West Indies Women’s team captain Hayley Matthews believes the ongoing series against New Zealand presents a real opportunity for younger members of the squad to gain valuable experience playing against a quality team.
On Wednesday, the Kiwis took an unassailable 3-1 series lead after beating the West Indies via a tense Super Over. In the regular innings, the Caribbean team successfully chased down but could not overhaul New Zealand's score of 111.
In the Super Over, Matthews and Natasha McLean put on 15 runs but New Zealand captain Sophie Devine put on a savage display of power hitting, which ended with a last-ball six off Matthew to plunder 17-runs from the over and the series win.
With the likes of Anisa Mohammed, former captain Stafanie Taylor, and the recently retired Deandra Dottin all missing from the squad the team included several developing players and a few returning ones.
“This is very good for the girls getting the opportunity to go out there and play the highest level of cricket. To play against an experienced team like New Zealand with a lot of veterans and known campaigners,” Matthews said.
“We do have a lot of injuries but it’s a great opportunity for the girls to get out there be in the deep end, have a good go at international cricket, and hopefully learn a lot,” she added.
With Matthews only recently having taken over the captaincy from Taylor she admits the situation also presents her with a personal opportunity to develop in the role.
“The team has been supporting me really well. It’s definitely thrown me in the deep end a bit with a lot of the injuries that we have had and not having as much experience on the team but at the same time, I think it’s only going to help me to learn faster and be better as well. So, I’m just embracing the challenge.”
Defending champions Kingston College maintained their spot atop Group A of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup with a comfortable 7-0 win over Meadowbrook High at the Constant Spring Field on Tuesday.
KC now leads the group with a perfect 15 points from five games, three points more than their North Street neighbours St. George’s College who avenged their shock loss to Waterford earlier in the season with a 3-0 win at Winchester Park. The other group game saw Calabar beat Ardenne 2-0 at Ardenne.
Charlie Smith leads Group C by three points after a 3-0 win over Bridgeport at Dunbeholden. After three wins in a row, Charlie Smith now has 17 points from seven outings. Haile Selassie remain second with 14 points after a 2-2 draw with Vauxhall at Vauxhall while Tivoli have 10 points in third after a 4-2 home win over Edith Dalton James.
STATHS now have a four-point lead in Group D thanks to a 5-0 win over Dunoon Technical at Excelsior. They now have 17 points from seven games, four more then Jonathan Grant, who beat Spanish Town 4-1 at home, in second. Norman Manley is third with 10 points after a 4-1 win over Tarrant at Tarrant.
Excelsior got their fifth win in a row, 1-0 away at Cumberland, to move to 16 points from six games and lead Group F. Campion College trail them by four points in second after a 0-0 draw with Jose Marti at Jose Marti. There were also no goals between Kingston Technical and Clan Carthy at Kingston Technical in the day’s other group game.
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has vowed to keep putting in the hard yards, following a narrow 3-wicket loss to Australia in a practice match on Wednesday.
In an encounter marred by messy fielding from the Caribbean team, Matthew Wade and Mitchell Starc got the Aussies over the line, with a ball remaining, but the last over, bowled by paCer Sheldon Cottrell, was one filled with drama. Needing just 11 from the last 6, Wade was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer off the second ball and an opportunity to stump Starc on his way back for the winning run was also missed out on.
As a result, the Aussies got home at 146 for 7, surpassing the West Indies' first innings tally of 145 for 9. Aussie captain Aaron Finch batted in the unfamiliar position of 4 but top-scored with a valuable 58. A visibly disgruntled Cottrell ended with figures of 2 for 49, while Joseph ended with a tidy 2 for 17 and 7 runs with the bat. The bowler would admittedly have preferred a win but took some solace in a decent outing with the ball.
“For me, it’s always about trying to add that one percent every day. Keep on trusting the process, keep on training hard and keep doing what I need to do to get the success,” Joseph said following the match.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted but we really fought hard. We pushed Australia down to the last over, so all in all it was a fairly good performance we just have to go back and see what we can improve for the next game,” he added.
In their turn at the crease, all-rounder Kyle-Mayers led the way for the West Indies at the top of the order, scoring 39 from 36 deliveries before his innings was ended by Pat Cummings. Reifer contributed a 23-ball 19 from the middle order but no other batsman really got going until Odean Smith’s useful 27 from 17 at the back of the innings. He was run out by Wade.
It was, however, Josh Hazelwood who did the most damage with the ball for the Aussies as he ended with 3 for 35, while Starc and Cummings each claimed two wickets.
Leg-break bowler Afy Fletcher has been named vice-captain of the West Indies Women’s team for the fourth and fifth T20IS against New Zealand.
West Indies lost their opening T20 International against Australia in Queensland on Wednesday by three wickets with a ball to spare to go 0-1 down in the two-match series.
Veteran coaches Glen Mills, Fitz Coleman, Michael Carr and Wayne Long will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards for long and distinguished service during a ceremony set for Thursday, October 6, which is celebrated as National Coaches Day.
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.
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