Shai Hope, Kieran Powell, and Jayden Seales have been included in a provisional 17-man squad for the upcoming Betway Test Series against South Africa set to begin on June 10. Opening batsman, John Campbell, however, has not made the cut.
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the hero as El Tri prevailed 5-4 on penalties against Costa Rica to set up a showdown with rivals the United States in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final.
After Thursday's semi-final ended 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes, Ochoa produced the decisive save in the shoot-out to deny Allan Cruz in Denver and send Mexico through to the blockbuster final on Sunday.
CONCACAF Gold Cup holders Mexico – missing injured star Raul Jimenez – drew a blank across 90 minutes and had missed their first penalty via Uriel Antuna.
Hirving Lozano, Orbelin Pineda, Alan Pulido, Luis Romo and Jesus Gallardo all converted their ensuing spot-kicks, after Oscar Duarte missed for Costa Rica, before Ochoa's crucial intervention diving to his right to save Cruz's effort.
The win continues Mexico's dominance over Costa Rica, winning all three shoot-outs and their past nine encounters, dating back to 2013.
Lozano almost spectacularly opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a right-foot overhead kick, which hit the crossbar after a touch from Leonel Moreira – who was deputising for absent Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Diego Lainez came close for Mexico with a drilled shot going narrowly wide 12 minutes later against Costa Rica.
Costa Rica created chances of their own, with former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell setting up Keysher Fuller for an angled shot which was blocked by Ochoa.
Bryan Ruiz and Costa Rica team-mate Campbell combined, with the crafty Alonso Martinez shooting off target on his left foot on the half-hour mark.
Mexico almost broke the deadlock shortly before half-time after a clever dummy from Henry Martin opened up a side-foot chance for Hector Herrera but Moreira was up to the task.
Martinez muscled his way into the box but blazed a deflected shot wide after the break, while Herrera produced a powerful 57th-minute strike from range which stung Moreira's palms, before the game went to penalties.
Jordan Siebatcheu came off the bench and headed the United States into the CONCACAF Nations League final after a 1-0 victory over Honduras in Denver on Thursday.
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie provided the vital assist for Siebatcheu's 89th-minute winner which decided a game of few clear-cut chances.
It means Gregg Berhalter's USA have qualified for the first-ever CONCACAF Nations League decider, where they will face either Mexico or Costa Rica in Denver on Sunday.
USA had the first genuine chance of the game when Giovanni Reyna jinked past two defenders inside the box but dragged his 10th-minute shot wide at the far post.
Honduras forward Anthony Lozano had an audacious long-range shot saved by USA and Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen shortly after.
The best opportunity of the first half fell to Honduras in the 27th minute from a deep free-kick into the box, where Alberth Elis looped a header over Steffen but was brilliantly cleared off the line by Josh Sargent.
A melee between the sides broke out with Elis claiming the ball had crossed the line as USA defender John Brooks took exception.
Werder Bremen forward Sargent had a header saved, while Chelsea's Christian Pulisic – part of the Champions League-winning side – had a chance blanketed on half-time too.
Steffen made a crucial intervention to deny Lozano early in the second half, while Elis cut inside and fired over the bar as the game slowed down in the second 45.
McKennie had a tame header saved but USA launched a 78th-minute triple substitution, with Siebatcheu among them.
Siebatcheu stooped to conquer, firing his header past Honduras keeper Luis Lopez from McKennie's headed back after Brooks' hopeful lofted ball into the box.
What does it mean? Relief for USA
Berhalter will breath a major sigh of relief, booking his side's spot in the decider as expected, although it was far from easy. USA have now won five of their past six games.
Siebatcheu a star on the rise
Washington-born, Switzerland-based Siebatcheu was only making his fourth appearance for the Stars and Stripes but marked it with his maiden international goal. He was coming off 15 goals on loan for Young Boys in 2020-21, before they exercised the option to buy him from Rennes a fortnight ago.
