Barbados

Benjamin, 53, made his remarks on Mason and Guest in Barbados on Tuesday.

Gibbs, who took 309 Test wickets, while playing for the West Indies between the late 1950s and early 1970s, speaking on Mason and Guest on April 21, was critical of the current crop of spin bowlers in the Caribbean.

“They’re not spinning the ball,” he said.

Asked his thoughts on Cornwall, who has taken 13 wickets in the two Tests and 303 First-Class wickets in 62 matches, Gibbs said, “How can you take two steps and bowl? Where is your rhythm, where is that rhythm?

"As a spin bowler, you have got to use the crease, you have the return crease and you have the stumps, you have to bowl between those two.”

His comments sparked debate across the Caribbean with many, including retired fast bowling great Curtly Ambrose, coming to the defence of the giant spinner from Antigua.

On Tuesday, it was Benjamin’s turn to rush to Cornwall’s defence.

“What he spoke about for Rahkeem Cornwall was bowling off two paces. That is one of Rahkeem’s strengths. No rhythm, he hurries the batsmen, he gets through his balls quickly,” said Benjamin, who is the bowling coach for the West Indies U19 squad.

“The fact that Lance Gibbs was concerned about it just goes to show you how far out of the game Lance Gibbs is.

“Lance Gibbs is 85 years old, I don’t think he is in tune with what is going on in modern-day cricket, and he went away thinking that he was onto something but for me, he scored nought.”

“I think it is huge. It is something that we definitely needed in Barbados for a long time now,” Matthews said.

The club was launched this past weekend at the Passage Road Playing Field in St Michael, and big names in attendance included Matthews, former England captain Mike Gatting, West Indies Women’s T20 World Cup winner Stacey-Ann King, and West Indies selector Roland Butcher, the first black man to play for international cricket England.

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

“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,” said the 25-year-old Matthews, currently ranked as the World No.1 all-rounder in Women’s T20 cricket.

“I think that to be able to give young girls from age six and up the opportunity to be able to come out here and fall in love with the game of cricket is a great first step in Barbados and hopefully we can (more) see stuff like this moving forward,” she added.

The world-rated all-rounder took a six-wicket haul, including a hattrick, and made a half-century as the Bajans secured a 73-run victory on Monday. The victory has put the defending champions on course for a third successive title.

Sent into bat first, Barbados posted 228-6 from their 50 overs. Matthews notched her second half century of the tournament to top-score with 64 off 74 balls, which included five fours and a six, while Kyshona Knight continued her good form with 55 from 82 balls and Aaliyah Alleyne added 47.

Matthews and Knight shared in an 89-run partnership for the second wicket. Zaida James was the pick of the Windwards bowlers, finishing with figures of 10-1-38-2.

Afy Fletcher led the Windwards run-chase with a captain’s knock of 43 from 36 deliveries. She shared a 44-run second wicket partnership with Zaida James but it was the 37-run ninth wicket partnership between Pearl Etienne and Nerissa Crafton that gave Windwards hope.

Matthews took her best List A figures of 10-2-28-6, as she ran through the Windwards batting order.

Windwards were all out for 155 in 32.2 overs. Fast bowler Shamilia Connell had the next best bowling figures of 3.2-0-18-2.

At Warner Park, Guyana lost seven wickets in their chase of 67 runs in 28 overs to defeat Jamaica by three wickets via the Duckworth/Stern/Lewis method in a rain-affected match.

Jamaica batted first and made 94 in 40.3 overs. Natasha McLean was the top scorer with 31 and Stafanie Taylor scored 15. Plaffiana Millington was the best Guyanese bowler with figures of 10-5-21-3 followed by Ashmini Munisar with 6-0-15-2.

The rains came with Guyana on 7-0 after four overs and kept falling for almost three hours, forcing the implementation of the DLS method. 

Guyana looked set to cruise to victory but the Jamaica bowlers struck at consistent intervals to cause a spot of panic in the Guyanese camp. But West Indies Under 19 captain Ashmini Munisar showed nerves of steel as she guided her team to victory before the clouds burst again for light rain. Munisar scored 11 not out from 13 deliveries. Celina Whyte was the best Jamaica bowler, with figures of 6-0-14-3 followed by Kate Wilmott with 3-0-15-2.

