Barbados

Radford was a guest on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday in the wake of the Windies suffering a 0-3 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh.

“Clearly things have got to change with the white-ball because it is inconsistent. I’m sure the talent is there. It needs good planning, structure and organization,” Radford said.

“50-over cricket isn’t won by hitting balls over the ropes. You have to play the pitch; you’re not going to smash the ball over every boundary. On big grounds, you have to look for you ones and twos then when you get on small grounds, you can look to hit boundaries,” he added.

The hosts had a horrid time with the bat in the series, being restricted to scores of 149-9, 108 and 178 in their three times at the crease, unable to manoeuvre the Bangladeshi spinners on some difficult Guyanese pitches.

 “You’ve got to be adaptable and flexible, play the situation, the team you are in front of and the ground you’re playing on. You can’t play white-ball cricket one way in every game and win. It’s not that type of game,” Radford said.

“If you can’t use your feet or you can’t sweep then you’ve really got to get one side of the ball, either stay leg-side or off-side. You have to do something. Just staying one place and allowing somebody to bowl at you and build up pressure is not going to take you anywhere,” he added.

In the first innings, Brathwaite struck his 10^th Test hundred, a marathon 160 off 489 balls. He followed that up in the second innings with 56 not out off 184 balls to break the record for the most deliveries faced by a West Indian in a Test match with 673.

“I enjoyed it. The pitch at times with the harder ball was difficult but I just decided to stick to my plan which was to play as straight and as late as possible,” he said in his post-match interview.

"I’ve put in a lot of work over the years and to do it at home is a quite pleasing feeling. I’m very happy and thankful,” he added.

Aside from his personal accomplishments, the West Indies captain also praised his players who stood tall in the game, including vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood, who struck 102 in the first innings, his third Test ton.

“I thought it was a tremendous effort. Obviously, Jermaine didn’t get runs in the first game but when we came out, we had the right attitude and just decided we would fight. England bowled extremely well but it was good that a team put up 500 and, for us as a team, we could fight and score 400 and bat 180 overs," Brathwaite said.

"I thought that was a superb effort. That’s the attitude we want and that’s what the fans want to see. Once we continue with that attitude, we’ll continue to do well.”  

Even with his stellar performances at the crease so far in the series, Brathwaite still hopes for a pitch that will better aid his bowlers in the third and final Test in Grenada.

“We’d like to see something in it for the pacers but, in saying that, I thought we put in a very big effort. Obviously, we want a result in the last Test going our way so we have to see what Grenada produces but let’s hope it has something for the pacers,” he said.

The third and final Test bowls off on March 24^th at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.

Powell smashed a belligerent 107 off 53 balls, including five fours and 10 sixes, to help the home side amass a total of 224-5 off their 20 overs. In the field, Powell took two catches to help the Windies restrict the English to 204-9 and secure a 2-1 lead in the series but it was with his batting that he spoke loudest.

“It means a lot. The last six or seven months have been tough, not getting a lot of runs so it was good for me to get an opportunity tonight and I took it. I hope it’s a breakthrough international performance. It’s just for me now to go back to the drawing board, think about the stuff that I did right and hopefully I can replicate it come Saturday,” Powell said after the game.

Many fans and pundits were left bemused when Powell strode to the crease at number four ahead of Darren Bravo, who batted at that position in the second game, but Powell said that the move was tactical and that he was told of the possibility the night before by captain Kieron Pollard.

“It was to split up the two left-handers. We didn’t want Pooran and Bravo at the crease at the same time, so I was the right-hander that slotted between them. Last night (Tuesday) he told me it's a possibility that I would bat four so I started to think back to some of my good innings and started to come up with a game plan. I think that plan served me well today. When I walked out to bat, I was confident because for the last five months I’ve been working hard and stroking the ball well so that confidence transferred into the game,” he said.

That confidence also comes from a fantastic stint Powell had at the Abu Dhabi T10 League in late 2021 for the Northern Warriors where he scored 305 runs in nine innings at an average of 33.88 with 15 fours and a mammoth 27 sixes.

“I think I’m in very good form. I told the guys I’m sure that I’m one of the best in the world at the moment when it comes to hitting the ball and it started from the T10. When I went there, I just tried to express myself and catch back the eyes of the selectors and now everything is coming to fruition,” he added. West Indies fans are hoping that that form will carry over into the fourth T20I which takes place on Saturday. 

Mason believes the CWI is seemingly willing to bend over backwards to accommodate the players’ fancies.

