The Trinidadians made 235-8 off their 50 overs batting first. Boodoo was supported by contributions from Christian Lall (25) and Dimitri Ramjattan (22). R’Jai Gittens was the best bowler on the day for Barbados with 2-61 off eight overs.
Then, despite 65 from Gadson Bowens and 61 from Raphael Lovell, the defending champions were restricted to 218 all out off 49 overs.
Boodoo, Yasir Deen and Darrius Batoosingh all took two wickets apiece to lead the charge.
At Coolidge, the Windward Islands secured a 29-run win over Guyana. Tyler Venner top-scored with 45 as the Windwards were dismissed for 174 off 50 overs. Guyana captain Dave Mohabir led the way with 3-19 from his 10 overs while Shane Price and Adrian Hetmyer took 2-49 and 2-36 from 10 overs and five overs, respectively.
In reply, Guyana was then restricted to 145 off 40.3 overs with Razam Koobir (39) and Navin Boodwah (35) leading the way.
Jorden Charles took 4-31 off 8.3 overs and Theo Edward took 3-19 from seven for the Windwards.
The Leeward Islands beat Jamaica by six wickets at the Liberta Sports Club in the day’s other game.
Jamaica was bowled out for 117 in 26.2 overs batting first. Amoree Jones took 4-20 off five overs while Krishna Girdhari and Lythe Brown took two wickets, each.
The Leewards then needed only 33.1 overs to reach 119-4 thanks to 31* from Lawshorn Bergan and 23 from Matthew Miller.
Ryan Lyttleton finished with 3-36 off 9.1 overs for the Jamaicans.
The fourth round of matches take place on Monday with Jamaica facing Trinidad & Tobago at Coolidge, the Leeward Islands battling Guyana at the Liberta Sports Club and the Windward Islands facing Barbados at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Dehring, who was CEO of the ICC World Cup held in the Caribbean in 2007, visually and performance-wise the current West Indies teams, just don’t look the part.
“There is no West Indies team that when they step out onto the field, they don’t look like the athlete of the day,” Dehring argued while speaking on the popular Mason and Guest sports talk show in Barbados on Tuesday.
“That is from a visual aesthetic perspective. We were the athletes, we were the thing people would pay to come and see. And when you look at the West Indies team now at the Test level or even at the recent T20 World Cup, it’s shocking, a jarring visual to see how athletic the Bangladeshis are, the Indians, the Australians, the Pakistanis; we are rotund, overweight, looking unfit.”
Dehring called into question the much-ballyhooed fitness tests that the West Indies selectors often use as criteria for selecting players for international duty.
“I don’t care what fitness test they tell me some of these guys pass, I don’t believe it. I’m sorry. Can you imagine a Viv Richards in his day walking out with a paunch?”
Dehring said it was very disheartening to see how low the West Indies have fallen notwithstanding the talent that some of the players possess.
“Of course, they have some talent and every once in a while they will perform but it can’t be sustained because they are not professional. They are not even professionals as individuals much less to try and have a professional cricket team.”
Hope, the vice president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and a member of the board of CWI, was the running mate of presidential hopeful Anand Sanasie, the former secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board.
Their bid was scuppered earlier this week when the administration of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was swept from power in elections that were being held for the first time in more than a decade. Bissoondyal Singh was elected the new Guyana Cricket Board president while Ronald Williams was installed as the new Secretary, replacing Sanasie.
In light of the development, Sanasie on Thursday issued a statement announcing his withdrawal from the race for the presidency with Hope issuing his own statement shortly thereafter.
“We remain firmly committed to, and passionate about, cricket and to focusing on what is in the best interest of the administration of West Indies cricket,” Hope said in his statement.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the Guyana Cricket Board and the Barbados Cricket Association for nominating and supporting our intentions to run for the respective positions within CWI. We also thank our advisors, supporters, members of the media, and the CWI Full Member Territorial Boards for their time and positive interest given to us over the past weeks. We retain our pioneering spirit and look forward to a bright future for cricket in the West Indies.”
The AGM that was to have been held virtually on Sunday, March 28, was postponed until April 11, after the CWI board was unable to convene a quorum after the BCA and the GCB failed to have representatives present.