At Conaree Sports Ground, the day’s third contest between Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas and the Leeward Islands had to be abandoned due to rain.

This was not before Djenaba Joseph was able to strike her highest List A score of 90, sharing in an 81-run partnership with skipper Anisa Mohammed to was not out on 45, to take the Red Force Divas to their highest total of the competition, 253-6 from their 50 overs.  The rains came during the innings break and never subsided for play to resume, forcing match officials to abandon the match.

Barbados lead the table with 16 points followed by Trinidad & Tobago (10), Windwards (8), Guyana (8), Jamaica (4) and Leewards (2).

The fifth and final round of matches will be played on Wednesday. Jamaica face the Windwards at Conaree; Barbados face hosts Leewards at Warner Park; while Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas meet Guyana at St Paul’s.

The explosive player's declaration followed his much-anticipated return to action for the West Indies on Tuesday, when he produced an inspiring performance with both bat and ball to lead the Caribbean side to a four-wicket win over England in the first of five T20s.

Russell took a format-best three for 19 in his first international since the 2021 T20 World Cup, which induced an England collapse from 117 for two in the 11th over to 171 all out, with three balls unused.

He later smashed a 14-ball 29, in an unbroken 49-run partnership with captain Rovman Powell, who made a 15-ball 31, to see West Indies to their highest successful run chase at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The 35-year-old Jamaican, who expressed delight at being back in the fold, pointed out that the World Cup, to be hosted in the West Indies and United States, will be his last, but in the same breath, said he would be happy to return, if needed.

"It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me for me. To be honest, I still have a lot in the tank but based on discussion with the coach [Darren Sammy], I told him that after World Cup I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement," Russell said with sweat still trickling down his face after his player of the match performance.

"So that's the plan that I have; there are so many young talents here, all-rounders that are similar to myself, so sometimes you realize you're going into 36, so just give the youngsters the opportunity and if West Indies still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them to be honest," he added.

With questions surrounding his decision to comeback after a two-year absence, Russell explained that it was always on the cards, provided he performed well in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) a few months back.

"Sammy mentioned that once I did what I had to in CPL he would definitely enter my name for selection, and I had my fingers crossed because I always want to play for West Indies. Sometimes people might think otherwise and think we just want to play leagues, but I try to make sure that I look after my body to ensure that when I am called up, I am ready. So, I was ready and excited for this call up," he shared.

For Russell, the performance in which he removed dangerous opener Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed in his four overs, was almost as if scripted, as he revealed that he had dreamed of the outcome.

“Since I got the call up, I have been dreaming that my first match back, I would be player of the match. I loved the start that I got, picking up an important wicket, and then start to pull it back in the middle,” Russell said.

“I was excited to see all the guys there, trying to make sure that the plan that we discussed in the huddle came out and you know it was good to pull it back from a high scoring game to 170. We know how good of a quality spinners England have, so it was good to actually restrict them, and we could have some push and comfort to get the score,” he noted.

Finally, Russell, like the professional he is, dodged a bouncer when asked about the pending departure of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers, who all rejected the Cricket West Indies central contract.

“I was just scrolling on Google, and I saw that, I don't know what's going on really, but I won't get into that to be honest. I'm here to play cricket and I'm just happy that I can wear this crest on my chest. So, with off the field stuff like that, they must know why they turned down the retainer,” Russell said.

The second contest is scheduled for Grenada on Thursday.

Over 50 staff members in the six host nations in the West Indies will benefit from the knowledge and expertise of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) officials as part of the workshops and developmental courses which started on March 6 and will end on March 27.

Roland Holder, CWI Manager of Cricket Operations and Head of Cricket for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, outlined the reasons behind the series of workshops.

He said the upcoming series is crafted by CWI and designed to upskill existing curators across the region by exposing them to international best practices for pitch preparation and applicable maintenance, while simultaneously expanding the cadre of curators by identifying new talent with the appropriate combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exposure, to lend further expertise to match venues as we seek to deliver a world-class event in June.

“We are enthusiastic about these workshops and educational seminars across the region. It is great to know that over 50 members of our ground staff will benefit from this series of seminars which has been strategically set-up in the six region host territories for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Holder said.

He continued: “This is geared towards ensuring that the persons with responsibility for the pitch, outfield, and other facilities on the ground will benefit from the knowledge available, in line with international best practices and in keeping with the highest standards.