Russell had declared himself unavailable for the West Indies tour of Pakistan for three T20 Internationals citing personal reasons. A relatively inexperienced West Indies team has so far lost two of the three matches with one match to go on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russell signed on to represent the Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League. On the weekend, he scored an unbeaten 42 from 21 balls and was named Man of the Match in the Stars’ six-wicket win over the Sydney Thunder.

On Tuesday, Dr Shallow sought to explain why Russell was in Australia and not in Pakistan helping the West Indies.

“Russell indicated to the lead selector that he was mentally fatigued in the bubble and in the Big Bash League, where he is now, he would be required to be in a bubble,” Dr Shallow said. “That was the rationale provided to the lead selector.”

An obviously exasperated Mason was unable to contain his displeasure at the situation where certain players only choose to represent the West Indies when it suits them to.

“Yes, Dr Shallow, they have got to get the opportunity to make money but there is a word called ‘sacrifice’,” Mason declared, adding that such situations are almost unique to the West Indies.
“The other players don’t do it to their countries, and I am sure Russell is going to be ready to play for us in the world cup and we are going to pick him.

“We cannot continue with the foolishness with these guys.”

Sir Andy Roberts also weighed in on Dr Shallow’s explanation, suggesting that the players seem to make their decisions based on money only.

“These guys just don’t want to play for the West Indies because the fees ain't that high,” said the long-retired fast bowler. “I am not saying that they should not be allowed to go but they should only go if the West Indies do not require their services.”

This is not the first time Russell has faced criticism over his decisions on when to represent the West Indies.

In December 2020, the iconic Antiguan fast bowler publicly criticized Andre Russell, who declined an invitation to play for the West Indies against New Zealand but later went to play in the Sri Lanka Premier League T20.

Chief selector Roger Harper told media that Russell declined the West Indies invitation citing the need to clear his mind after being in quarantine lockdown for both the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Trinidad and Tobago where he played for the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise and then, the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Abu Dhabi where he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“Because he wants to clear his head for a while to get his mind together, I have no problem with that because cricket is a high-pressure game,” Ambrose said then.

“So if you want to clear your head for a while, take your mind off cricket I have no issues with that, but if you are going to reject playing for your nation, your country, and then two weeks later you’re playing for somebody else, that to me is a no-no.”

In a later interview, Ambrose provided further clarity.

“The game has evolved. There is a lot more cricket being played now and many different T20 tournaments around the globe and there’s lots more money as well, so guys are going to go where the money is and I have no issues with that,” Ambrose said.

“A cricket career can be a very short one, once you have an injury it could be all over for you so with guys going around plying their trade with different franchises making money to set themselves up financially, I have no issues with it.

“However, I think it needs to strike a balance somewhere because most of these guys who are playing their trade around the world, it’s because they played for the West Indies team why people saw them and gave them contracts.

So for me, you need to find a balance somewhere where you can give back to West Indies cricket. You need to give back to West Indies cricket at some point as opposed to abandoning West Indies

Whilst the tournament was held behind closed doors in Trinidad & Tobago, the Hero CPL worked closely with all six host countries to ensure that the Caribbean was promoted as a must-visit destination. Both the live broadcast and the league’s digital channels carried bespoke tourism content for each of its partners.

The total exposure of US$258million is an increase of 381 per cent on the 2019 figure with the tourist boards in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago benefiting from the Hero CPL promoting the unique attributes of each of the countries.

These figures were generated from an independent report compiled by YouGov Sport – one of the most respected research firms in the world.

The increase in exposure was driven by the Hero CPL’s record broadcast and digital audience of 523.5million in 2020.

“Our host countries are the heart and soul of the Hero CPL and every year we work very hard to get them as much coverage as possible. That was made more difficult this year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning the games could only be played in one country, but we are delighted that we have still been able to deliver these stunning results,” said CPL COO Pete Russell.

“We would like to thank all our host countries for their support and we look forward to building on our successful partnerships in the coming years.” 

The 28-year-old Barbadian, who is also the number-one-ranked Test all-rounder in the world, took match figures of seven wickets for 91 runs in the first Test against England in the #RaisetheBat series that concluded on Sunday with the Caribbean men winning the closely fought match by four wickets.

Holder’s 6 for 42 in the first innings against England at the Ageas Stadium in Southampton, helped restrict the home side to 204 on Thursday’s second day and helped set up a famous victory for the West Indies.

The performance that included 1 for 49 in England’s second innings, earned the lanky medium pacer 32 points in the Test rankings taking him to 862 points.

