Windies vice-captain Nicholas Pooran insists the team must find a coherent strategy to deal with India’s spinners after being caught in two minds in the opening match of the T20 series.

In the end, the West Indies were comfortably beaten by six wickets but at one point seemed set for a higher total than the 157 for 7 that the team eventually posted.  At 72 for 2, at the start of the 10^th over, the West Indies had a set Pooran and Roston Chase at the crease and seemed set to build on a solid enough foundation.

 The introduction of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, however, threw a wrench into those plans as he immediately removed Chase who struggled to come to grips with the spinner before being dismissed for lbw.  Bishnoi, who ended with 2 for 17, then removed the dangerous Rovman Powell later in the over.  The debutant was the chief but not the team’s only issue as Yuzvendra Chahal had also proven difficult to get away on occasion.

“We played the spinners ok today, we would want to continue that and continue to build partnerships,” Pooran told members of the media following the match.

“We still need to negotiate the spinners a bit better, I think today we were caught in two minds how to go about them.  Whether to attack them or keep them out of the game and we got caught in both minds there.”

Pooran top-scored for the Windies with 65.

India have taken a 1-0 T20I series lead over the West Indies after a six-wicket victory in Wednesday's first test in Kolkata.

It was not always plain sailing for India, but in the end they closed out a comfortable victory that owed much to captain Rohit Sharma, debutant Ravi Bishnoi and Suryakumar Yadav.

West Indies had earlier reached 157-7 over their 20 overs, an innings that began poorly as Brandon King fell for just four to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-31) in the first over – though Kyle Mayers (31) and Nicholas Pooran (61) soon found the tourists some momentum.

After their respective wickets, West Indies really struggled to build up a head of steam again. Bishnoi (2-17) claimed the scalps of Roston Chase (four) and Rovman Powell (two) as the 21-year-old enjoyed a miserly outing on his debut.

Kieron Pollard (24 not out) at least restored a little dignity, but he had little help around him, thus setting India a reachable target.

Rohit's 40 off 19 gave India the start they needed, and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) proved a solid – if pragmatic – partner until both were undone by Chase's (2-14) bowling.

Fabian Allen (1-23) and Sheldon Cottrell (1-35) then saw to Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (eight), respectively, with both batsmen feeling somewhat aggrieved by the decisions.

But any suggestion of West Indies still having a chance were emphatically washed away by Suryakumar (34 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 not out), who eased the hosts over the line at 162-4 with seven balls to spare.

Bishnoi makes his mark

Bishnoi initially looked nervous, throwing three wides in his first over. But he quickly adjusted his focus, posting impressive numbers as he dismissed Chase and Powell.

Speaking afterwards, he said: "The nerves are settled now. I was feeling very good, it's everyone's dream to play for India and I was feeling good. West Indies is one of the best T20 teams and I got the chance to play against them. I'll try to cut down on the wides in the next match!"

Pooran's efforts in vain

Were it not for Pooran's efforts, this would have been an even worse start to the three-match series for the Windies. His 61 with the bat was undoubtedly the highlight of their innings, with Pollard very aware that his side were otherwise disappointing.

Pollard said: "Getting down to the 19th over was good on the part of the bowlers. If I'm being honest, between overs six to 15 we scored too few runs. We were 15-20 runs short."

Dean Elgar says the Proteas could serve up some spice for New Zealand's South Africa-born players when the two-match Test series starts at Hagley Oval on Thursday.

Devon Conway will face his country of birth for the first time in Christchurch, where the prolific batter will look to continue an outstanding start to his Black Caps career.

Neil Wagner is another South Africa-born player who is set to do battle with the Proteas once again as New Zealand eye an elusive first Test series win over the Proteas.

The Zimbabwe-born Colin de Grandhomme is poised to return from injury for a Black Caps team that will not include captain Kane Williamson due to an elbow injury, while Trent Boult is absent as he awaits the birth of his third child and Ross Taylor has retired.

Elgar says he does not see Conway as a South African and has not ruled out a few words being exchanged with the left-hander in the heat of a battle.

Asked if the likes of Conway could be in for some verbals, the South Africa captain said: "Maybe, you never know. We respect the background that a lot of the Kiwis have, they have one or two South African or Zimbabwean-born players.

"But the way I view is that they are New Zealanders now and have obviously earned their qualifications, because they've been there for some years now.

"I don't view them as South African players, because they have a different badge on their chest. They've got the New Zealand flag on their chest, so the way I view it is come business time tomorrow, we are going to be all about business when we step over the white line.

"There will be times when we have chats with the guys, because I'm mindful the guys do know some of the guys from back home and that's perfectly fine, but when gameday comes, 11am tomorrow we have to be mindful of what we have to focus on as a side."