Morris caps off stellar 2019
Honduras may have cruised through the group phase but that was back in 2019. Los Catrachos have now failed to win in their past five matches since returning to international football in October last year.
What's next?
USA will learn their final opponent on Thursday when Mexico and Costa Rica meet, ahead of Sunday's decider. Honduras will play the loser in the third-place final on Sunday too.
Noted cricket commentator and pundit, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, believes batsman Shai Hope should be a definite selection for the 13-man West Indies squad, which will face South Africa in a few days time.
The 27-year-old batsman, who was dropped from the team after a poor run of form last November, has looked sharp since returning to the fold. Against Sri Lanka, in March, Hope slammed 258 runs in the three-match series, including a shot-filled 110.
He certainly looks to have taken that type of form into red-ball cricket with the West Indies Best vs Best four-day practice match this week. Hope made 79 in the first innings and got another century, 104, in the second.
Interestingly, however, because of a lack of quality options in the position, Perreira believes Hope can be used as an opener alongside West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the upcoming series.
“It’s been a little mystery why they didn’t want to use him as an opener. If you have stacks of openers then you probably don’t want to sacrifice a middle-order batsman,” Perreira told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“However, when the cupboard is very bare, it’s not reinventing the wheel, it’s not magical thinking, Hope has definitely got to play…I certainly would be opening with Brathwaite and Hope.”
Hope opened at the top of the innings for the four-day practice match.
Roston Chase scored an unbeaten 45 in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 61 with Keron Kottoy, who remained not out in 19, helped steer Jahmar Hamilton’s WIBest ‘B’ side to a three-wicket win over WIBest ‘A’ on today’s final day of their four-day match at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia.
West Indies opening batsman, Kieran Powell, is hopeful that a polished half-century, crafted in the ongoing West Indies Best vs Best practice match, will be enough to get the attention of the selectors ahead of the upcoming series against South Africa.
On Wednesday, Powell anchored the WI Best B innings with a responsible 95 from 175 balls, which was earned in 227 minutes. The batsman, who has not represented the West Indies since 2018, during the team’s series against Bangladesh, has had a difficult relationship with the selection panel as of late.
With several first-string players opting out of the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, Powell was favourite for a return to the squad but was declared to not have met the fitness standard required by the West Indies. Both the player and the Nevis Cricket Association (NCA) rejected the claims and insisted the batsman had in fact met the required fitness standard. Powell had earlier failed a test in May of 2020.
Now back in contention, the player will be hoping to put such episodes behind him.
“I would hope it (the score) leaves me in a position of strength. I think there has been just one century, so this is the second-highest score if I’m not mistaken,” Powell said, following the day's play.
“Hopefully, I can get into the squad, and we will take it from there. I’ve wanted to get back into the team for some time now. So, obviously spending time and showing application, I am hoping there is hopefully a reward for that.”
A solid half-century at the top of the order from left-hander Kieran Powell left Jahmar Hamilton XI in a strong position against Jermaine Blackwood XI, on the third day of the Best v Best practice match.
The 31-year-old opener fell just five runs short of a century, but his 95 from 175 balls anchored the West Indies B second innings total of 218 for 4 heading into the fourth day. The total, at the end of the day’s play, left the team with just 92 runs needed to win the match, with plenty of wickets in hand.
Powell was the anchor throughout the innings, forming key partnerships with opening partner Shane Moseley, who added 36, Shamarh Brooks (39), and Raymond Reifer (22), before being dismissed by spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, who also accounted for Moseley.
Earlier, WI Best A had resumed the day on 197-3 with an unbeaten and confident-looking Shai Hope at the crease on 104. However, young pace bowler Javon Searles continued an excellent performance with the ball when he added Hope to the collection of top-order batsmen he removed from the crease. Hope only managed another two runs before being caught by Mosely off the bowling of Searles. Searles ended the innings with the best figures of 4 for 40.
Paul Palmer, not out on 15, and Reifer, who was not out on 22, will resume the day at the crease for WI Best B on Thursday.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will continue to offer development opportunities to some of the best young West Indians during the ninth edition of the CPL, which takes place in St Kitts later this year.
