West Indies women’s team head coach Courtney Walsh is convinced the team heading to ICC Women’s World next month is a well-balanced one.
On Monday, Cricket West Indies announced the naming of a 15-man squad, which as expected will be led by Windies Women captain Stephanie Taylor and feature several other experienced players. Joining the likes of Taylor will be the experienced Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbell, and Anisa Mohammed who will be headed to her fourth World Cup.
The team, however, will also feature a host of younger players and two uncapped players Kaysia Schultz and Jannellia Glasgow in the reserves. Walsh believes the team’s combination is suited to performing well in all areas.
“We were just trying to get the best combination we thought for the World Cup, so all the tours we had, the camps and thing. All those things were taken into consideration in trying to get as balance an attack as we can in terms of batting, bowling, and fielding as well,” Walsh said.
“We wanted the complete package with regards to batting, bowling, and fielding. The 18 players that we have here is what we as the selectors thought was the best balanced 18, we could take. We have an adequate backup should there be any injuries.”
West Indies lead selector, Desmond Haynes, insists fixing the squad’s issues at the top of the order will be a priority for the new panel.
The team’s struggles, particularly at the top of the order, have been well documented in recent times. The issue of finding a consistent partner for team captain Kraigg Brathwaite is one of the primary concerns.
Over the last five years, Brathwaite, who has scored 2188 in 40 matches during that time, has been consistent but it has proven to be somewhat of a carousel in terms of finding an opening pairing with Kieron Powell, John Campbell, and Shai Hope all being trailed for the spot at various times.
In November, Jeremy Solozano was also set to be trialed in the position, against Sri Lanka, but did not get the opportunity after being struck on the helmet while fielding. Ahead of the England series, Haynes and the selectors have decided to turn back to Campbell who was dropped from the team in June of last year.
The batsman has had a strong start to the West Indies Championship after scoring 213 runs in two matches so far. Since 2019, Campbell has played 15 matches for the West Indies scoring 640 runs.
“There was good discussion regarding the opening. That in itself is something we want to resolve shortly. I think in all the good teams you find they have good opening batsmen so we are hoping to get our opening batsmen some confidence and make sure they can do the job for us,” Haynes told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I think we went with Campbell not just because he got the 100 but talking to the captain and him batting with Campbell in the games that he has played, we had a bit of success there,” he added.
“It was a bit unfortunate for Jeremy but we decided we would put him in the president’s XI’s game where the selectors could have another look at him because it was a bit unfortunate because after being struck on the head he didn’t get a chance to play in Sri Lanka.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel on Tuesday named the West Indies Men’s squad for the first Apex Test match against England, as well as the CWI President’s XI squad for the four-day warm-up match.
The first Apex Test will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium from March 8-12, following the warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) from March 1-4.
In the West Indies Test squad, there is a maiden call-up for fast bowler Anderson Phillip and a recall for opener John Campbell. Both players were impressive in the first two rounds of the current West Indies Championship, with 25-year-old Phillip from Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, taking 12 wickets at an average of 14.25 per wicket, with best figures of 5-82 against Jamaica Scorpions and 28-year-old Campbell from Jamaica Scorpions hitting 213 runs at an average of 53.25, including 127 against Barbados Pride.
The West Indies squad will assemble in Antigua from February 25 for a training camp ahead of the Apex Test Series.
Shane Dowrich, the experienced wicketkeeper/batsman has been named as captain of the CWI President’s XI with Raymon Reifer, the left-handed allrounder as the vice-captain.
“Anderson Phillip bowled extremely well and was very impressive in the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship and we decided to give him an opportunity in the Test squad to face England. He has been around the squad before in white-ball cricket, so he has some experience at the international level,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said.
“I expect us to be very competitive against England. This should be a very exciting series, with a lot of players who are out to make their mark. We have a squad that has some experienced players, as well as some exciting young players and we expect them to equip themselves well and do the job,” he added.