New Zealand were held to a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh in their last Test series, while the tourists are on a high from a 2-1 victory over India on home soil.

The Black Caps have only won four Test matches against South Africa and they will be led by Tom Latham in the absence of Williamson.

Latham: Opportunity knocks in the absence of key men

With Boult absent, Matt Henry will come into the New Zealand team and Henry Nicholls is set to move up a spot to number four in the order following Taylor's retirement.

Stand-in skipper Latham said: "Some of the guys that are usually in the squad aren’t here, but it does present opportunities for different guys to step up at different stages.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing they're not here, but that’s professional sport and professional cricket and some days you don't have a fully-fit squad.”

Hamish Rutherford was named in the squad seven years after his last Test appearance, but the opener is expected to be a spectator.

Erwee in line for Proteas bow

Sarel Erwee is poised to make his Proteas debut at number three but after Keegan Petersen was ruled out of the tour due to COVID-19, but Elgar was keeping his cards close to his chest when asked about selection on the eve of the opener.

"We have a clear indication of what our balance is going to be even though we haven’t finalised our team yet," said Elgar.

“Whether to employ a frontline spinner is a hot topic debate for us. It’s one of our bigger decisions, whether there’s space for one in conditions that aren't necessarily helpful.

"History has shown that the spinners don't play too much of a role at the Hagley Oval. So yeah, I can't say yes or no just yet. Maybe wait and see what happens at the toss."

Man of the Match Sunil Narine scored the fastest 50 in BPL history on Wednesday to propel Comilla Victorians to a seven-wicket victory over Chattogram Challengers and a place in the finals of the tournament where they will face Fortune Barishal.

Middle-order batsman Yannic Cariah and opener Jeremy Solozano were critical in a recovery effort for the T&T Red Force who ended day one of the West Indies Championship match against the Windward Island Volcanoes, at the Brian Lara Stadium, on a promising 217 for 5.

At the close of play, Joshua Da Silva (51) and Terrance Hinds (5) were the not out batsmen at the crease. Hinds came in to bat after team captain Imran Khan retired hurt, after scoring one run, with what looked like a pulled muscle.

Earlier, it was Cariah who yet again anchored another Red Force recovery.  The team found themselves in early trouble following the dismissals of opener Keagan Simmons (8), Isaiah Rajah (0), and Jason Mohammed (0), which left them struggling at 22 for 3.  All three batsmen were sent packing on the back of a brilliant spell from fast bowler Sherman Lewis who ended the day with 3 for 24.

With the team in desperate need, Cariah joined Solozano, who had watched the early carnage from the other end, and the two proceeded to rescue the innings with a patient 112-run stand for the fourth wicket.  The partnership was broken when Solozano was caught, on 66, by Teddy Bishop, after attacking Kenneth Dember.

Cariah then joined up with Da Silva to stage a 59-run partnership before he was trapped lbw by Ryan John.

Uncapped paceman Mark Steketee has been called up for Australia's Test series in Pakistan next month after Michael Neser was ruled out.

Neser suffered a side strain during Queensland's Marsh Cup defeat to New South Wales on Monday and the quick bowler will not travel for Australia's first tour of Pakistan since 1998.

His team-mate Steketee has been drafted into the squad for a three-match series that starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on March 4.

Steketee has taken 29 Sheffield Shield wickets at an average of 16.31 this season and claimed match figures of 8-100 against New South Wales last week.

Brendan Doggett is on standby to face Babar Azam's side along with Sean Abbott.

Jhye Richardson was not considered, as the Australia selectors manage his workload.

Two three-wicket hauls from Leeward Hurricane bowlers Daniel Doram and Colin Archibald devastated the Guyana Harpy Eagles batting line-up, to claim a strong position on the opening day of the West Indies Championship at Queens Park Oval.

At the close of play, in response to the Eagles being all out for 116, in 34.3 overs, the Leewards were 126 without loss and already leading by 10 runs.  Openers Kieran Powell (55) and Montcin Hodge (51) had each put half-centuries on the board to give the team a solid base heading into the second day.

Earlier, only four Guyana players managed double figures, Anthony Bramble (38), Keemo Paul (20), Clinton Pestano (14), and Veerasammy Permaul (11) in an innings that feature the rapid capitulation of the Eagles batting line-up.  Before Bramble, Guyana's first five batsmen managed a total of 24 runs combined, leaving the team in serious trouble at 37 for 5.

A partnership between Bramble and Keemo Paul, who combined for 50 was the highlight of the innings and briefly added respite.  Paul made 20 from 17 deliveries.