“We are aware this is for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but also post-World Cup, as good pitches lead to good cricket with an even contest between bat and ball. This is an essential area of preparation for what will be the biggest event ever hosted in the West Indies.”

The workshops will include both indoor educational sessions and outdoor practical events. They started at Antigua and Barbuda on March 7-8, and will next move to St Lucia from March 11-12, then on to St Vincent and the Grenadines on March 14-15. From there the series moves to Barbados from March 18-19, and Guyana for the period March 21-22, before concluding in Trinidad and Tobago on March 25-26.

These six countries will host matches in the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played from June 1 to 29. West Indies, which hosted the event in 2010, will hold matches at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Kensington Oval, Guyana National Stadium, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Arnos Vale, and Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The event will be the largest in the tournament’s history with 20 international teams playing 55 matches across nine locations. It is the first time USA will host matches at a T20 World Cup, with 16 first-round matches split between Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York), Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium (Dallas), and Broward County Stadium (Lauderhill).

“It’s very disheartening to see our batsmen continue to struggle against spin,” said Wallace on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday.

The West Indies suffered an embarrassing 0-3 series defeat against Bangladesh last week at Providence in Guyana, a surface known to favor spin bowling.

“They have to find a method of how to play slow bowling. I find it very uncomfortable that our batsmen don’t seem to understand how to play on that type of surface,” said Wallace, who played seven Tests and 33 ODIs from 1997-2000.

The inability to play spin meant that the hosts were unable to bat out the full 50 overs in any of the matches, something Wallace said is not acceptable.

“You can’t consistently get bowled out inside 50 overs. When you find yourself three or four wickets down inside the first 20 overs, you’re going to struggle. They’re not getting the starts from the openers. The middle order is struggling and leaving it to some sluggers at the bottom,” he said.

When questioned about a solution to the problem, Wallace pointed to something that has been an issue for the West Indies in limited overs cricket for more than a decade, rotation of the strike.

“You have to be fit and you’ve got to work around the ball and know your partner at the other end. When you get your ones and twos up front, it will make it easier for the guys at the back end,” Wallace said.

He further emphasized his point by highlighting an innings played by South African Rassie van der Dussen against England on Tuesday where he scored 134 off 117 balls hitting only 10 fours and no sixes. South Africa hit no sixes in their innings and were able to score 333-5 from their 50 overs before bowling England out for 271.

Wallace, speaking on the Mason & Guest radio show Barbados on Tuesday, said the process of transformation should begin with rallying around Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope, the stand-in captains for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Pakistan.

Pooran has been selected to captain the T20 side while Hope will captain the ODI team after the regular white-ball captain, Kieron Pollard, was ruled out of the tour with injury.

“I hope that something good can come out of Pakistan. Our captain Pollard is not going. The selectors have decided that they’re going to try two young men. We want them to rally around these young men,” said Wallace.

The former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman also reiterated that the future has to be the focus for West Indies cricket to progress.

“We have to start looking at our future in cricket. If we don’t, we’re going to forget the future and keep looking at our past. We have to aim our structure going forward. I know a lot of former cricketers don’t speak about it but I know they’re hurt,” he said.

At the end of the day, all cricket lovers in the Caribbean want the same thing, according to Wallace.

“We all have the same desire to see this great West Indies cricket product rise again but it can only rise if we in the Caribbean help lift it. Those who have ideas, come forward. There’s no secret about it, we’re struggling,” Wallace said.

Captain Kieron Pollard is fit again and returns to lead both the ODI and T20 sides that will battle the Irish in three ODIs and one T20I at Sabina Park, in Jamaica, starting January 8.

The CG Insurance ODI Series between West Indies and Ireland will form part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

The West Indies are currently eighth in those standings with 40 points, while Ireland sits fourth with 50.

The Caribbean side will then play five T20 Internationals against England, in Barbados, beginning on January 22.

“We have tried to maintain the general make-up of the squads from the Pakistan tour before Christmas, with the captain and some senior players coming back in. The challenges in the next couple of months are getting the young players in both squads to not only improve on their skills but maintain the attitude and desire we saw in Pakistan,” said West Indies coach Phil Simmons.

Simmons also emphasized the need for his team to start the year on a good note.