West Indies Test Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales
CWI President’s XI Squad: Shane Dowrich (Captain), Raymon Reifer (Vice-Captain), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Bryan Charles, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Devon Thomas
Elaine Thompson-Herah said she would have loved to have gone under seven seconds in her 60m win in Birmingham on Saturday but she was to open her indoor season on a winning note.
Jamaica has selected an experienced 20-player squad to compete at the 2022 CWU20 qualifiers in the Dominican Republic from February 25 to March 12 as it bids to qualify for FIFA Women’s World Under 20 Championship.
West Indies Captain Kieron Pollard is choosing to focus on the positives coming out of the Indian white-ball tour in which the Caribbean side was swept 3-0 in both the ODI and T20 series.
Speaking after the West Indies lost the final T20 by 17 runs on Sunday, Pollard said the tour was not a complete disaster.
“When you look at the games, it was definitely a close series but it just goes to show the fine line in international cricket in terms of the margins for error,” said Pollard.
“I thought the guys really put up their hands and gave a really good account of themselves so I don’t think we should feel disgraced by what has taken place.
"We’re not happy with losing but it is a work in progress. I’m very happy with the performances of some of the guys and we crack on. We have no international white-ball cricket for the next three months so we have time to find out what’s for the future.”
Among the players that Pollard was pleased with was his vice-captain Nicholas Pooran who starred with 184 runs in the three games.
“I thought Nicholas was outstanding. Three fifties in three games is fantastic for him and that’s the consistency that we ask for,” said Pollard.
Pollard’s Mumbai Indians teammate Suryakumar Yadav was India’s best batsman in the series with 107 runs in the three matches. The West Indies captain believes he is someone his batters should try to emulate.
“Surya is a world-class player. I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of years with him so it’s great to see that he has grown well and is doing great things for himself and great things for India. He’s a 360-degree player and that’s something that our batsmen could try to emulate,” Pollard said.
An important part of a successful T20 outfit is laying out specific roles for specific players and Pollard, while being aware of this, says it’s also important to rotate to give others opportunities.
“I think everyone is clear in their role. Once you get an opportunity to play, you know your role so it’s about getting the experience and understanding what is needed at the international level. We’re not just chopping and changing for the sake of it, guys came in and had specific roles to play. We’re in a position where we have to give guys opportunities,” he said.
The West Indies next white-ball assignment will a tour of the Netherlands in May-June where they will play three ODIs.
Neymar has suggested he could move to Major League Soccer before hanging up his boots, rather than return to play in his native Brazil.
The 30-year-old has a contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2025, and has scored 91 goals in 132 games since moving to the French capital in a world-record transfer from Barcelona in 2017.
He scored his first goal since returning from an ankle injury, but also saw a tame penalty saved by Alban Lafont in PSG's shock 3-1 defeat at Nantes on Saturday.
Speaking to the Fenomenos podcast, Neymar said: "I don't know if I'll play in Brazil again. I have some doubts about that.
"I'd love to play in the US actually. I'd love to play there at least for a season."
Neymar joked that he would benefit from the shorter regular season in MLS, adding: "Their season is shorter, so I'd get three months' vacation."
He has previously been linked with a move to Inter Miami, with co-owner David Beckham jokingly offering him a contract in an interview for Otro two years ago.
Neymar also said he remains unsure how long he will go on playing for, but that he intends to do so as long as his mental health will allow.
"I joke with my friends that I will retire when I'm 32. But it's just a joke. I don't know," he said.
"Honestly, I will play until I'm mentally tired. If my mental health is ok and my body as well. Physically, I think I'll still last a few years. But my mental health is the most important thing."
Shashalee Forbes and Ackeem Blake won their respective 60m races at the first meet in the JAAA/SDF Jubilee at Kingston’s National Stadium on Saturday.
Forbes, 25, the 2017 World University Games 100m champion, clocked a time of 7.16 running into a negligible wind of 0.2 m/s to edge Anthonique Strachan (7.17). Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Natasha Morrison finished third in 7.27.
Blake, meanwhile, clocked a decent 6.61 to defeat Kishane Thompson, who ran 6.67, the same time as Michael Campbell, who is making his way back from a horrific injury to his spine in a motor vehicle accident in late 2017.