Doram ended the innings with figures of 3 for 16, Archibald 3 for 29, while Alzarri Joseph also claimed two wickets for 26 runs.

An unbeaten century from captain, John Campbell, put the Jamaica Scorpions in a commanding position after day one of their second-round West Indies Championship fixture against the Barbados Pride at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday.

Jamaica won the toss and chose to bat first, posting a formidable 299-3 off 81.3 overs before a rain interruption meant a premature end to the day.

Campbell batted beautifully to be not out on 123 off 205 balls, including 12 fours and one six. He was joined at the crease by Paul Palmer Jr who is on 76 off 106 balls, including nine fours and two sixes.

All the Jamaican batsmen except Jermaine Blackwood (1) got starts as Leroy Lugg (39) and Nkrumah Bonner (49) cashed in on favourable batting conditions.

Jomel Warrican, Raymon Reifer, and Jonathan Carter are the wicket-takers so far for the Pride.

Rohit Sharma declared "experimentation is overrated" ahead of India's three-match T20 International series against West Indies.

With another T20 World Cup on the horizon in Australia this year, India and the Windies are determined to show what they are capable of after failing in the 2021 tournament.

Rohit led India to a 3-0 ODI clean sweep of West Indies this month and their expectant supporters will be demanding another whitewash.

India have won eight of their past nine matches against the Windies in the shortest format heading into the series-opener at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Washington Sundar and KL Rahul miss out due to hamstring injuries, while Axar Patel will not feature in the series as he is in the final stage of his rehabilitation after recently recovering from coronavirus.

Skipper Rohit is no mood to experiment as he looks to continue the white-ball momentum.

He said: "I feel the word experimentation is overrated, in my terms. We are trying to find those holes that are there in the squad and try and fill that gap. So whatever it takes, we will try and do that.

"All these guys [the fringe players] are very young and haven't played a lot of cricket. We need to give them the assurity and the game time.

"Once we have that, then we can try out things. Until then, whatever little holes we have in our squad, we have to try and fill that."

The Windies were outplayed in the 50-over format, but beat England 3-2 in a thrilling T20I series on home soil last month and named an unchanged squad to face India.

Rohit backs Kohli 

It is over two years since Virat Kohli score an international hundred, but Rohit says the former captain should not be questioned. 

The opener said: "If you guys [the media] can keep quiet for a while, I think he'll be alright. We don't need to do too much talking from your side, then everything will be taken care of. He is in a great mental space from whatever I see of him.

"He has been part of this international team for more than a decade. If someone has spent that much time in international cricket, they know how to handle the pressure situations, the environment, everything. It all starts from you guys. If you guys can keep it quiet for a bit, then everything will fall into place."

Pollard fit to lead tourists

Kieron Pollard was an injury doubt after suffering a niggle in the ODI series, but the captain confirmed he will be fit for the start of this series.

Pollard will be hoping former skipper Jason Holder can conjure up more heroics after his stunning exploits with the ball in the decider against England in Barbados last month.

The all-rounder took four wickets in as many balls in the final over to finish with figure of 5-27.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard insists the team is nowhere close to being ready to give up on talented batsman Shimron Hetmyer, despite the player’s recently well-documented struggles with fitness.

The 25-year-old batsman was left out of the West Indies' previous series against Ireland and England and also failed to be included in the squad for the ongoing India tour.  The issue stemmed from the fact that the player failed to achieve the basic fitness standards required to be eligible for selection.

It was not the first time Hetmyer had been plagued by the issue as he also failed to get a passing mark in 2020, ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka, and then again later that same year during Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies.  The Windies skipper, however, backs the player to get things right in the near future.

"I think the coaches have spoken on their assessment of Shimron. I miss Shimron when he is not around. He is a young player and a superstar in his own right. He will get it right and get back to the West Indies squad pretty soon. I will be looking forward to having him," Pollard told members of the media, ahead of the team’s first T20I against India.

"We know what he can do as an individual and he has a bright future. You can never write off a guy who is 25. My love for Shimron is paramount, and he knows that and we all know that. It is a matter of time for him to do all that is necessary to get back to the team. We will welcome him with open arms."

Cricket West Indies (CWI)has offered congratulations to the West Indies players chosen in the auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which was conducted in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday.

Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo are into the final of the 2022 Bangladesh Premier League after Fortune Barishal defeated Sunil Narine’s Comilla Victorians by 10 runs in the first qualifier in Mirpur on Monday.

Barishal posted 143-8 off their 20 overs after Comilla captain Imrul Kayes called right at the toss and put them in to bat.

Barishal can attribute their total to opener Munim Shariar who top-scored with a 30-ball 44 that included two fours and four sixes.