“We do need to start the year on a high. We know both Ireland and England have very good teams so we expect a very strong challenge as we look to improve our chances of automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023 and building the team for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022,” Simmons added.

ODI squad for the Ireland Series: Kieron Pollard (captain), Shai Hope (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas, and the COVID-19 reserves are Keacy Carty and Sheldon Cottrell.

T20I squad for Ireland and England Series: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen (England T20Is only), Darren Bravo (England T20Is only), Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Jason Holder, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr, and the COVID-19 reserves are Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Devon Thomas.

Fabian Allen is fully recovered from an ankle injury but is unavailable for the Ireland series after a positive COVID-19 test.

The last outing for the regional team in the format came in January with a 3-0 defeat in an away series against Pakistan.

The majority of that squad will get another opportunity to represent the region and Pollard, speaking in a pre-match press conference today, says the team is eager to get started.

“For us, it’s like starting from scratch. These guys got a run out in Pakistan in the three T20Is and I’m sure they’re looking to build on their own personal performances and that, in extension, will help us get victories,” he said.

If the West Indies are to come out victorious in the five-match series, Pollard says execution in all three phases of the game will be critical.

“We have to execute in all three facets of the game. It’s been mentioned over the last week or so, batting has definitely been a problem for us but a good thing about it is that we have some new faces in the group again. Guys are looking to make a name for themselves on the international scene and so we just need to be able to do the basics and play according to the situation of the game,” Pollard added.

With the team coming off a disappointing ODI series loss to Ireland, Pollard says it will be important to leave that in the past and focus on what they can do going forward.

“It’s a new series. We can’t take the disappointment from that series into this one. There’s a different sort of mindset and approach that is needed to come into this series,” Pollard said.

The first match of the T20I series between the West Indies and England bowls off at the Kensington Oval in Barbados at 3:00 pm Jamaica time.

The loss, with 17 balls to spare meant New Zealand won the three-match series 2-1.

Playing before their home crowd, Kyle Mayers scored 105 and Shai Hope, 51, to set the base for the West Indies’ challenging total of 301-8.

Both featured in an opening stand of 173 before Trent Boult dismissed Hope in the 35^th over. Two balls later Lockie Ferguson removed Mayers at the same score and triggered a slide as the West Indies slipped to 191-4 in the 39^th over.

Pooran then came to the rescue smashing nine sixes and four fours in a 55-ball 91 that took the West Indies within sight of 300 by the time he was dismissed by Boult in the 49^th over.

Alzarri Joseph clubbed 20 from just six balls as the West Indies innings closed on 301-8.

Boult finished with 3-53 while Mitchell Sandter took 2-38. Ferguson was the most expensive of the bowlers with 1-80 from his 10 overs.

Needing 302 for victory, Martin Guptill (54), Devon Conway (56), Tom Latham (69) and Daryl Mitchell (63) combined to take the tourists within sight of victory.

James Neesham then took them over the line with 17 balls to spare with a quick-fire 34 from 11 balls to seal the match and the series.

Jason Holder was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 2-37. Yannic Corriah returned figures of 2-77.

Pooran, who dropped Mitchell on 23 off Corriah’s bowling rued the team’s failure to secure victory.

 “Tough one. 300-plus on that wicket felt good. One or two wickets more in the Powerplay would have helped but they played well,” he said.

“When it (the ball) got wet, we saw how tough it got.”

He also addressed the West Indies' slow start to their innings wherein they scored only 24 runs from the first 10 overs.

“In hindsight, everyone will talk about starting slow,” Pooran said. “But we had discussed not giving away wickets to Boult and Southee and capitalize.

“But they are a top team. I do believe we have a special bunch of guys and have no doubt we will get better with experience. It was difficult with the ball once it got wet. We let go of the chance of winning the second and this happened. We won the first, lost the second and we came here, committed and fought. We will learn and have better ways.”

Russell last represented the West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai two years ago.

“It’s always good to have Andre Russell in a West Indies team,” Powell said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“We know the quality that he comes with and he’s fit and rearing and ready to go put on the maroon again for the people of the Caribbean. It’s exciting time for me as a Captain and also for the fans,” he added.

Powell and Russell, along with fellow squad members Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, Akeal Hosein and Jason Holder, were most recently a part of the Abu Dhabi T10 League, a fact that the skipper thinks will help them in this upcoming series.