Those points also moved him ahead of New Zealand's Neil Wagner who has 843 ranking points.

Australia’s Pat Cummings leads the rankings with 904 points.

Kemar Roach, who went wicketless in the match is ranked 16^th with 731 points while Man-of-the-Match Shannon Gabriel is ranked 18^th with 726 points. Gabriel took 9 wickets in the match and was a key player in the West Indies victory on Sunday.

His 65 off just 19 balls for the Colombo Kings late last week, made news around the world further enhancing the Jamaican’s reputation as one of the world’s best T20 players.

However, not everyone is happy that the Jamaican is playing in Sri Lanka after declining an invitation to represent the West Indies during the recent T20 series in New Zealand where the West Indies lost 2-0.  The third match was washed out.

Among them is former West Indies fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose, who believes Cricket West Indies, needs to review its decision to allow players like Russell to represent the regional side only when it suits them to do so. CWI CEO Johnny Grave recently explained that Russell received a No-Objection Certificate to play in the Lankan Premier League because the player does not a centralized contract with CWI.

That situation has rankled the fast-bowling great.

“The guys who are in control, in authority, have to decide to make some serious decisions and stick with it for the cricket to move forward. I think that we are going about this thing too casual. Guys can do what they feel, come into the team when they feel like, go to ply their trade to the different franchises, leave West Indies cricket for dead and then come back into the team,” Ambrose said while speaking on Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday.

“To me, that is a no-no. We have to show some form of commitment to West Indies cricket. We have to make some drastic and hard decisions and stick with it and the cricket can get better.”

Chief selector Roger Harper said Russell declined the invitation to represent the West Indies citing the need to clear his mind after being in quarantine lockdown for both the Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad and Tobago where he played for the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise and then, the Indian Premier League in Abu Dhabi where he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Ambrose said while he is not opposed to the player taking a break, once he returned to cricket, his priority should have been the West Indies.

 “Because he wants to clear his head for a while to get his mind together, I have no problem with that because cricket is a high-pressure game. So if you want to clear your head for a while, take your mind off cricket I have no issues with that, but if you are going to reject playing for your nation, your country, and then two weeks later you’re playing for somebody else, that to me is a no-no,” Ambrose said.

“Where is the commitment? That tells me that you don’t want to play for the West Indies. If that is the case, just say so.”

The 29-year-old Jamaican, who acquitted himself well during the #Raisethebat tour of England in July, was the second highest scorer on the tour; his 216 runs only bettered by Kane Williamson’s 251 in the first Test that the West Indies lost by an innings and 134 runs.

However, Blackwood’s 216 runs were made in four innings and included his second Test century in the second innings of the first Test. He added a score of 69 in the first innings of the second Test that was more than half of the West Indies total 131 all out.

He averaged 54 for the series, well above his career average of 31.10.

For the rest of the batsman, the tour was a train wreck even though one of the West Indies bowlers might be moving towards a new designation; that of allrounder.

Opener John Campbell was the next best West Indies batsman having scored 110 runs in four innings. He achieved his highest Test score of 68 in the second innings of the second Test which helped prop his average up to 27.5, the same as fast bowler Alzarri Joseph.

The 24-year-old Antiguan also scored 110 runs during the series with a career best 86 made in the first Test. He showed glimpses of his batting potential when he scored 24 from 12 balls as the second Test drew to a close. That cameo included two majestic sixes square of the wicket and a sublime straight drive to the boundary, one of three he struck during his brief stay at the crease.

Captain Jason Holder averaged 34.33 which flattered him as he only scored 103 runs during the series, 61 of which came in his final innings when he and Joshua Da Silva fought in vain to avoid another embarrassing defeat.

Da Silva didn’t do his cause any harm scoring 60 runs in two innings including a well-played 57 in the final Test match. He averaged 30.

By contrast, this was a series that Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase, will quickly want to forget. The former only managed 55 runs at an average of 13.75. It was even worse for Chase who could only muster 17 runs at 4.25.

Shamarh Brooks, who faced 92 balls for just 14 runs in the first innings of the second Test, compiled 53 runs during the series averaging 13.25 per inning. Of note, is that Brooks scored 36 runs in the second innings of the final Test, meaning he scored 50 of his 53 runs in the second Test match at Wellington.

The PSL conducted a replacement draft for the six teams in order to complete their squads ahead of the resumption of the 2021 tournament, which had been suspended after 14 matches due to spikes in the number of Covid-19 infections in that country.