That meant that there were only eight shareholder members present when the CWI constitution requires a minimum of nine for a quorum. The dissenting boards claimed that the CWI failed to send audited financial statements in a timely manner and that did not give them enough time to peruse those financials in time for the AGM.
That, they said, was among the reasons for the decision to end their campaign.
“Given the unfortunate circumstances leading up to and recent events in Guyana regarding the Guyana Cricket Board, one of the six Full Members of CWI, together with the refusal by the leadership of CWI to uphold the highest standards, long-standing traditions and rules for governing the administration of West Indies cricket, we, Anand Sanasie and Calvin Hope, having distanced ourselves from such action of CWI, have decided to withdraw our respective candidacies for President and Vice President in the CWI election scheduled to take place at CWI 22nd Annual General Meeting on 11th April 2021,” Hope said.
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.
The Hurricanes entered day four on 294-7 in their second innings, leading the Pride by 142 runs.
They batted sensibly to eventually get to 346 all out off 109.2 overs with Devon Thomas getting a magnificent 112 off 140 balls, including 17 fours.
He was well supported by Keacy Carty who got 52 and captain Jahmar Hamilton who got 47, against 4-64 off 21 overs by debutant Ramon Simmonds.
Set 195 for victory, Barbados had a decent start before Carter anchored a fairly comfortable chase with his 71 not out, coming off 131 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
He was well supported by Raymon Reifer who got 45 and captain Kraigg Brathwaite who got 29 in the chase that saw the Pride end on 195-6.
Jeremiah Louis was the pick of the Hurricanes bowlers in the second innings with 4-50 off 14 overs.
Final scores: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 172-9 declared and 346, Barbados Pride 324 and 195-6.
The 22-year-old Holder who took 36 wickets during the recent West Indies Championships tells Sportsmax.TV that while he was growing up, the lanky Antiguan great was one of his heroes.
“From (I was) young it was Sir Curtly. Even now it’s Sir Curtly. I met him a few times. We spoke and he gave me some good advice so I am still working hard at my game every time I play and I take his advice in every game,” Holder told Sportsmax.TV.
He also reveals the best bit of advice he has received from the now-retired fast-bowling great, which he said came in handy in a couple of games this past season.
“The best advice he gave me is that every day is not going to be the same. You will come one day and bowl good and only get one wicket, or you might not get any and then you will come another day and think that you’re struggling and end up taking five wickets, so just keep working hard and take the game seriously all the time,” Holder revealed.
That advice he said served him well in the Barbados Pride’s first game against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in St. Vincent when his length was off and then against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in St Kitts where he struggled with his run up.
He failed to take a wicket against the Volcanoes and only three against the Hurricanes.
On Wednesday, her grandson, Chemar Holder, received a call from Cricket West Indies for his first tour with the men’s senior team that will play three Tests in England starting July 8.
For Holder, the leading pace bowler in the West Indies Championships that concluded in March, it was a dream come true.
“It was a good feeling yesterday (Wednesday) when I got the call to know that I was included in the 15. It was something that I was always looking forward to and now I have got the opportunity to represent my country,” he said.
Holder, 22, took 36 wickets at a healthy average of 18.91 during the championships that was ended with two rounds to go because of the Coronavirus pandemic, leaving him just four wickets shy of the target he had set at the start of the season.
Nonetheless, the West Indies selectors rewarded him with a place in the senior squad that is set to play the ‘bio-secure’ Tests series.
“Chemar Holder is an exciting young fast bowling talent who is coming off an excellent domestic First-Class season. He should enjoy bowling in English conditions. He could prove a real asset to the team in England,” said Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies Chief Selector.
Coming from a cricket-loving family, Holder has always enjoyed their support.
“If things are not going well, they all talk to me, tell me to keep my head up, everything is not going to be the same,” he said. “So I always get support from them, especially my grandmother, who passed away. She was always my big supporter.
“She stayed up all night and watched me during the U19 World Cup. Every time I play I remember her so she would be happy to find out this news if she was alive today.”
Marva Holder passed away in 2016 at the age of 72.
There are recalls for experienced left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell; Shimron Hetmyer, the left-handed top-order batsman; and Roston Chase, the right-handed all-rounder.
The CG Insurance ODI Series will be played at Kensington Oval in Barbados on July 20, 22 and 24 with all three matches scheduled as day/night encounters. The first ball is 2:30 pm (1:30 pm Jamaica Time). There is great anticipation as this is Australia’s first tour of the West Indies since the tri-nation series back in 2016.