“We have enough cricket under our belt to do well at the international level. It’s good that the guys played games in Abu Dhabi right down to the finals and if you look at the individual performances, they were very good so that brings confidence coming into this series,” Powell said.

“I’m very excited. When you look on our team that includes so much returning guys, it’s a powerful team. Having said that, we still have to play some good cricket and put it together as a complete team and from an individual perspective,” he added. 

The last time the West Indies hosted England for a T20I series, they came out as 3-2 winners. Powell finished that series as the second-leading run scorer with 147 runs in three innings, including a career best 107* at Kensington Oval, the venue for Tuesday’s series opener.

“It’s always nice to be in Barbados. It always brings back good memories especially against England so it’s good to be here,” Powell said.

“It’s important for me to try my best and lead from the front. Once you lead from the front, players will always follow so I’m looking at my personal game and once I come to the party, naturally the guys will follow,” he added.

With the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup a few months away, Powell says this series gives the team an opportunity to find combinations that will work for them.

“It’s very important. It’s good that we’ve played T20 series’ before so we have an idea of the combinations that will work well for us. These five games against England provide another opportunity for us to fine tune whatever areas we need to fine tune,” he said.

Speaking on Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Gonsalves said he based his assessment on a string of poor performances from the Caribbean side and an apparent lack of development.

“On the basis of the recent performances in the T20 World Cup, the abysmally poor outcome we have had in Sri Lanka and the very mediocre performance here in the Caribbean in recent times, I think it would be fair to say that the cricket is now in a state of crisis,” said Gonsalves, who went on to say that he believes a lack of ideas for a way forward from leaders of cricket around the region continues to be a contributing factor to the demise of the game.

“What we are having here is a full-blown crisis, not a crisis of governance so much, but a crisis in the performance which is connected to governance. I see a crisis as a condition in which the principals are innocent of the extent of the condition and have no credible bundle of ideas as to the way forward,” he said.

Gonsalves said he doesn’t believe those in charge of West Indies cricket truly understand the magnitude of the situation at hand.

“Every time I hear persons speak after a poor performance, you get commentary about how we didn’t do so badly; that there are bright spots and we keep looking for them as though we have to fool ourselves as to what is taking place. I don’t think we ought to fool ourselves and I’m not so sure from what I’ve been hearing that the persons who are in charge at different levels fully grasp what is here upon us,” Gonsalves said.

The West Indies next assignment will be a limited-overs tour of Pakistan consisting of three T20 Internationals and three ODIs beginning on December 13.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced that it will commence a new recruitment process for the new Men’s Selection Panel in January.

The recruitment will replace Lead Selector Roger Harper and fellow Selector Miles Bascombe, whose contracts will not be renewed when they come to an end on December 31.

An Interim Selection Panel has been established, with Head Coach Phil Simmons at the helm, along with the captains in the respective men’s formats. Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket, will oversee the process.

“We want to thank Roger and Miles for their work and dedicated services to West Indies cricket in the last two years, as members of the Men’s Senior Selection Panel. Selecting West Indies teams for international competition is a very challenging and thankless assignment, and both gentlemen performed their roles with unprecedented transparency and dignity,” said Adams.

Harper said he was thankful for the opportunity to be the lead selector of the selection panel.

“I would like to thank CWI for the opportunity to serve West Indies cricket in the role of Lead Selector and I wish the organization the very best for the future. I would also like to thank all those whose efforts and cooperation helped me to perform my role efficiently. Special thanks to Miles for his professionalism and teamwork. God bless,” he said.

The West Indies Men’s next series is against Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica where they will play the three-match CG Insurance One-Day International Series on January 8, 11 and 14, and the one-off T20 International on January 16.

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd is no different.

The Guyanese fast bowler and right-handed batsman, who dazzled with the bat with an unbeaten 44 in the second T20 international between the West Indies and England yesterday, has put his name in the last three IPL auctions but is yet to be awarded a contract.

Speaking in a press conference today, Shepherd says the dream, which at this point is very close to reality, is still alive.

“It’s a great platform for any youngster. Many people dream to go to the IPL and I’m no different. It’s something that I’ve dreamed about for a very long time. My name was in the draft for the last three years so this year I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he said.

In the midst of a five-match T20I series with England at the moment, Shepherd says his full focus is on helping the West Indies win.

