over May Day.
Clarendon College leads Zone H with nine points from three games after a 2-1 win over Edwin Allen High at Foga Road. The other Zone H game saw Thompson Town get their first win of the season, 1-0 over Kellits at home to move to third behind Clarendon College and Edwin Allen.
In Zone N, Winston Jones suffered a 1-5 defeat at the hands of Foga Road at the Sunset Playfield.
Old Harbour beat Tacius Golding 7-0 at the Port Esquivel Sports Club for their third win in four games in Zone M, the same record as Central High who beat Denbigh 1-0 at Effortville.
In Zone A, Irwin dropped their first points of the season after playing out a 1-1 draw with St. James High at home. On Friday, Green Pond beat Anchovy 3-1 at home to move to 10 points from five games, thee behind leaders Irwin. The other Friday game saw Maldon hand 12-time champions Cornwall College their second straight loss and third in five games with a 2-1 win to move to third on seven points, one ahead of their opponents.
Tacky High got their third straight win to take command of Zone J. They beat Wycliffe Martin High 3-1 at home to move to 14 points from six games, eight points ahead of Horace Clarke in second. St. Mary High and St. Mary Tech played out a 0-0 draw at the Highgate Community Centre in the day’s other game.
In Zone L, Paul Bogle suffered their first loss of the season in seven games, a 1-3 home defeat at the hands of St. Thomas Technical. Paul Bogle still leads the zone with 18 points, four more than Yallahs who beat Robert Lightbourne 3-0 at Robert Lightbourne. Seaforth secured a 2-1 home win over Morant Bay in the other game.
In Zone G, Mile Gully got a 1-0 home win over Alphansus Davis High. On Friday, leaders Holmwood moved to 10 points from four games with a 3-0 win over Alston at Kirkvine.
In other Friday results, Rusea’s moved to the top of Zone B with 12 points from five games after a 5-0 away win over Merlene Ottey while Green Island beat Hopewell 4-1 to move to third. Frome Technical are second with nine points but have played two less games than Rusea’s.
Spot Valley and Herbert Morrison played out a 1-1 draw at Spot Valley in Zone C.
York Castle moved to the top of Zone I with a 1-0 win over Ocho Rios at Mount Pleasant Academy. They now have 10 points from four games, one point more than Oracabessa who beat Marcus Garvey 1-0 at Drax Hall.
Gonzalo Higuain will retire from professional football at the end of the 2022 MLS season, he announced on Monday.
The veteran striker, a 75-cap former Argentina international who was a member of the squad that came second at the 2014 World Cup, will bring the curtain down on a glittering 17-year career.
Higuain played over 100 games for each of Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus, having began his playing days with River Plate, while he also had brief spells with Milan and Chelsea before joining Inter Miami.
A six-time domestic league champion – with three LaLiga crowns and three Serie A triumphs – he signed for the MLS club in September 2020.
Higuain has been in top form for Miami in the second half of this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further two in the past 14 games.
Phil Neville's side are seventh in the Eastern Conference, clinging to the final playoff place with two games of the regular season remaining.
Victories over Orlando City on Wednesday and CF Montreal on Sunday would extend Miami's season and Higuain's career.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are set to play Paraguay in two international friendlies next month as they continue preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Defending champions Kingston College are still undefeated in the 2022 ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup after securing a comfortable 3-0 win over rivals Calabar at Calabar on Saturday.
KC now leads Group A with 12 points after four games, two points ahead of Waterford who hammered Meadowbrook 5-0 at home. KC’s North Street neighbors and 22-time Manning Cup winners St. George’s College are third on nine points after a 3-0 win at Ardenne.
30-time champions Jamaica College got their third straight win and fourth in five games with a 10-0 demolition of St. Mary’s College at St. Mary’s College. JC now leads Group B with 13 points, the same amount as St. Catherine High who beat Holy Trinity 3-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval on Friday. Cedar Grove scored an upset 2-1 home win over St. Jago in the group’s other Saturday game.
Charlie Smith beat Haile Selassie 2-1 in a Group C top of the table clash at the Tony Spalding Sports Complex to move to 14 points from five games, one ahead of their opponents. The group’s other games saw Bridgeport and Edith Dalton play out a 1-1 draw at Dunbeholden and Vauxhall lose 1-2 to Tivoli at home.
STATHS moved to 14 points to remain at the top of Group D after a 2-2 draw with Norman Manley at home. Jonathan Grant is still second after a 3-1 win over Dunoon at Excelsior while Spanish Town beat Tarrant 2-1 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval in the other game.
Mona High continued their red-hot form in Group E with a 6-0 win over Kingston High at Breezy Castle, their sixth win in as many games. Mona are now six points ahead of their closest challengers, Wolmer’s, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Camperdown on Friday at the Alpha Institute, their second straight loss after winning their first four games. Hydel beat Papine 3-0 at Royal Lakes to move to 10 points from their six encounters.