The series forms part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI Super League where both teams are aiming to win points to be one of the top seven teams that will secure automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
“This squad is coming off a comprehensive series win against Sri Lanka which should boost their confidence going into what is expected to be a tougher contest against Australia. The return of Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase and Sheldon Cottrell adds greater depth and experience to the squad,” said Roger Harper, CWI's Chief Selector.
“Playing in familiar home conditions, hopefully, will bring out the best in each player thereby enabling the team to perform at a consistently high standard. This CG Insurance ODI series against Australia is part of the ICC Cricket World Cup qualification process where every game and every point counts, so it is very important.”
FULL SQUAD: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Anderson Philip, Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd.
The 23-year-old hero for 2021 Caribbean Premier League champions, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will reunite with his CPL captain Dwayne Bravo ahead of their last league match against the Punjab Kings on Thursday, October 7.
Drakes took 16 wickets in 11 matches for the SKN Patriots during the CPL season and won the tournament with his bat when he scored an unbeaten 48 from 24 balls in the final against St Lucia Kings and was named the Player of the Match.
In 19 T20s so far, he has picked 20 wickets and has scored 153 runs at a strike rate of 159.37.
Mottley, in a statement on Friday boasted about the country's cricketing feats and the fact that Barbados has firmly established itself as a cricketing mecca, while the storied Kensington Oval had cemented its place among the world’s leading sporting venues.
The ICC on Friday announced that Barbados could host the final of the June 1-29 showpiece, which is co-hosted by West Indies and United States of America. Barbados will also host three Super Eight, second round games and five group stage matches.
“It is with a sense of pride and excitement that I join cricketing fans here and across the region, in celebrating Barbados being selected to host the International Cricket Council 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Final. That Barbados will host this final, as well as eight other games throughout the tournament, three of which are Super 8 (quarter-finals) games, is nothing short of a privilege and an honour," Mottley said.
“It is a historic moment for our country as well, as this will be the third global cricketing final Kensington Oval has hosted, confirming its place among the world’s premiere sporting venues. As a Government, we believe this is a testament to the high level of organisation Barbados has displayed throughout the years, having hosted the 2007 Men’s Cricket World Cup Final and the 2010 Men’s T20 World Cup Final," she added.
Barbados will be one six Caribbean host venues for the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup, with Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines all hosting matches.
Barbados will host its first group stage game on June 2, a clash between Namibia and Oman, and will also welcome two games involving reigning champions England, when they oppose Scotland on June 4, and Australia on June 8.
“It is equally a reflection of the fact that cricket is intrinsically linked to the identity of Barbados. Quite simply, it is in our DNA. Throughout our history, our nation has firmly established itself as a cricketing mecca, producing some of the greatest male and female players to have played the game, including the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen, our National Hero The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers," Mottley noted.
She pointed out that the Oval, located on the outskirts of the city, will now undergo a multi-million renovation in time for the T20 World Cup and, as such, a collaboration with all stakeholders would be crucial in order to make the venture a successful one.
“The planned renovation of Kensington Oval is tangible evidence that Barbados has already started its preparations. Over the coming months, we will continue to work with all stakeholders, in and outside of the sporting arena, to ensure the thousands of fans who gather here from across the world experience a safe, enjoyable and successful tournament and final," Mottley said.
“On behalf of the Government and all Barbadians, I wish to express sincere thanks to the ICC and Cricket West Indies for selecting Barbados and Kensington Oval as the location of choice to host this ICC 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Final. As Barbadians, I say let us all work together to make sure this tournament is a resounding success. And in so doing, let us reflect the pride and industry we possess as a people, and share it with the world," the Prime Minister ended.
Guyana will host the first semi-final on June 26, while Trinidad and Tobago will take centrestage for the second semi-final a day later.
The meeting therefore could not proceed to business as the CWI Articles of Association stipulate that nine representatives of the Full Members need to be present in-person to constitute a quorum.
All eight (8) representatives duly authorized to represent the Jamaica Cricket Association, Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) and the Windward Islands Cricket Board were present.
Despite having previously authorized their representatives to attend, when the roll was called there were no representatives present from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) nor the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA).