In a battle between Olympic bronze medallists over 200m, Tiffany James got the better of Candace McLeod. James ran 23.85 to claim victory over McLeod who ran 24.06. Michae Harriott finished third in 25.17.
Zandrion Barnes won the men’s 400m in 45.99, well clear of Malik James King who ran a pedestrian 46.67 while Terry Thomas was third in 46.99.
In the field, the Julian Robinson-coached pair of Shadae Lawrence and Traves Smikle won the women and men’s discus competitions, respectively.
Lawrence, who made her first Olympic final in Tokyo last year, threw 62.56m to comfortably win her event ahead of Samantha Hall, who had a best throw of 55.65m. Cedricka Williams threw 53.38 for third.
Meanwhile, Smikle, her Reckless Control training partner uncorked a throw of 64.65m for victory over Chad Wright, who mustered 58.02m for second place. Moses Parkinson managed 46.80m for third.
Tissanna Hickling won the long jump with a decent effort of 6.43m. Jodian Stewart was second with her best jump of 6.31m.
Suryakumar Yadav spearheaded an India flurry late in their innings to ensure Rohit Sharma's team secured a 17-run win over the West Indies in the final T20I.
Having already lost the series heading into the final match on Sunday, West Indies had their tails up when they had India on just 93-4 towards the end of the 14th over in Kolkata.
Ruturaj Gaikwad – one of four changes for the hosts – was dismissed early on, with Shreyas Iyer falling to Hayden Walsh (1-30) on 25, and Roston Chase (1-23) sending Ishan Kishan packing for 34.
Captain Rohit managed just seven, yet Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer combined to hit 86 in the final five overs to reach 184-5.
Yadav's brilliant knock was ended by Romario Shepherd (1-50) on 65 from just 31 balls, as Venkatesh Iyer finished unbeaten on 35.
Deepak Chahar (2-15) took two early wickets to immediately put the Windies on the back foot, only to pull up with an injury and be forced off.
Rovman Powell's 25 off 14 got the run rate up, but he fell in the seventh over, with captain Kieron Pollard (five) swiftly following.
Jason Holder (two) and Chase (12) also went in quick succession, though Nicholas Pooran (61) stayed in to give the Windies hope.
However, Shardul Thakur (2-33) undid the Windies opener in the 18th over, all but ending any lingering hopes.
Stunning late show from India pair
There was some sensational batting on show from Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer, who hit seven and two sixes respectively. They added 91 off 37 deliveries to put the game, truly, beyond the West Indies' reach.
With the ball, Harshal Patel took 3-22 to pick up the slack after Chahar's injury.
India on a roll
India have now won 13 T20Is against the West Indies, only against Sri Lanka (14) have they won more.
Indeed, they also extended their winning streak in the format to nine games, their longest such run in the format. They will go up against Sri Lanka in their next series.
West Indies batsman Rovman Powell believes a nice understanding at the crease is developing between himself and vice-captain Nicholas Pooran after putting together another strong partnership, albeit this time in a losing effort.
India wrapped up the three-match T20 series with an 8 run win over the West Indies, after setting a more than competitive 186 for 5 in the first innings. Thanks to the efforts of Powell and Pooran, however, the team managed to get close to the score on the back of their 100-run partnership, in 60 balls.
It was the second time in just a few weeks the duo was combining to good effect. Against England in the third T20 international, the duo combined for 122 for 67. In fact, Pooran and Powell have been one of the most productive partnerships over the last four years, scoring 346 in 7 innings.
“Me and Pooran, from the last series, we have been developing a nice little bromance, a nice little partnership in a sense with him batting 3 and me batting four. It’s important for us at that point, at that position, where we bat three and four to get partnerships,” Pooran told members of the media, following the match.
“We got another partnership of 100 plus today, it’s for us to take all the things we did right today and improve the stuff that needs to improve going forward.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel on Saturday named a 15-member West Indies Women’s squad to participate in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, to be played in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3.