In the draft, Russell, who is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, was selected by the Quetta Gladiators, who have lost Tom Banton and Dale Steyn.

Peshawar Zalmi picked up Allen, Rovman Powell and Fidel Edwards as replacements for Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Liam Livingston, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Saquib Mahmood.

Meanwhile, the Multan Sultans pick Obed McCoy along with George Linde, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mahmudullah as replacements for Carlos Brathwaite, Adam Lyth, James Vince and Chris Lynn.

The remainder of the tournament will be played in June, with all matches in Karachi, in a bio-security bubble being put in place by a UK-based company. The teams will assemble by May 23 to begin their mandatory seven-day quarantine, and action will resume on June 2, with the final on June 20.

Flintoff is continuing his ad hoc role as a team mentor for England in their five T20s against the West Indies and, ahead of the series opener, he spoke glowingly of Rashid before his landmark appearance.

In the team huddle before England’s four-wicket loss in Barbados, Flintoff recalled his first memories of a then 20-year-old Rashid when they were at opposite ends of their playing careers in late 2008.

Rashid, now 35, has since gone on to establish himself as one of the finest white-ball bowlers of his era, helping England win both ODI and T20 World Cup trophies.

But Flintoff also shone a light on the work Rashid does away from the field, including mentoring the next generation at his academy in Yorkshire and the advice he doles out to spinners of all ages.

“I remember you coming into the side as this young lad, full of mystery, full of wonder, full of mischief and loads and loads of ability,” Flintoff said in a video released by www.ecb.co.uk.

“Over the years, everyone in this group: myself and anybody who’s played with you has been so proud at how you’ve gone about your business – a multiple World Cup winner, the best in the business at what you do around the world but more importantly, Rash, you as a person.

“You’re such an integral part of this squad and the other thing is you give back, whether it’s in Bradford with your academies (or) the other day I saw you spending all this time with a leg-spinner, a young kid, and just coaching him. To me that is just as important as everything else you do.

“To me, you epitomise everything that England cricket is about. It’s a privilege for me to tour with you, it’s a privilege for me to give you this cap.

“So Rash, come and get this cap, (it is) 100 but you’ve not stopped yet, there’s plenty more in you. Well done, son.”

During the English summer, Flintoff presented Tom Hartley with his maiden England cap, telling his fellow Lancastrian: “This will change your life forever.”

The ex-England captain also touched upon “the hardest time” of his life in his message to Hartley after a crash on the BBC show Top Gear in December last year that left him with facial and rib injuries.

If he does, it will be the first time in almost a quarter-century that a Barbadian umpire will stand in a Test match.

The 51-year-old made his debut in the One-Day International format in the 2011-2013 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League Championship. He has since gone on to umpire in 44 ODIs and 28 Twenty20s.

A member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) International Panel of Umpires and Referees representing the West Indies, Brathwaite was, in January 2018, named as one of the 17 on-field umpires for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In October that year, he was named as one of the 12 on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20.

 In February 2020, the ICC named him as one of the umpires to officiate in matches during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

The meeting, convened to deliberate on reforms recommended in the Wehby Report, required the presence of all Full Member shareholders to proceed. While the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), and Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) were present, Guyana formally indicated its non-attendance, and Barbados did not provide a response. This marks the second instance of both entities abstaining from such meetings, the first occurring in 2021.

CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow expressed disappointment at the absence of two critical stakeholders at such a decisive moment for the future of West Indies cricket:
"It is deeply disappointing that representatives from Guyana and Barbados did not see the importance of being present at this crucial juncture. Governance reform is critical to ensuring our organization’s growth, sustainability, and ability to inspire pride across the region. Their absence undermines the collective effort required to move forward."

The meeting, announced on November 13, 2024, was expected to focus on structural adjustments to CWI’s governance, including term limits for the President and Vice President, enhanced accountability measures, and other steps to modernize the organization’s framework.

Commissioned in 2019, the Wehby Report outlines a roadmap to reform CWI’s governance by promoting transparency, accountability, and alignment with global best practices. Key recommendations include restructuring the Board of Directors, modernizing operations, and enhancing stakeholder engagement.

Despite progress on some fronts, the implementation of these reforms has faced delays, exacerbated by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed changes are widely regarded as essential to securing the long-term viability of cricket in the Caribbean.

Dr. Shallow emphasized the critical importance of the reforms: "This meeting was not just about structural changes; it was about safeguarding the future of cricket in the Caribbean. Change is never easy, but it is absolutely necessary. We must demonstrate to the cricketing world and our stakeholders that we are committed to improving and evolving as an organization."