Since 2019, and for the third consecutive season, 12 players have been drafted, retained or signed into the two mandatory Emerging Player positions in each of the six CPL franchises.
Each CPL franchise will have to field an Emerging Player a minimum of five times during the tournament, ensuring that these players get at least some competitive playing experience and the opportunity to train with some of the best players and coaches from across the Caribbean, and around the world.
The list of 12 retained and drafted players include recent West Indies Men’s Test and T20I debutants Joshua Da Silva and Kevin Sinclair who will feature for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Guyana Amazon Warriors respectively. At relatively young ages, these two players have notably risen through the CWI development ranks in the last 18 months since featuring for the victorious West Indies Emerging team in the 2019 CG Insurance Super50 Cup.
Four of the Emerging Players will be experiencing the CPL for the first time: Joshua James, Kirk McKenzie, Kadeem Alleyne and Leonardo Julien. McKenzie and James were members of the West Indies Under-19 side that featured in the last ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, held in South Africa in 2020, who now have a chance to develop their white ball skills with the Jamaica Tallawahs.
CWI’s Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams congratulated the selected players saying: “CWI is extremely happy for the 12 Emerging Players who will participate in this year’s CPL tournament. The Emerging Player programme is now a focal point of our elite player pathway and the CPL plays a critical role in exposing these young players to elite players and high level competition. We have no doubt that the experience gained by these young players will be a significant factor in establishing the next generation of international players within this format of the game.”
Reflecting on the third year of the CWI and CPL collaboration, CWI’s High-Performance Manager Graeme West said: “The Emerging Player Programme underlines the growth and strength of the CWI and CPL partnership. In a year where running high-performance activities for our talented young players has been challenging, CPL will provide the 12 emerging players a great learning and development opportunity.”
He continued: “With seven players retained from the 2020 CPL, this draft represents a reward for the performances and potential that the franchises saw from the Emerging Players in Trinidad last year. I’m delighted that three players from last year’s West Indies Under-19 squad have been drafted for the first time with McKenzie, James and Julian joining team-mates Nedd, Young and Seales who will look to build on their performances in 2020. The drafting of Kadeem Alleyne is really significant as it demonstrates to all young cricketers in the Caribbean that outstanding performances in local tournaments can be recognized and rewarded.”
The full list of drafted, retained and signed Emerging Players for their respective CPL teams is as follows:
Joshua Bishop (Barbados) - Retained by Barbados Tridents
Nyeem Young (Barbados) - Retained by Barbados Tridents
Ashmead Nedd (Guyana) - Retained by Guyana Warriors
Kevin Sinclair (Guyana) - Retained by Guyana Warriors
Joshua James* (Trinidad & Tobago) - Drafted by Jamaica Tallawahs
Kirk McKenzie* (Jamaica) - Drafted by Jamaica Tallawahs
Dominic Drakes (Barbados) - Retained by St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Joshua Da Silva (Trinidad & Tobago) - Retained by St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Kadeem Alleyne* (Barbados) - Drafted by St Lucia Zouks
Jeavor Royal (Jamaica) - Drafted by St Lucia Zouks
Leonardo Julien* (Trinidad & Tobago) - Signed by Trinbago Knight Riders
Jayden Seales (Trinidad & Tobago) - Retained by Trinbago Knight Riders
Briana Williams’ four races over two days last weekend was a test, one that she passed with flying colours notwithstanding a minor slip of along the way.
A 23-member Reggae Girlz squad assemble in the United States tomorrow without inspirational captain Khadijah Shaw for two upcoming international friendly games as part of the 2021 Women's National Team Summer Series hosted by the US Soccer.
The local delegation from Jamaica will depart on Thursday, June 3 out of Montego Bay at 2:20 pm.
The squad will have a camp in Houston from June 4-7 after which it will relocate to the host hotel.