Stafanie Taylor, one of the leading all-rounders in the history of the game, will lead the squad with off-spinner Anisa Mohammed as vice-captain for her fifth Cricket World Cup.
The squad includes several exciting young players who will be competing at the marquee event for the first time. These are spinner Karishma Ramharack, fast bowler Aaliyah Alleyne, seamer Cherry Ann Fraser, allrounder Chinelle Henry, and opening batter Rashada Williams.
The 15-member squad will be joined by three traveling reserves, Kaysia Schultz, Mandy Mangru, and Jannillea Glasgow as per the ICC’s medical protocols for the tournament.
“The squad selected shows a blend of youth and experience. We have Anisa Mohammed who’s playing in her fifth World Cup and will help guide the younger ones selected. We have five players who have had their maiden Cricket World Cup selection. The team just completed a series against South Africa where the players got good preparation before the tournament. There were some relatively good showings with a few players having outstanding performances and it is expected that they would raise their levels even further during the competition. Afy Fletcher’s return strengthens the bowling department as she continues to be a world-class leg-spinner,” CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket Ann Browne-John said.
The eight-team tournament will start with a group stage round, where all teams play each other once before the top four sides compete in the semi-finals and finals.
The West Indies Women will open their title chase against host country New Zealand on March 4 at Bay Oval in Tauranga. Their seventh and final match of the group stage is against South Africa on March 24 at Basin Reserve in Wellington. Semi-final one will be played on March 30 at Basin Reserve in Wellington, with semi-final 2 on March 31 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The final will be played on April 3 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The full squad is as follows: Stafanie Taylor (Captain), Anisa Mohammed (Vice-Captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Rashada Williams. Travelling Reserves: Kaysia Schultz, Mandy Mangru, Jannillea Glasgow
Jamaican 400m sprinter Stephenie Ann McPherson ran a personal best 51.39 to win at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday.
It was only her second race of the season indoors after opening her season on February 11 with a 52.82 clocking at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetville.
McPherson, 400m bronze medallist at the 2013 Moscow World Championships, finished ahead of Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands who ran 51.49 and Poland’s Justyna Swiety-Ersetic who ran 52.09.
Two other Jamaicans, Roniesha McGregor and Janieve Russell, finished fourth and sixth in 52.32 and 52.53, respectively.
It wasn’t the start she hoped for but Elaine Thompson-Herah was still better than the field as she raced to a season-best 7.08 at the World Indoor Tour Gold Meeting in Birmingham on Saturday.
The athlete dubbed the fastest woman alive lived up to the name as after a poor start that saw her trailing Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, Thompson-Herah turned on the after-burners and stormed through the field to win over the Swiss, who ran a season-best 7.11 for second place.
Third was the vastly improved Daryll Neita, who crossed the line in a lifetime best 7.13.
Thompson-Herah’s winning time put her 0.01 ahead of Briana Williams as the fastest Jamaican woman over 60m this year.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard was encouraged by the batting unit’s approach to Friday’s T20 International against India, even if he was admittedly disappointed with the result.
The West Indies found themselves on the losing side of another series, after going down by 8 runs to India on Friday. The result saw the South Asian team claim an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, after winning the opener by 7 wickets.
This time, however, in pursuit of a solid 186 for 5, the team went a lot closer to the target and was more comfortable in the run chase. A 100-run partnership from Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell got the team close to India's score, and, in fact, until a miserly 18th over from Harshal Patel it seemed the West Indies were favourites to level the series.
According to the West Indies captain, while the team may have come up just short on runs, the approach was closer to what was required.
“I thought the partnership with him (Rovman Powell) and Pooran almost got us over the line. Sometimes that’s all we are asking from the guys to bat as deep as possible and for me, I’m pleased, obviously not with the result but with the way they continue to aim for consistency,” he added.
The partnership was the fourth-highest between two Windies players since 2019, adding to an overall 306 scored in 6 matches, whenever the duo of Powell and Pooran has come together during that time.
“Nicholas got another half-century, Powell has gotten two in the last four games, so, we are making progress.”
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