“I’m trying my best to get there but, at the same time, trying my best to help us win this series. I try to focus on what is at hand right now and try to put my all in there. Eventually, if an IPL contract comes that would be great for me but I try not to think about it while in the game,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd has so far played 11 T20 Internationals with 100 runs and eight wickets to his name.

The IPL player auction is scheduled to take place on February 12 and 13 and he will have another opportunity to enhance his reputation when the West Indies and England square off in the third of five T20 internationals in Barbados on Wednesday.

Despite a standout batting performance that saw West Indies post a formidable 328-6, Sammy believes missed opportunities in the bowling department ultimately handed England the edge. England chased down the total with relative ease, finishing on 329-5 with captain Liam Livingstone’s masterful unbeaten 124 leading the way.

“It is tough. Obviously, when you put 328 on the board, you expect to win. However, that is the beauty of international cricket; at the halfway stage, when one aspect of the job is done, you can never be complacent about it. Yes, Liam Livingstone played a brilliant innings to get his team home, but I thought as a bowling group our execution was really off, hence we lost a record chase here in Antigua,” Sammy said in a post-game interview.

While disappointed with the loss, Sammy found reasons for optimism, particularly in captain Shai Hope’s exceptional 117—his 17th ODI century—which was the highlight of the innings and pushed him to joint third on the all-time West Indies ODI century list.

Hope received ample support from Keacy Carty (71) and Sherfane Rutherford (54), whose solid contributions underscored the team’s depth in the middle order.

“I think we did some really good things; Shai Hope another 100, the joint fourth most by a West Indian, the way Keacy Carty batted, as well as Sherfane Rutherford making a fourth-consecutive 50. The way Matthew Forde bowled and the way Roston Chase came back after being put under pressure in the second over,” Sammy reasoned.

“So we were right in the game until the last 10 overs, where I think they scored 100 off seven overs; that is not good enough. But I think as a team, it is about understanding where we are at and the small steps that we have to take to improve,” he noted.

With Livingstone anchoring England’s chase alongside contributions from Phil Salt (59), Jacob Bethell (55), and Sam Curran (52), Sammy acknowledged that the West Indies bowling attack could have been more effective in applying pressure to seal the win after Hope’s brilliance.

“I think Shai will be the first one to tell you that it (his knock) doesn’t matter because it came off a losing cause. But, as I said before, Shai Hope is a class act and one of our icons in ODI cricket, but I know he would want nothing more than a win instead of a hundred.

“Again, it (the overall performance) shows that we are still far off but we are making little strides that will help us along our way with the goal that we have moving forward,” Sammy explained.

With the three-match series now tied 1-1, Sammy expressed hope that West Indies will bring their best game to the decider in Barbados on Wednesday.

“This is a rivalry, so we have all to play for at home. The last time we played in Barbados, we made history and won, so I am hoping we can again. It is two young teams looking to develop and get better in ODI cricket. Again, it is all to play for, so if the fans come out and support, in return, we have to give you guys something to smile about in Barbados,” Sammy ended.

Entering day four 56-1, the Scorpions looked fairly comfortable throughout the first two sessions, losing only three more wickets to be 174-4 at the tea interval.

That comfort disappeared quickly as they lost their final six wickets in quick succession, eventually being bowled out for 233 leaving the Pride needing just 41 for victory.

Jermaine Blackwood got a top score of 61 while Jamie Merchant chipped in with 47 for the Scorpions against 6-78 from Jomel Warrican.

Kraigg Brathwaite and Shayne Moseley then ensured that the Pride got to their target with no problems, reaching 42-0 with Moseley finishing on 34 and Brathwaite on seven.

The Scorpions join the Windward Islands Volcanoes as losers of their first two games.

Final Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 328 and 233, Barbados Pride 521-8 declared and 42-0.

The 29-year-old had a fairly successful run with the Division II County Cricket side scoring 13 and 83 in a loss to Leicestershire and 38 and 53 not out in a draw against Sussex. Yorkshire’s match against Gloucestershire was abandoned.

Notwithstanding the short run, Hope said he had a good time playing league cricket.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Yorkshire family. The culture they’ve created facilitated a smooth transition into what was a quick turnaround for me to add to a relatively young team,” said the 29-year-old Hope, who is not ruling out a return to the club.