CWI will now seek written responses from its members on the proposed resolutions. While this setback complicates the process, President Shallow reaffirmed CWI’s commitment to the reform agenda:
"The responsibility to lead and inspire rests with all of us. While today’s outcome is a setback, it will not deter us from our mission to transform West Indies cricket. I encourage all stakeholders to prioritize the greater good of the game and come together to ensure we continue to build an organization that every Caribbean citizen can be proud of."

CWI’s leadership remains committed to implementing the Wehby Report recommendations and is exploring alternative pathways to ensure these essential reforms move forward. The absence of Guyana and Barbados highlights the challenges of fostering unity within the organization but also underscores the urgency of achieving consensus for the betterment of West Indies cricket.

Named the Tony Cozier 23 and Under Youth T-6 Cricket Festival, the tournament is set to get underway on September 27 at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and will be played over four weeks.

For more than 50 years, Cozier was the voice and the conscience of West Indian cricket.

He died from cancer in May 2016 after a short illness, aged 75. He is survived by his wife, Jillian, a son and daughter.

The club is a joint partnership between the Barbados Royals, Bat for a Chance and member of the West Indies Men’s Senior and Youth selection panels and former player, Roland Butcher.

The Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club will seek to provide mentorship and resources to 100 young ladies as they seek to foster their cricket development.

Current Barbados Royals and West Indies Captain, Hayley Matthews, was on hand and gave her thoughts on this momentous occasion.

“I am pleased to be a part of this initiative that allows other young girls to write their names on history’s page,” she said.

“I honestly think it’s something that has been needed for a very long time and that’s why I’m so happy to see it come to fruition. Hopefully we can see this thing really take off and present girls with a lot more opportunities,” Matthews added.

2023 was the first time that the CPL had returned to Barbados since 2019 and the first time the country had hosted WCPL matches.  

There were six men’s matches and three Women’s matches played in Barbados between 30 August and 3 September with the games taking place at the world-famous Kensington Oval.  

The total event impact is calculated by world renowned research organisation, YouGov Sport with the final figure being based on a number of key metrics, including organizer and visitor spends on Island media as well as the commercial value generated from the extensive global TV distribution. 

One of main contributing elements was the CPL cohort, who were responsible for filling 10,951 hotel room nights in Barbados, made up by CPL’s players, coaches, administrators, TV and media crews, team owner groups, league and franchise event management teams. Other visitor groups associated to the tournament also made a significant contribution to on Island spending during the tournament.

Barbados also benefited from the tournament being broadcast around the world with CPL’s audience reaching 853.5million total viewers in 2023. As always, the tournament worked closely with BTMI to create world class content which promoted Barbados as the unique holiday destination we all know it to be. These exclusive features and vignettes were shown during the CPL matches, further promoting the tourism message.

Pete Russell, Republic Bank CPL’s CEO, said: “It was fantastic to be back in Barbados after four years away and the atmosphere at Kensington Oval was brilliant, highlighting the local and international appetite for CPL cricket. These results are great news for Barbados and we are looking forward to making an even bigger impact in 2024.”  

 Graham Clarke, Director Caribbean for Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, said: “It is great to see the iconic Kensington Oval - the cricketing mecca of the Caribbean - hosting CPL matches again, after a brief hiatus during and immediately after the Covid 19 Pandemic. Cricket is much more than a game, it is an economy. For every dollar of revenue earned through the purchase of Bajan goods and services by visitors to our island during the week of CPL, there is a direct and multiplier effect on the people and economy of Barbados.” 

Jahidi Hinds with a top score of 84 from 105 balls propelled Barbados to 297 runs in 49.2 overs, and later returned to grab two wickets that assisted to restrict Windward Islands to a paltry 105.

Hinds, who slammed five fours and three sixes in his knock, was one of three batsmen that scored half-centuries for the Barbadians at Bethesda. Captain Damarko Wiggins supported with a 69-ball 62, including five fours and three sixes, while Justin Parris contributed 58 from 61 balls.

Earsinho Fontaine was the pick of the Windward Islands bowlers, as he ended with five for 18 from 4.2 overs.

Windward Islands in their reply failed to get going with Jorden Charles the only batsman to offer little resistance with 32. No other Windwards batsman got to 20, as they were dismissed in 26.2 overs.

Javed Worrell, with 3-17 from five overs, led the Barbados bowling, while Kelani Clarke and Hinds took two wickets apiece.