Cricketers in the countries that hosted the recent 2022 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup are set to benefit from a donation of 15 bowling machines purchased by Cricket West Indies (CWI).

CWI has donated four bowling machines each to Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, with three donated to Antigua and Barbuda.

The bowling machines have been distributed among territorial cricket boards and cricket clubs, in accordance with CWI’s pre-tournament objective of enhancing cricketing infrastructure in the host nations for the ICC U19showpiece.

The 2022 ICC U19 World Cup was held from January 14 to February 5, 2022, and concluded with India beating England in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

“We talked about the valuable legacy for the West Indies in hosting the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and this is a tangible example of how our regional cricket will be impacted positively,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt while presenting the four bowling machines in St. Kitts to President of the St. Kitts Cricket Association, Dennis Phillip.

“Our young cricketers, as well as club players and those in high-performance development programmes, will have the opportunity to fine-tune their batting skills with these high-calibre machines. Cricket West Indies has a vested interest in helping to improve the standard of cricket in all our member territories, and thereby the standard of West Indies cricket. This donation further underlines CWI’s commitment to one of our most important stakeholders – our players.”

The CWI president that it is important that the board responds to the needs of the respective territories.

“We want to ensure our cricket boards and clubs are in a better position to respond to players’ needs by having the appropriate facilities and equipment to propel cricket development, especially among youth,” Skerritt said.

“It is also a gesture of appreciation for the priceless support which CWI received from the host governments, as well as from local cricket authorities and clubs. It’s been a wonderful partnership.”

President Skerritt also stressed the importance for local cricket clubs “to maintain certain minimum standards and a state of readiness to host matches, in case opportunities arise to be involved in more global tournaments”.

Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq hit centuries as Pakistan battled to a six-wicket victory over Australia on Thursday to level up their three-match ODI series at 1-1.

Australia won by 88 runs in Tuesday's opener and looked good value to claim a series win when posting 348-8 from their 50 overs at Gaddafi Stadium.

But led by inspirational skipper Azam (114) and Imam-ul-Haq (106), Pakistan claimed a gripping victory that was sealed by Iftikhar Ahmed (11 not out) with an over to spare.

The victory is Pakistan's first over Australia in 11 ODIs – coming from their highest ever successful ODI chase – and sets up a decider in Lahore on Saturday.

The tourists were cruising at 237-2, despite losing Aaron Finch for a duck, with Ben McDermott becoming the 50th different Australia player to register an ODI century.

Travis Head put on 89 runs and Marcus Stoinis 49 either side of McDermott (104), while Marnus Labuschagne (59) also registered a half-century, but Pakistan soon hit back.

McDermott was finally caught off pacer Mohammad Wasim and, after Alex Carey and Cameron Green fell for five each, Sean Abbott kept his side ticking over with a 16-ball 28.

Australia would have been disappointed to fall below the 400-runs mark, however, with Shaheen Afridi finishing with figures of 4-63, while Wasim took 2-56.

That 349-run target looked even more attainable when Pakistan reached 118 inside 19 overs before Fakhar Zaman (67) was sent packing by Stoinis out of nowhere.

Babar entered the fray at that point alongside Imam-ul-Haq and the pair put the hosts well on their way to a famous win, though momentum was halted slightly when the latter was caught by Labuschagne off Adam Zampa.

Babar was next to go and Zampa then took Mohammad Rizwan (23), but Khushdil Shah (27 not out) and Ahmed saw out the job to keep the series alive.

McDermott century not enough

Seeking an 11th successive ODI win over Pakistan, Australia must have felt they had done enough when McDermott and Head piled on 162 off 144 balls for the second wicket.

But Afridi, who missed the first clash with a knee injury, added to his golden duck of Finch by taking the wickets of Green, Stoinis and Abbott in the space of four overs.

Babar surpasses Azhar

Proving he is the right man for any occasion, Babar's century saw him overtake Azhar Ali for the most ODI hundreds as Pakistan skipper.

Indeed, after hitting 114 off 83 balls – which included 11 fours and one six – Babar is now level with Mohammad Yousuf (15) for the second-most hundreds for Pakistan in 50-over internationals.

Evin Lewis smashed an unbeaten half-century propel the Lucknow Super Giants to a six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings after Dwayne Bravo became the leading wicket-taker in Indian Premier League history.