Gayle played another uncharacteristically reserved innings to be the second highest scorer for Barishal with 22 off 19 balls with four fours while Bravo added some crucial late runs with 17 off 21 balls with only one six.

Shohidul Islam was the pick of the Comilla bowlers with 3-25 off three overs while Moeen Ali supported well with 4-23 from his four.

A 62-run opening partnership between Liton Das and Mahmudul Hasan Joy had the Victorians thinking they had one foot in the final before it all went downhill.

The partnership ended in the 11^th over when Joy was dismissed for 20 before Imrul Kayes was also walking back just one over later for just five.

That 12^th over, bowled by Shafiqul Islam, proved to be the most important of the innings as he also dismissed Das for 38 to leave the Victorians 68-3 and in a spot of bother.

None of the other batsmen seemed to find any rhythm at the crease with Faf Du Plessis (21), Moeen Ali (22), and Sunil Narine (17) the only remaining batsmen to reach double figures.

The Victorians were eventually restricted to 133-7 off their 20 overs thanks to Shafiqul’s crucial 2-16 off four overs.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-33 from four overs) and Mehedi Hasan Rana (2-15 from three overs) bowled well in support while Dwayne Bravo also had 1-26 from his four overs.

Fortune Barishal will now advance to the final which will be played on Friday while Comilla will have another opportunity to get there when they play the Chattogram Challengers in the second qualifier on Wednesday.

Forty-eight hours after Andre Fletcher scored an unbeaten 101 to get Khulna Tigers into the playoffs of the Bangladesh Premier League, his unbeaten 80 was not enough to prevent them from getting knocked out, as they lost by seven runs to Chattogram Challengers.

Needing 16 from the final over bowled by Mehidy Hasan Miraz in pursuit of 190, Khulna Tigers only managed to eight runs. Miraz bowled a yorker-filled over that yielded a boundary by Fletcher and four singles before taking the wicket of Thisara Perera for three with the last ball of the match.

The Grenadian, who hit six fours and four sixes in his 58-ball knock that threatened to lead his side to another remarkable victory, got support from Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 43 from 29 balls. Together they put on 64 for the third wicket that took the score from 43-2 after Mahedi Hasan and Soumya Sarkar were dismissed for, two and one, respectively.

Fletcher and Yasir Ali then put together a stand of 65 for the fourth wicket. Yasir hit two fours and four sixes in his 24-ball 45 that took Khulna Tigers within touching distance of the target with nine balls remaining.

Miraz finished with 2-40.

Earlier, it was Chadwick Walton’s unbeaten 89 that helped Chattogram Challengers to their score of 189-5.

The Jamaican hit seven fours and seven sixes in his 44-ball knock that rescued Chattogram Challengers from a precarious 65-4 in the 10^th over. Other useful contributions came from Walton’s compatriot Kennar Lewis, who opened the batting with an uncharacteristically sedate 39 from 32 balls.

Miraz scored 36 from 30 late in the innings that helped Walton take Chattogram Challengers to their winning score.

In January, after Romario Shepherd smashed an unbeaten 44 from just 28 balls to take the West Indies within one run of England’s total of 171, he revealed that he hoped his heroics would get him noticed for the upcoming IPL Mega Auction that was held this weekend.

For the past three years, Shepherd had registered for the draft in the richest T20 league in the world but there were no takers. However, he never gave up hope.

"Eventually, if an IPL contract comes, that would be great for me. I'm not saying that I don't think about it - I do think about it, but I try not to think about it during a game,” he said then.

"It's a great platform. For any youngster, it's their dream to go to the IPL and I'm no different. I'm trying my best to get myself in there. It's something that I've dreamed about for a very long time. My name was in the [auction] for the last three years, so this year, I'm looking forward to it."

That dream became reality on Sunday when during the second day of the auction, he was sold to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping US$1.03 million dollars.

His was the highest bid for a West Indies player on the second day when several Caribbean players were the beneficiaries of six-figure contracts for the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League.

The big-hitting allrounder Odean Smith, who also made an impression during the series against England, was sold to the Punjab Kings for approximately US$798,000 while Rovman Powell was sold to the Delhi Capitals for US$345,000.

Evin Lewis, who missed the series was sold to the Lucknow Super Giants for US$266,000. Dominic Drakes was told to the Gujarat Titans for US$146,000 and Sherfane Rutherford will join the Royal Challengers Bangalore for US$133,000.

Fabian Allen went for US$99,000 to the Mumbai Indians.

Andre Fletcher scored an unbeaten 100 to lead Khulna Tigers to a nine-wicket victory over Comilla Victorians on Saturday and a place in the play-offs of the Bangladesh Premier League.