Group F play saw Excelsior go to Kingston Technical and scrape a 2-1 win to move to 13 points from five games, maintaining a two-point lead over Campion College who beat Clan Carthy 1-0 at home. Jose Marti is third on seven points after a 5-1 win over Cumberland at home.
Despite a heroic effort with bat and ball from Captain Hayley Matthews, the West Indies Women lost the third and final One Day International against New Zealand and with it the series 2-1 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday.
West Indies Women and New Zealand head into Sunday’s T20 International locked on 1-1 after the visitors pulled off a thriller to win the second T20 International by six wickets, with one ball remaining, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday.
Batting first, the West Indies had a difficult time scoring going as New Zealand bowlers were much more consistent in their line and length.
Skipper Hayley Matthews struck one boundary on her way to eight off 13 balls before she had a big nick behind to keeper Izzy Gaze of Hayley Jensen. Also, Aaliyah Alleyne, who punished the White Ferns bowlers in the first match, struggled to get going.
Eden Carson who replaced Lea Tahuhu in the White Ferns team, had Alleyne caught for 13 which came off 19 balls.
Kyshona Knight and Chinelle Henry struck up a 31-run partnership when the home side needed it the most. Knight fell eight runs short of a half-century, making 42, which included five fours.
Henry, meanwhile, made 24 off 22 balls with two fours and a six and included 18 runs from the last over which helped West Indies Women to 107-5.
Jensen was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, finishing with figures of 4-0-24-3, followed by Eden Carson with 4-0-12-2.
In reply, Suzie Bates smacked six fours on her way to 54 off 61 balls and was well supported by Amelia Kerr with 21 from 25 balls. The visitors looked set for victory before two wickets from Cherry-Ann Fraser in the 18th over, swung the match back in favour of the West Indies.
However, the 19th over went for 10 runs which meant New Zealand needed seven runs in the last over, which they achieved with one ball to spare.
Fraser had the best bowling figures, finishing with 2.5-0-13-1. Off-spinner Karishma Ramharack 4-0-23-1.
“I got a promotion to bat at (number) three, so my role was to bat as deep as possible,” Knight explained afterwards.
“My plan was to back myself and to rotate the strike for the hitters and help get the team to a decent total. It was extremely hot there today, probably one of the hottest we’ve experienced so far, and the ball was holding on the pitch more than usual, so that made batting a bit tricky. We’re looking forward to regrouping and coming back for the third match.”
The two teams will return to the same venue on Sunday for the third T20I in the five-match series. The first ball is at 1:30 pm Eastern Caribbean/12:30 pm Jamaica time.
LA Galaxy clinched their first playoff berth since 2019 after Javier Hernandez earned them a late penalty to secure a 1-1 draw away to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Douglas Costa converted the 68th-minute penalty won by Hernandez, after Riqui Puig had his 17th-minute spotkick saved by RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
RSL had gone ahead in the 25th minute from Sergio Cordova's header, but were left to lament Justen Glad failing to convert two late golden opportunities from headers, denting their playoff hopes and extending their winless run to five games.
Ex-Manchester United forward Hernandez earned Galaxy's reprieve after review when bundled over by Marcelo Silva inside the box, with Costa sending MacMath the wrong way.
The draw was enough for the Galaxy, who are perched fourth in the Western Conference with 47 points from 33 games, with RSL sitting eighth, just outside the playoff spots, with 44 points from 33 games.
Derrick Etienne scored two late goals against his former side to earn Columbus Crew a 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls, who suffered their third defeat in four games.
Etienne equalized Franuel Amaya's 53rd-minute thunderbolt with an 89th-minute strike on the turn, before grabbing a 93rd-minute winner by lashing home a rebound.
Philadelphia Union handed the initiative to LAFC in the Supporters' Shield hunt after being thrashed 4-0 by Charlotte, for whom Daniel Rios netted four goals, achieving a franchise-first hat-trick.
The defeat means Philadelphia have failed to win in their past two games, leaving them on 64 points from 33 games, while LAFC have the same number of points with two games to play, starting with Portland Timbers on Sunday.
Donovan Pines scored an own goal and was red carded as DC United lost 1-0 to Montreal, who closed within two points of Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia with one game to play.
Sergio Santos was sent off amid a late scuffle as Cincinnati missed a chance to practically clinch a playoff spot with a 3-2 home loss to Chicago Fire. Cincinnati fought back from 3-0 down after Jhon Duran's double for Chicago.
Minnesota United's winless run extended to six games after going down 2-0 to San Jose Earthquakes, leaving them in a precarious position in the race to qualify for the Western Conference playoffs.
Vancouver Whitecaps capitalized on Minnesota and RSL's results and beat Austin 2-0 to keep alive their playoff hopes with their third straight victory. The Whitecaps are ninth in the west with 43 points with one game to play, with seventh-placed Minnesota on 45 and RSL on 44.
Josef Martinez scored a spectacular scissor-kick goal but Atlanta United went down 2-1 to New England, while playoff-bound Dallas lost 1-0 at Colorado Rapids.