Lucknow looked set for defeat when Quinton de Kock fell for 61 in their pursuit of 211 for a maiden IPL win, but Lewis stepped up with a blistering 23-ball 55 to stun CSK.

Robin Uthappa breezed to a 25-ball half-century before he was pinned in front for 50 by Ravi Bishnoi (2-24).

Moeen Ali continued the flurry of runs with his 35 off 22 deliveries, while Shivam Dube's clean striking in his 30-ball 49 along with MS Dhoni's brisk 16 propelled Chennai to an imposing total of 210-7.

De Kock and KL Rahul (40) shared an opening stand of 99 from 10.2 overs before the India batter was caught by Ambati Rayudu off Dwaine Pretorius.

Manish Pandey (five) followed soon after to Tushar Deshpande (1-40), with Bravo taking the catch, and Lucknow's chances seemingly diminished when De Kock skied a Pretorius slower ball to Dhoni.

Bravo (1-35) surpassed Lasith Malinga as he claimed his 171st wicket in the IPL by dismissing Deepak Hooda (13), but Lewis and Ayush Badoni, who raced to 19 off 9, saw the Super Giants to an unlikely victory with three balls to spare.

Lewis cuts loose after De Dock fireworks 

De Kock laid the platform for Lewis' late onslaught and the West Indies batter delivered in emphatic fashion.

The 30-year-old almost single-handedly turned the game on its head, launching three sixes and hitting six fours.

Bravo for Pretorius in losing cause

Pretorius claimed the two big wickets of openers Rahul and De Kock as he took 2-31, registering the lowest economy of any Super Kings bowler (7.75).

It was a memorable day for the 38-year-old Bravo, as the former West Indies captain returned 1-35 from his four overs, but he was unable to celebrate a victory.

Trinidadian all-rounder and former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo made history on Thursday when he became the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the Chennai Super Kings match against the Lucknow Super Giants in Brabourne.

Bravo took 1-35 from his four overs, his 171^st IPL wicket to move one ahead of Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga.

His 171 wickets have come in 153 matches.

Bravo has played in the IPL since its inaugural season in 2008 and has represented three franchises-the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

The next highest West Indian on the list is Sunil Narine with 144 wickets in 136 matches.

At the time of publishing, Bravo’s Chennai Super Kings were trying to defend nine runs off the last over.

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals will be hosted by Guyana for the next three years, starting in 2022. This is the first time the Hero CPL final will be held in Guyana and this long-term staging agreement will see the culmination of the tournament also taking place in Guyana in 2023 and 2024.

This season, Guyana will host seven group games, three knockout matches and the Hero CPL final which will take place on Friday, September 30 at The Guyana National Stadium in Providence.

The Hero CPL final will be the climax of festivities surrounding these games taking place in Guyana. The Government of Guyana in collaboration with the local private sector will also stage two weeks of events which will form a Cricket Carnival. This Carnival will celebrate the best that Guyana was to offer, showcasing the music, food and culture of this vibrant and fascinating country. 

 Over the previous nine seasons of Hero CPL there has been massive support for the tournament from Guyanese fans and the tournament is expecting significant excitement at the prospect of these hugely important matches taking place in the country.

Guyana’s economy is growing rapidly, and the country has a fantastic reputation as a destination for tourists looking for unspoiled nature. The Hero CPL finals will further showcase this wonderful country to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500million in both 2020 and 2021.

“We are blessed with amazing fans across the Caribbean, and this is very clear whenever we visit Guyana where the atmosphere at Providence is electric. The idea of having the Hero CPL final in front of this wonderful crowd of passionate and knowledgeable cricket fans is a mouthwatering prospect,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL CEO.

“We are very grateful to have such a positive relationship with the government and cricket authorities in Guyana and we thank them for helping us come to this hugely exciting agreement.”

His Excellency Dr Mohammad Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, said the citizens of Guyana are passionate about cricket.

 “Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate “One Guyana” the hosting of the CPL final will be an energizing force,” he said.

“We are building a product that will be spectator focused, integrated with our regional partners for a global market. Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other global cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, Caribbean vibes with a South American touch and of course, cricket played loudest.”

Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma made half-centuries as a depleted South Africa made a promising start against Bangladesh in the first Test at Kingsmead.

With a number of star players away at the IPL, the home side are significantly weakened for this two-Test series, but captain Elgar remains committed to the Proteas cause.

He top-scored with 67 in a team total of 233-4, before fading light brought play to an early close, after the start was delayed in farcical circumstances due to a malfunctioning electronic sightscreen.

Elgar's runs came in a first-wicket stand of 113 with Sarel Erwee, who made a useful 41 and soon followed his skipper back to the dressing room.

Khaled Ahmed had Elgar caught behind off the glove by wicketkeeper Liton Das, when the paceman's delivery to the left-hander climbed sharply off the pitch, before Erwee edged spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz into his stumps.

Mehidy struck again when he produced a sensational piece of fielding to run out Keegan Petersen for 19, scrambling to make a fine stop at point before throwing down the stumps at the batsman's end.

Ryan Rickelton pulled Ebadot Hossain to Mominul Haque at mid-on to fall for 21, before Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne saw the home side through to the close with no further damage done.

Bavuma ended the day on 53 not out, with Verreynne unbeaten on 27 in a 53-run partnership.

The umpires pulled the plug on the day's proceedings after 76.5 overs, having perhaps wished they could have done the same thing to a sightscreen at the beginning of play, as it failed to turn to white.

Groundstaff scrambled to cover the screen with white sheets to allow play to get under way, but the action was delayed and did not commence until over 30 minutes past the scheduled start.

Cricket South Africa later apologised, citing a "technical glitch" as the problem.

Plenty to prove for Proteas

The real challenge for South Africa is likely to come with the ball. They are on course to put together a decent total and will hope their attack can back that up, but they are without the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.

A largely second-string attack will see this as a chance to shine and earn future selection, but Bangladesh will sense an opportunity themselves, and after beating New Zealand recently in a Test for the first time, they might sense a chance to put the hosts under pressure.

South Africa may be unbeaten in 12 Tests against Bangladesh (W10, D2), but they lost the recent ODI series between the sides and their recent Kingsmead record against all-comers is poor in the five-day game, with just one win in their last nine.

Bavuma marks 50 with fifty

This is Bavuma's 50th Test match, and he marked it with an 18th half-century.

The 31-year-old only has one Test century to his name, and that came six years ago in Cape Town against England, so it would be right to be cautious about his prospects of reaching three figures here, but it looks a fair opportunity.

Dinesh Karthik was the hero for Royal Challengers Bangalore as they edged to a three-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders.

In a remarkable Indian Premier League clash on Wednesday, the Challengers needed seven off the last over as they chased down a modest target of 128.

Wanindu Hasaranga had starred with the ball for Bangalore, taking 4-20, with Andre Russell (25) the only Kolkata batter to surpass 20 runs.

The Knight Riders started well in response with the ball - Anuj Rawat going for a duck in the first over before Faf du Plessis (5) and Virat Kohli (12) fell to Tim Southee (3-20) and Umesh Yadav (2-16) in quick succession.

David Willey's steady 18 helped steady Bangalore, but they could not pick up the run rate, with Shahbaz Ahmed (27) and Sherfane Rutherford (28) also departing – the latter to Sheldon Jackson's excellent catch.

Hasaranga lofted a Southee delivery to Russell to put the pressure on, yet two excellent boundaries from Harshal Patel (10 not out) had Bangalore in the box seat heading into the final over.

Struggling with a shoulder problem, Russell stepped up to bowl, yet Karthik hit a short ball for six before sending the next delivery down the ground to seal a hard-fought win.

Karthik bides his time

In total, Karthik spent 23 minutes at the crease, yet only faced seven deliveries. And after surviving a scare with a miscalled run, the 36-year-old made the final two balls count, showing great composure under huge pressure.

Russell decision backfires

Russell had to leave the field midway through Bangalore's chase to receive treatment on his right shoulder, but it was he who was handed the ball for the decisive final over.

Shreyas Iyer was swiftly made to regret that call, with Russell finishing with figures of 0-36 from 2.2 overs.