“Thank you for having me and hope to see you in the not so distant future.”

According to Yorkshire, Hope will be missed.

“Sadly we say goodbye to Shai as he heads home after his three games with us. Shai has been a legend on and off the field. Thank you Shai,” it said on Instagram.

The matter came to light earlier this week when Barbados Cricket Association President Conde Riley revealed that he had received a letter from the player’s attorney on the Mason and Guest sports talk show.

In May 2021, Cricket West Indies announced the players who had been retained for the next cycle and Dowrich was not among them. Dowrich, 30, last played in a Test for the West Indies from December 2-5, 2020, against New Zealand.

In the early stages of that tour, Dowrich suffered a finger injury but later asked to be released from the tour citing personal reasons. However, according to his lawyer Philip Nichols, after being given leave from the West Indies, CWI then claims that he was not offered a new retainer contract because he had not played the requisite number of games to qualify for the said contract.

This is the bone of contention for the player, who at the time when he left New Zealand, was the first-choice wicketkeeper/batsman for the West Indies.

Dowrich was subsequently replaced by Trinidad and Tobago’s Joshua da Silva, who has, for the most part, acquitted himself well representing the West Indies as its wicketkeeper/batsman.

Following the New Zealand tour, CWI failed to follow up with the player to determine whether he had managed to put his ‘personal issues' behind him and was now ready to return to representing the regional side.

Nichols tells Sportsmax.TV that his client hopes to have the matter resolved amicably as it is not his intention for the matter to end up in court.

Dowrich has played 35 Tests for the West Indies scoring 1507 runs at an average of 29.07. He has scored three hundreds and nine fifties in that time.

“Each game has a situation. Every ball is a situation in the game, and we’ve got to be able to assess that situation and know how we have to play in that game. If you’re 20-3 you play differently than if you’re 40-0. These are the little situations that we need to highlight and win and that will take us to winning the game,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Simmons also explained that the return of the West Indies to the pinnacle of world cricket will only come with a focus on development at all levels.

“Definitely things need to be changed at different levels. You don’t become bad batsmen at this level,” he said.

He continued on, saying that responsibility lies with coaches at all levels to see to the development of players in the region.

“You come up here thinking you are able to play up here, but things are not going the way they should do so there must be some sort of responsibility taken from the levels before us and that’s something that has to be addressed, generally, as an organization,” Simmons added.

With that said, Simmons also acknowledged that once players get to the international level, they also have a part to play.

“In saying that, the guys, when they come up here, need to fight harder. They need to put more effort into wanting to be the best in the world when they come up here,” he added.

The West Indies will play five T20 Internationals against England in Barbados starting on January 22.

Speaking to the media, on Thursday, before the team’s five-match Betway T20 International series against England, Smith said he has ambitions to be a fixture in the West Indies white-ball setup for years to come.

“Definitely. I think I have a long way to go and a lot of work to do but it’s all a learning process. Cricket is a learning process. I just have to work on my game along the way and I think I’ll definitely get to where I want to be when the time comes,” he said.

One of the biggest talking points across the regional cricket landscape over the last few years has been player fitness and Smith said he is fully aware that if he wants to achieve his goals, he must prioritize taking care of his body.

“I think it’s very important. If you’re not taking care of your body then you probably won’t have far to go so, I work a lot on my fitness. Cricket is a lot of running so I tend to do a lot of that. I don’t really go to the gym to do a lot of strength work. Running and eating well are the things I take pride in,” Smith added.

A member of the triumphant 2016 West Indies Under-19 team, Smith also stated that it is an ongoing process because of a busy schedule.

“I’m not where I want to be right now because, as I said, it’s an ongoing process and there’s a lot of cricket going on so it’s hard to get anything done during the season. When I get a little time, I’ll focus on distance running and my eating habits,” he added.

Smith has, so far, played 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is for the West Indies.

With the team coming off a disappointing ODI series defeat to Ireland and England coming off a 4-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes, Smith believes the upcoming series will be an important one for both teams.

“Both teams have an equal opportunity to go out there and win this series. England has a very good team and we also have a very good team as we’re trying to rebuild. We have a few new guys so the coaches are trying to figure out roles for everyone. This series is going to be very important for both teams going forward,” he added.

The series between the West Indies and England gets underway at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.