Jamaica Tallawahs skipper Rovman Powell has revealed that the team drew motivation from what they regarded as an overall lack of respect for their ability.
Not many would have had the Tallawahs as favourites to claim the Caribbean Premier League title, particularly after a mid-tournament slump that saw them win just two of seven games. On Friday, the Jamaica-based franchise proved their doubters wrong, however, after securing an 8-wicket win over the Barbados Royals.
The Royals, on the other hand, were the team of the tournament after winning 8 of 10 matches before automatically advancing to the final. According to Powell, proving critics wrong was one of the team’s major motivations.
"Adjectives cannot describe how I feel right now. We endured a lot of disrespect throughout the tournament so to be here now is amazing. We used the disrespect that we endured as motivation. We were hungry,” Powell said, following the match.
“The guys were very hungry. I told them to hang in and that we have a lot of batters and we can get it. The first 100 that Brandon scored, it was in a losing cause and so the guys felt really hurt that it was in a losing cause but we told the guys that's what big boy cricket is about,” he added.
"So, to see Brooks score a 100 the other night in a win was special. I've captained a few teams and franchises before I captained Jamaica so I've been learning. Sometimes I feel down and out because I'm human, but my family rallied around me. I wanna say a special thanks to the Guyanese supporters.”
West Indies bowling legend and Jamaica Tallawahs coach Curtley Ambrose admits to taking special pride and pleasure in lifting the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) crown on Friday because of the team's status as underdogs.
The Jamaica-based franchise lifted the third title in its history and first in six years following a dominant 8-wicket win over the more heavily favoured Barbados Royals. Heading into the final, the Royals were the league’s hottest team having lost just two of 10 games.
The Tallawahs on the other hand, who are conditioned by Ambrose and another Windies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in the meantime, finished in the final qualifying spot. At one point during the season, the Tallawahs lost 5 of 7 games.
“This means a lot as a group we came into the tournament as underdogs. Not many gave us a chance to come out of the first round, let alone win it,” Ambrose said, following the team’s triumph.
“I haven’t sprinted for years and I found myself sprinting onto the field. It was a wonderful performance thought and we were deserving winners,” he added.
“The thing about the Tallawahs is that we didn’t really on just one or two players. At any given time, any player can step up. We have depth in our batting, we have good bowling. We stuck together as a family and we believed from day 1 that we could have won this championship and we did.”
Correction: The original story claimed that the Jamaica Tallawahs won its fourth CPL title on Friday, September 30 and it's first in four years. That was incorrect. The Tallawahs had previously won two titles (2013 and 2016). So the 2022 title was its first in six years. Sportsmax.TV apologises for the error.
Jamaica Tallawahs became 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions on Friday with an eight-wicket win over the Barbados Royals at Providence Stadium, Guyana Friday night.
Barbados Royals had won the toss and chose to bat, with Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers getting them off to a blistering start, combining to score 63 runs in the powerplay. However, Fabian Allen would remove both openers to bring the Tallawahs back into the game, before Azam Khan would continue his fine form with the bat to take the Royals to 161-7.
In response, Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks would produce an 86-run partnership that frustrated the Royals' bowling attack. Despite Jason Holder taking the wicket of Brooks, King would lead the rest of the chase as he scored a magnificent 83 runs from 50 balls to see the franchise win their third Hero CPL title.
Barbados Royals had chosen to bat with the aim of setting an imposing total, Cornwall and Mayers combining well to build an excellent foundation. Once Allen had removed them both with his spin bowling, the run rate slowed down as the Tallawahs wrestled back control of the game. However, Khan, who came in at number three, would bat until the 19th over, scoring his second successive half-century to help the Royals reach 161-7 after 20 overs.
Jamaica Tallawahs suffered an early setback in their chase as opener Kennar Lewis lost his wicket for a duck, but King and Brooks would rebuild at a steady run rate.
Once Brooks lost his wicket in the 11th over, King would shoulder the responsibility of finishing the chase, hitting 15 boundaries in total. In the end, King would take his side to victory with a six, sparking celebrations from Jamaica Tallawahs players, staff and fans.
Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 162-2 (King 83*, Brooks 47; Mayers 1-14, Holder 1-14) beat Barbados Royals 161-7 (Khan 51, Cornwall 36; Allen 3-24, Gordon 3-33) by 8 wickets.
The Jamaica Tallawahs pulled off an emphatic eight-wicket victory over the Barbados Royals in the final of the 2022 Hero CPL final at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday night.
Chasing 161-7 set by the Barbados Royals, the Tallawahs achieved the target with 23 balls to spare, ending on 162-2.
Brandon King was unbeaten on 83 after hitting the winning six off Obed McCoy to seal the third CPL title for the Jamaica-based franchise.
Captain Rovman Powell was unbeaten on 14 at the other end.
Scores: Barbados Royals 161-7; Jamaica Tallawahs 162-2.
More to come…
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