Only one batter scored more than 200 runs in seven matches, they dropped more than 20 catches and had the worst catching efficiency of all the teams, and they crashed out in ignominious fashion losing by 157 runs to Australia on Tuesday night but West Indies Women Captain Stafanie Taylor believes the team played well in the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.

In what could rank as one of their poorest performances of the World Cup, West Indies Women were bowled out for 148 chasing a target of 306, losing by 157 runs via Duckworth/Lewis method in the rain-shortened game.

Only Taylor (48), Matthews (34) and Dottin (34) made any score of note as the West Indies Women wilted under the pressure of the chase and incisive bowling from the Australian attack.

Notwithstanding, the abject performance in the match and in the tournament where after opening with scores of 259-9 and 225-6, the West Indies Women failed to score 200 runs or more for the remainder of the tournament, Taylor was hopeful for the future.

“No one expected us to win the first two games and to be in the semi-finals,” she said after the ended world cup campaign.

“I think the way we played throughout the tournament had been really good. We had some ups and downs and that happens but it’s about learning and I believe we are still learning and I am proud of the way we played. We still have more to go and you’ll see us around again.”

Matthews, who opened the tournament with a brilliant 119 against hosts New Zealand, was the leading scorer for the WIW with 260 runs at an average of 37.14. Shemaine Campbell with an aggregate of 185 runs had the next best average of 30.83.

Deandra Dottin scored 199 runs but averaged just 28.42 while Taylor averaged 21.57 from an aggregate of 151 runs during the tournament.

Matthews was also the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets in the tournament and was the only West Indies Women bowler in double figures.

After being swept at home by Pakistan towards the end of 2021, it felt like a low moment for Bangladesh cricket.

Since then, they have beaten reigning world champions New Zealand in a Test match for the first time before getting the better of South Africa in a three-match ODI series, in both cases as tourists.

All of a sudden, confidence is flowing for the Tigers ahead of a two-Test series against South Africa, especially with the fact that the hosts will be missing several key players thanks to IPL commitments, including pretty much their entire bowling attack.

Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen will all be unavailable, meaning captain Dean Elgar will broadly be reliant on the likes of Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and a selection of significantly less experienced players.

Bavuma is one away from becoming the 24th player to reach 50 men's Tests for South Africa; his Test batting average against Bangladesh (54.3) is his best against any team.

Speaking earlier in the week, Elgar said: "We have to make do with our next best that we have in the country, who I'm still very confident in.

"Yes, we've lost a few Test caps along the way not having the IPL players with us, but it's a great opportunity for those guys to stand up and put those other players under pressure. I'm confident they can do that."

The tourists will also be missing a key figure in Shakib al Hasan, who has gone home for personal reasons, but other than that are due to be close to full strength for the first Test in Durban on Thursday.

Whether they can repeat their famous win in Mount Maunganui remains to be seen but given the circumstances, you would forgive them for any optimism.

Home troubles for Proteas

While they will enjoy home advantage, South Africa will note they have won only one of their last nine men's Tests at Kingsmead (D1, L7), which was a 10-wicket victory against India in December 2013.

That being said, they do enjoy an excellent record against this opposition, being undefeated in 12 men's Tests against the Tigers (W10, D2).

Bangladesh are also one of only two teams who the Proteas are yet to lose against in the format (W8, D1 v Zimbabwe).

Can Tamim continue Test form?

To illustrate recent improvement, Bangladesh have won two of their last three men's Tests away from home (L1), as many as they won in their 26 touring matches in the format prior (W2, D2, L22).

Tamim Iqbal is one away from becoming the second player to record 10 centuries in men's Tests for Bangladesh, after captain Mominul Haque (11). He has scored 50+ in four of his last five Test innings.

Australia continued their dominance at the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup with a comprehensive 158-run win over the West Indies in the first semi-final in Wellington.

The match was reduced to 45 overs per team after a rain delay before the toss which the West Indies won the toss and elected to field first.

Australia’s opening pair of Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes got off to a slow start while assessing conditions before putting the Windies bowlers to the sword once they got comfortable.

The two ended up putting on a mammoth 216 before Healy was dismissed for a blistering 129 off just 107 balls in the 33^rd over.

Healy's innings included 17 fours and one six.

Haynes eventually got to 85 off 100 balls before she became the second wicket to fall with the score on 231 in the 36^th over.