Jamaica will play number 38 ranked team Nigeria on June 10 and World champions the USA on June 13. Both games will be played at the BBVA stadium in Houston, Texas. The games will be the first for the Jamaican team since they participated in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers in February 2020 and they will do so without their prolific striker Shaw.
Jamaica's number-nine, the leading scorer for Bordeaux in the Division 1 Féminine, the highest division of women's football in France, has reportedly asked for time to recover from what was an intense season in which the team fought successfully for a Champions League spot.
Shaw was the joint-leading scorer, alongside PSG’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto, with 21 goals for Bordeaux, which finished third in the division.
Meanwhile, five new players have been named to the squad including Rebecca Spencer of Tottenham Hotspur, Drew Spence of Chelsea, and Shania Hayles of Aston Villa as well as Mikayla Dayes of the University of Maryland and Satara of FC Austin Elite.
They will join 14 veterans who represented Jamaica at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
According to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), once the teams arrive in Houston both for training camp as well as the tournament, they will operate under a highly controlled environment that will include testing on arrival for the camp and testing at the host hotel.
The staging of the official training and matches will fall under the comprehensive US Soccer Return to Play Protocols and Guidelines and in accordance with CONCACAF Return to Play Protocols. The JFF has also developed protocols for the training camp in keeping with these guidelines.
The full squad comprises Sydney Schnieder (Washington Spirit FC USA), Rebecca Spencer (Tottenham Hotspurs FC), Chantelle Swaby (Glasgow Rangers) Konya Plummer (Orlando Pride), Allyson Swaby (AS Roma), Deneisha Blackwood (Houston Dash), Havana Solaun (Carolina Courage), Chinyelu Asher (Washington Spirit FC), Olufolasade Adamamouken (University of Southern California), Drew Spence (Chelsea FC), Peyton McNamara (Ohio State University), Sashana Campbell (Petah Tikva), Tiernny Wiltshire (Maccabi Emek Hefer), Jody Brown (Florida State University), Shania Hayles (Aston Villa WFC), Gabrielle Gayle (South Alabama), Kayla McCoy (Training with Glasgow Rangers), Vyan Sampson (Charlton FC), Cheyna Matthews (Racing Louisville), Yazmeen Jamieson (Unattached) Tiffany Cameron (Ferencvaros), Mikayla Dayes (University Of Maryland), and Satara Murray (FC Austin Elite).
The pre-tournament camp which is mainly financed by the JFF has received support from the Bob Marley Foundation, the Reggae Girlz Foundation, Cool Runnings based in Houston, Arm Wave and Wisynco with its Wata brand.
West Indies batsman, Shai Hope, is happy to be scoring runs again on the back of an enterprising, unbeaten century on the second day of the Best v Best four-day match at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
After scoring 79 in the first innings, Hope stroked a fluid 104 from 132 balls, a total that included 9 fours and six 6s. The total anchored Jermaine Blackwood XI’s 197 for 3 in the second innings, for an overall lead of 283 runs. Earlier, they bowled out Jahmar Hamilton XI for 178 in their first innings. Blackwood’s XI made 264 in the first innings.
“It’s about making sure the bowlers don’t settle and almost putting pressure back onto them. So the key is to make sure I can stay within my game plan. Obviously, the situation of the game would dictate how I play in certain passages but more or less that is the of play I will try to portray, so hopefully, it works out in the future, and hopefully, I can continue in this vein and continue to score runs,” Hope said following the days play.
The batsman has not played a Test since the series against England last year and was dropped from the team ahead of the New Zealand series following a poor run of form. Since returning to the team the batsman has looked in good nick, however, and will be eyeing a return to the Test team.
“For me, personally, I’m just happy to get those run I need in the red-ball format. So, if I can continue that when I get the opportunity to play in the Test team if it comes, I’m definitely going to grab it with both hands and score as many runs as possible.”
Dr. Akshai Mansingh, a member of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Medical Advisory Committee, has cautioned that unvaccinated players could eventually find it difficult to take part in leagues around the world as more of the global population gets vaccinated.