The Articles of Association provide that if there is no quorum within thirty minutes from the time appointed for the meeting, it shall stand adjourned to the next business day or to such other time and place as the Board of Directors may determine, and at the adjourned meeting no other business may be transacted.
Attempts to reach the representatives from the BCA and GCB were unsuccessful. The meeting was eventually adjourned at 10:50 a.m.
The CWI Board of Directors subsequently held an Emergency Board Meeting at midday today, Sunday 28th March 2021, and decided that the AGM will resume on Sunday 11th April 2021 at 10:00 am ECT/09:00am Jamaica Time.
The camp sees the return of veteran leg-spinner Afy Fletcher, following her year-long maternity leave, while teenagers, Zaida James from St. Lucia and Jannilea Glasgow from St. Vincent and the Grenadines have again been included in a senior West Indies Women’s camp.
Britney Cooper, Shabika Gajnabi, and Shawnisha Hector have all been ruled out by the CWI Medical Panel for medical reasons.
“The players will undergo medical and physical testing before the final squad of 18 are selected to travel. It is good to have Afy Fletcher back into the setup. Unfortunately, three players, Britney Cooper, Shabika Gajnabi, and Shawnisha Hector have been ruled out of selection consideration for medical reasons,” said Anne Browne-John, CWI Lead Selector for Women’s cricket.
Browne-John also commented on the emergence of the youngsters in the team.
“What is very promising for us at CWI is the inclusion of teenagers Jannilea Glasgow and Zaida James. They’ve been a part of the senior team camps before and also played in the first-ever West Indies Women’s A-Team home series against Pakistan Women last year. Their inclusion is a continued step in the developmental pathways we have established to grow women’s cricket in the region,” she added.
The selection of the final 18 players, who will travel to South Africa, will be announced at the conclusion of the camp.
The full squad for the camp is as follows: Aaliyah Alleyne, Reniece Boyce, Shemaine Campbell, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Jannilea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Mandy Mangru, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.
The West Indies previously hosted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2007 as well as the second edition of the T20 World Cup two years later.
Last week, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago were announced as the seven Caribbean countries that will host matches along with New York, Texas and Florida in the USA.
CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, described the confirmation of the region as hosts as a “big landmark” in a CWI interview last week and is looking forward to inviting the rest of the world to the Caribbean.
“It’s a big landmark for us at Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the ICC because, having this confirmation now that seven of our host countries have made successful bids to host matches means that a lot of the work and detailed planning that we need to do in order to make the most of this huge opportunity to host out third men’s ICC tournament in the West Indies, and this time in partnership with our friends at USA cricket, can start,” he said.
He also went into what are the next steps in preparing for next year’s festivities.
“The next big step is to get the match schedule agreed with the ICC. We’ve got the ten hist venues. The next stage is to work through the detailed match schedule. This is the first World Cup ever to have 20 teams so it’s a big tournament to organize and there’s a small window from early June to the 30th of June when the final will take place to get all the matches in. We’ve got group stages after the warm-up games. We’ve then got the super eights stage then semi-finals and final so, once that schedule is agreed, then it’s all systems go in terms of tickets being on sale around December to coincide with us welcoming England to the region,” Grave said.
“It’s really important that we get the match schedules announced so that we can invite the world to come to the Caribbean next year,” he added.
Grave also expressed gratitude to the various Governments who put forward successful bids to host matches.
“We’re enormously grateful for the continued support we get from the Governments of the West Indies,” he said.
“All of them that put forward bids have been successful in securing matches which is great news. We’re really looking forward to some of the improvements that those Governments have put forward in their proposals to us and the ICC in terms of ensuring that they are ready for what is the pinnacle of the men’s game currently. It’s a huge opportunity for the region to use the platform of hundreds of millions of fans watching our beautiful countries and our iconic venues and we want everyone in the world to come to the Caribbean and experience what we have to offer,” he added.
While encouraging people from all over the world to make the trip, Grave also urged local fans to come out and support the regional side in their bid for a third World T20 title.
“Absolutely. We’ve seen that unique kind of atmosphere when we hosted the 2018 Women’s World T20 with big crowds in St. Lucia and Antigua when the West Indies played and I’m sure when the West Indies play next June there’ll be big crowds at all the venues,” he said.