Captain Meg Lanning (26 not out) and Beth Mooney (43 not out) then continued the attack for the Australians before the innings closed with them amassing 305-3 off their 45 overs.

Chinelle Henry was the only West Indian who had a decent showing with the ball, taking 2-51 off her nine overs.

The Windies started their reply already at a disadvantage as Anisa Mohammed and Chinelle Henry were both unable to bat after sustaining injuries in the field.

Captain Stafanie Taylor (48), Hayley Matthews (34) and Deandra Dottin (34) were the only West Indian batters to pass double figures as Australia were equally dominant with the ball, restricting the Windies to 148-8 to secure a 158-run win and advance to the final.

Jess Jonassen took 2-14 off five overs.

Australia will be looking for their seventh ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title and first since 2013 when they play the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and defending champions England.

The second semi-final takes place on Wednesday in Christchurch.

West Indies great Curtly Ambrose says there’s still a lot of work to be done if the team wants to return to dominating world cricket.

The West Indies secured a 1-0 series win over England after a dominant 10-wicket win in the third Apex Test match in Grenada on Sunday.

The win extended the Windies’ home dominance over England in the past 50 years to eight wins and two draws in 11 series with England’s only series win coming in 2003-04.

“It means a lot not only for the team but for us as Caribbean people,” said Ambrose while working as a commentator for the series.

“We were spoiled, for many years we were the best team in the world, beating everybody. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he added.

The former fast bowler who ended his Test career with 405 wickets at an average of 20.99 while clearly delighted with the result, explained that the result doesn’t mean the West Indies have suddenly turned a corner.

“Winning one game convincingly doesn’t mean we’ve turned the corner but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve seen times in the past when they get under pressure they tend to crumble. That didn’t happen in this series,” he said.

Sanju Samson hit a powerful fifty in his 100th Indian Premier League appearance for Rajasthan Royals to set up an emphatic 61-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Royals captain Samson marked his milestone game with a fantastic innings, blazing 55 from 27 balls as he hit five of his team's 14 maximums, helping them to 210-6.

The Royals got contributions right down the order at MCA Stadium, with opener Jos Buttler (35) making the most of an early let-off having been caught off a no-ball to set the tone alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal (20).

New signing Devdutt Padikkal added 41 and Shimron Hetmyer's rapid knock (32 from 13) provided a quick finish as Rajasthan set an imposing target.

The Sunrisers reply was over before it really began. Skipper Kane Williamson (2) was the first to go on his return from injury, while Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran were both dismissed for ducks.

That left them in disarray at 9-3 inside five overs, and while Aiden Markram (57) steadied things and Washington Sundar (40 from 14) showed some flair, the result was long beyond doubt as the Sunrisers ultimately reached 149-7 from their 20 overs.

More misery for Sunrisers

These teams were the bottom two in last season's IPL, but on this early evidence the Royals look much more likely to improve their fortunes.

Sunrisers won only three of their 14 matches last season to finish bottom of the standings and this heavy defeat will do little to inspire confidence of a turnaround.

But Rajasthan, who have been either seventh or eighth in the table for three straight years, produced a complete performance.

Samson, having scored 82 the last time these teams met, was fantastic once more and Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-22 while Prasidh Krishna's first three overs went for just two runs before he finished on 2-16.

Royals first to defend a total

It has been a thrilling start to the 2022 IPL, with the chasing team – sometimes in improbable circumstances – finding a way to win in each of the first four matches this season.

But the Royals ensured that streak came to an end here by becoming the first side to defend a total.

Unlike those contests which came before, it quickly became apparent which way this result was going. The Sunrisers never got themselves back in with a chance after the Royals accelerated to set a high target.

Travis Head and Adam Zampa starred as Australia sealed an 88-run victory in the first ODI of their three-match series against Pakistan.

A depleted Australia batted first in Lahore, and their total of 313-7 proved beyond Pakistan's reach, despite Imam-ul-Haq making 103.

Head was the main Australian aggressor with a brilliant 101 from 72 deliveries that propelled the tourists to 171 by the time he was dismissed in the 25th over, with captain Aaron Finch (23) having played a supporting role in an opening partnership of 110.