At current, there are no cricket leagues around the world that require players to be vaccinated in order to take part in a competition. However, with the risk and expense attached to the current model of staging tournaments in a biosecure environment and increasing evidence of the positive effect of vaccination on preventing the spread of the virus, there is no guarantee things will stay the same.
At current, a few members of the squad have taken the vaccine, but some remain hesitant at this point in time. Mansingh pointed out that it was the duty of the medical team to educate the players on the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated but, at the end of the day, the freedom to make individual choices had to be respected. He speculated, however, that the choices could plausibly, in the near future, affect an individual’s ability to earn income.
“We live in a free society, and we have to respect the decisions of people. But there may be leagues around the world who say if you are not vaccinated then we will not take you and that is when personal decisions will have to made,” Mansingh told the Mason and Guest Radio program.
“We have erred on the side of freedom of choice, etc., etc. and we will entertain the discussion but there are leagues that are going to pop up, which will not entertain the discussion,” he added.
“We allowed people to opt-out of bubbles that we knew were safe and some of the people that opted out at that time made a completely different choice when they went to India, which was the second most infected country in the world.”
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has been forced to pull out of its upcoming friendly international against Japan, as a breakdown in COVID-19 protocol communications will see the Caribbean team unable to field enough players.
The game was scheduled for Thursday, June 3rd but the majority of the team’s English-based contingent will not arrive in time for the fixture. The issue stems from the fact the English-based players did PCR tests using the widely accepted dual method of the nostril and oral swabs, however, Japan only accepts the more complicated nasal PCR tests.
According to reports, the Japan Football Association (JSA) had not informed the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) of the specific requirement. As a result, the six players were denied boarding in Amsterdam after they were found to not have the specific PCR coronavirus test results required for entry into Japan.
The England-based players have since returned home to do the necessary PCR test but, having rebooked, will not reach Japan until Wednesday. The members of the delegation who left Jamaica did the correct PCR test and were accepted on the flight from Houston to Japan, except for Tyreek McGee who did not board the flight to Japan for reasons yet to be conveyed. The player, however, did have the required PCR test done. He is set to return home.
The remaining matches against Serbia, on the 7th, and the Japan Olympic team, on the 12th, will go ahead as planned.
The Jermaine Blackwood-led WI Best A find themselves in a commanding position at the end of the first day of their four-day match against Jahmar Hamilton’s WI Best B at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.
At stumps, WI Best ‘B’ are 44-4 from the 15 overs they faced, 220 runs behind WI Best ‘A’ who scored 264 all out.
Blackwood led from the front scoring 85 while Shai Hope got 79 as the WI Best A got to 254 for 5 before collapsing to 264 all. Roston Chase did the late damage taking 4-44 from 11.3 overs.
Earlier, Chemar Holder took 3 for 44, to keep the batters in check after John Campbell and Hope got the WI Best A to a fast start, racing to 47-0 after just 10 overs with Jayden Searles and Preston McSween bearing the brunt of the onslaught.
Chemar Holder broke the partnership with the score at 62 when he got Campbell for 20.
Darren Bravo and Hope added 42 before Holder dismissed Bravo for seven and Kyle Mayers in consecutive deliveries as WI Best A slipped to 104 for 3.
At 123 for 3, Searles for Hope for 79.
Meanwhile, Blackwood, who was on eight when Hope got out, put together a 54-run stand with Joshua Da Silva, who was eventually bowled by Jomel Warrican for 13.
Kavem Hodge and Blackwood then took the score to 254 when the captain fell for 85 and triggered a collapse as Chase knifed through the lower order and saw the side lose their last five wickets for 10 runs.
When the B side batted, they lost Kieran Powell for 22, Shayne Moseley for 1, Nkrumah Bonner for a duck and Shamarh Brooks for 13 as Keon Harding took 2-23, Nial Smith 1-5 and Shannon Gabriel 1-15.
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