“We want every host country to show what a welcoming and exciting place this is to watch and play cricket and it’s really important that the fans come out in their masses. The school children will be invited as part of our community engagement program so that we can show what kind of an atmosphere it is to the world,” Grave added.
The events were aimed to upskill, assess and accredit local coaches and coach developers from the CWI Level 1 to Level 3 coaching programmes to support the West Indies Cricket Pathway.
In its promise to lift coaching standards, over the past three years CWI has delivered 552 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries – 93 at Level 2, 129 at Level 1, and 330 at the Foundation Level. 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.
A total of 25 participants took part in the face-to-face components of the CWI Competition Coaching Course (Level 1) and the CWI Representative Coaching Programme (Level 2) which were held concurrently at Kensington Oval. Among the coaches who completed the courses were West Indies players Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Shane Dowrich, Shayne Moseley and Charlene Taitt with a total of five female coaches participating along with several current and former first-class players.
Both cohorts participated in separate online modules throughout March covering theoretical aspects of coaching in preparation for the face-to-face part of the programme which covered practical modules such as biomechanics, skill acquisition, applied coaching and game sense.
“Initiatives like this are part of the CWI strategy to make coach-development opportunities more accessible and inclusive for anyone who would like to learn more about coaching and then use that training to actively grow the game in their communities,” said CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon.
“The BCA did a fantastic job in promoting the courses and assisting with the delivery. In particular Coach Developers Rohan Nurse, Robin Paris and Hendy Springer are now able to present future Level 1 courses around Barbados as required. Also, the support from our UWI Coach Developers continues to be excellent in the development and delivery of our Level 2 and Level 3 coaching Programmes.”
Dowrich believes the course was beneficial.
“The course was very productive. I learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks, which included the online modules,” he said.
“It has been very interesting and opened my mind to a lot of things I haven’t been thinking about as a cricketer. It’s good to have the theory side and also look at how to apply that to the practical side, which we did here at Kensington. The education in this programme is critical and will help to improve cricket in the Caribbean.”
Brabazon was also able to observe local coaches who are taking part in CWI’s first-ever locally delivered Level 3 Coaching Programme. Jamal Smith and Corey Yearwood are taking part in the ongoing 12-month programme and were observed during their respective coaching sessions at Kensington Oval and Pickwick Cricket Club.
The ceremony celebrated the remarkable contributions of CWI Directors, Enoch Lewis, President of Leeward Island Cricket Board, and Conde Riley, President of Barbados Cricket Association.
Lewis has dedicated over 18 years to CWI, while Riley has committed more than 15 years to the organization. Both men have played pivotal roles in the development and success of West Indies cricket. The awards were presented by CWI president Dr. Kishore Shallow and vice president Azim Bassarath.
Shallow was full of praise for the awardees.
"Mr. Lewis and Mr. Riley have shown unwavering dedication and leadership within Cricket West Indies. Their contributions have been instrumental across regional cricket from junior to senior levels, and we are honored to recognize their service,” Shallow said.
“The task of service in public life is not an easy one; it requires immense commitment, sacrifices, integrity, and a passion for making a difference. Directors Lewis and Riley have embodied these qualities throughout their tenure,” he added.
The event was graced by the presence of distinguished guests, including the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Gaston Browne, and Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Greg Barclay, Chairman of the International Cricket Council, was also in attendance.
Following a disappointing performance at the ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, Gayle had indicated that he would love to play one more match in West Indies colours before his home fans, a request that has divided opinions across the region.
Among those against is noted cricket commentator and analyst Fazeer Mohammed.
“Are you saying somebody is going to be left out on merit to accommodate somebody’s farewell? Give him a testimonial, in the same way, you see in other countries…but I think it’s a dangerous precedent where someone is allowed to play an official international match as a farewell if they don’t deserve that place on merit,” Mohammed said while speaking on Mason & Guest in Barbados this week.
His comments were in response to comments from CWI CEO Johnny Grave, indicating that the board was in discussion with stakeholders in Jamaica, to honour the Universe Boss with a T20 International against the Irish.
“That would be, hopefully, if fans are allowed into Sabina, a good opportunity for us to say farewell to Chris at his home ground,” Grave said on Mason&Guest.
“We are still talking to the government of Jamaica around the protocols and the ability to play the series there but I hope within the next few days we can confirm that series, one, taking place and two, being held in Jamaica.