Ben McDermott provided support with his maiden ODI half-century, though Australia lost three wickets for 21 runs in the space of seven overs as McDermott (55), Marnus Labuschagne (25) and Alex Carey (four) fell.

A flurry from Cameron Green, who hit four boundaries in a knock of 40 not out from 30 balls, gave Australia a competitive total to defend.

Fakhar Zaman was dismissed for 18 in the fifth over of Pakistan's reply, but Imam and skipper Babar Azam steadied the innings before the latter was trapped lbw by Mitchell Swepson.

Babar's steady 57 from 72 balls summed up Pakistan's issues, though, with the hosts unable to match the required run rate early in the innings.

Quick losses of Saud Shakeel (3), Mohammad Rizwan (10) and Iftikhar Ahmed (2) further damaged Pakistan's chances, despite Imam's fine work in reaching his eighth ODI century.

Imam's ton included nine boundaries, but he was then bowled by Nathan Ellis, shortly after Pakistan passed 200 with just five wickets down.

Zampa bowled Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim to bring up 100 ODI wickets and then moved onto 101 when Khushdil Shah lofted to Carey, with Swepson rounding things off.

Travis makes headway

It took Head just 70 deliveries to reach his second century in a 50-over match, which is the eighth-quickest in the format by an Australian batter, and the fastest against Pakistan by an Australian in an ODI.

His stay came to an end when he hit Shah to Iftikhar, while he also contributed to the bowling attack with figures of 2-35.

Zampa gets his ton

Dropped in and out of the attack by Finch, Zampa bowled superbly to finish with four wickets for 38 runs, becoming the 18th Australian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.

While the pick of the bunch for Pakistan was Haris Rauf (2-44), Zampa spearheaded Australia as the tourists kept Pakistan's big hitters Imam and Babar – who became the second-fastest Pakistan batter to reach 4,000 ODI runs – scoring at a slow pace.

West Indies Women head coach Courtney Walsh is confident ahead of their 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final against Australia in Wellington on Tuesday.

Speaking in an interview with Andrew Mason, Walsh, who was appointed as head coach in October 2020 after previously serving as assistant coach to Gus Logie, expressed his confidence and outlined that while the team has played well in stages, they still haven’t put it all together.

“I’m very confident. I think the team deserves to be in the semis. We’ve played some very good cricket while we’ve been here and we still haven’t put it together as a team like we know we can do so this will be the right game to get that started so I’m pretty confident that once we execute and play to our potential, we’ll have a very good game,” he said.

The West Indies got a few days rest after their last game against South Africa last Wednesday, something Walsh says has done the team well.

“We had a couple days away from it which has done us some good. It’s the first break we’ve had since the start of the competition so we had a couple of days where some of the main players were not required to come to practice to give them a chance to recover and the girls who weren’t playing much cricket had a chance to come out and get some decent practice as well. We’re in a good space at the moment,” he said.

“There’s no major concern. We know the areas that we haven’t done well in and the coaches have been trying very hard to get everybody up to speed,” was Walsh’s response when asked about any concerns he had going into the semi-final.

The West Indies will be aiming to advance to their second Women's World Cup final after finishing as runners-up in 2013 in India.

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor wants her team to relish the moment ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Australia on Tuesday.

“We want to relish the moment and go out there and play hard cricket,” the all-rounder said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

The match will be played in Wellington where the West Indies have been awaiting their fate since their last group match against South Africa was rained out last Wednesday.

“We’ve been here for a while now. We’ve been getting used to conditions in the nets so hopefully that should help us in how we play. We just have to take it how it comes and play like a final and, hopefully, we come out on top,” she said.

There was a time not too long ago when a World Cup semi-final seemed like an unreachable dream for the Caribbean side but Taylor says changes over the last couple years have helped the team grow.

“We’ve had some changes to our team and a new coaching staff. I believe the work they’ve been doing with us has changed the way we go about our game,” she said.

“I think we have come a long way. It may not show as much with the score sheet but I feel like we’ve come a long way looking back on series we’ve played. The coaching staff has contributed so much to where we are. I thought we had a really good start to the tournament and hopefully that’s something we could use to get us through in this back-end. Everyone is fit and rearing to go,” Taylor added.

The West Indies will be looking to reach their second World Cup final after being runners up in 2013, losing the final to Australia by 114 runs.