“It would certainly be appropriate, as far as I can see, to treat our players and give them the opportunity to bow out, especially players like Chris, who have had unbelievable careers and won trophies for the West Indies.”
On the heels of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean in June, the Men in Maroon will welcome decades-long rivals, England back to the region’s shores.
The series, dubbed The Rivalry, is set to kick off from Thursday 31st October, and will be played in both T20I and ODI formats until Sunday 17th November. Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia are the three islands chosen to host the highly anticipated match-up.
Starting the action at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Antigua, the home team takes on England with two ODIs, sponsored by CG United, on the 31st of October and 2nd of November at 2pm and 9:30am, respectively.
Both teams then travel to Barbados where the action continues at the Kensington Oval for the 3rd ODI on Wednesday 6th November at 2pm. The World Cup final hosts will also see the first T20I games on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November, both at 4pm.
The tour wraps up at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia with three T20I matches on Thursday 14th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November. All matches begin at 4pm.
Fans can purchase tickets securely in advance from https://tickets.windiescricket.com to save tickets directly to their mobile device or print at home for presentation at the venue, avoiding the need to travel to or queue at the box offices. Fans can also take advantage of other benefits such as exclusive advance ticket windows and discounts.
Box offices will open several days in advance of the first match in each series.
Eighteen players were awarded contracts including newcomers to the Test side – Joshua Da Silva, Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers – but members of the public and at least one territorial body, who questioned why certain players were overlooked.
The Guyana Cricket Board write to CWI requesting the criteria used to select players awarded contracts after Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul were among the players left out.
The situation sparked a war of words between the GCB and Chief Selector Roger Harper.
However, according to Dr Kishore Shallow, there will be changes to the system now used by the time the next contract period comes around.
“I would say that we are looking at the system for awarding grades and so on for the contracts. I expect that for the next contractual period we will have an improved system in terms of how we award these contracts,” said Dr Shallow while speaking on Mason and Guest in Barbados on Tuesday.
He revealed that the idea of improving the system was already being discussed at the highest level of the CWI.
“The Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, myself and others have been involved in that process over the last few months and we have been working closely with WIPA (West Indies Players Association) as well, who want to ensure that we are all on a level playing field both from the CWI side and the player side,” he said.
Insularity and some amount of bias have often been charges leveled at those who select which grounds will be picked to host international cricket on various West Indies tours. International grounds in bigger countries have often been given the nod but Graves insists it might not be the case in the future.
“The highest crowds we experienced in this series was in Grenada. Grenada didn’t have cricket between 2015 and 2019 and I think it is important we spread cricket around our international grounds,” Graves said.
“I think we need to do far more as an organization to promote and market to make sure all the cricket fans and even the non-cricket fans know that the West Indies team is coming to their country to play,” he added.
“I hope everyone understands that policy and we do our best to spread cricket around the region.”
With the exception of Barbados the West Indies' first tour of the new year, against Ireland, was played in Grenada and St Kitts. The New Zealand New Zealand tour in July will be hosted in Antigua, Dominica, and Guyana, with Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and Jamaica.
As a leg spinner and lower middle-order batsman who played 24 Test matches between 1966 and 1977.
His finest hour came during the Lord’s Test of 1966 when he made a magnificent unbeaten century, as part of a historic partnership of 274 with his cousin Garfield Sobers. In just his third Test innings, Holford made 105 not out to help save West Indies from danger of 95-5 in the second innings. His best bowling figures were 5-23 against India in the first innings which helped set-up a victory at Kensington Oval in 1976.
He was also captain of Barbados and led them to the Shell Shield title, and briefly played for Trinidad and Tobago. After retirement Holford held several roles in the game. He was President of the Spartan Club, Director of the Barbados Cricket Association, West Indies Selector and Manager of the West Indies team.
“David Holford epitomized the values of cricket both on and off the field, and was the quintessential West Indies cricketer and ambassador,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt.
“As a player he was a top quality allrounder and captain who gave his utmost at all levels. As an administrator, team manager and pitch curator he demonstrated his ongoing love for the game by his vision and dedication. He had a hand in the development of several young players across the region, not just in cricket but in several other fields of endeavor. David’s legacy is therefore one of service and dedication to Barbados and West Indies cricket. CWI hereby extends our deepest condolences to his wife, Marva, and all family and friends,” Skerritt added.
