Drakes hit the winning runs to cap off a superb finals performance, which saw the all-rounder end with an unbeaten 48 from 24 balls; in the process, sparking wild celebrations as the Patriots captured their first-ever CPL title.
In terms of momentum, the match had rocked back and forth in frantic fashion as the Kings set a target of 159 for 7. Drakes' innings proved crucial in deciding the thrilling encounter, which saw the team needing 9 off the final over and, in the end, managing to just creep over the line. He was, however, eager to spread the praise around.
“It was the first chance I got to play a full competition and I think I did well, but it was Ruthers (Sherfane Rutherford) and Bravo, Soldj (Sheldon Cottrell), and everyone on the team. It’s an amazing feeling,” the 23-year-old, who made his debut three years ago with the Barbados-based CPL franchise, said.
“I thought it was a great team effort and I was just happy to do my part for the win,” he added.
Overall, Drakes ended with 102 runs and a team-high 16 wickets in 11 matches.
Guyana Amazon Warriors secured their place in the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) play-offs with a 37-run win over Trinbago Knight Riders.
Trinbago Knight Riders won the toss and chose to field in this must-win game, with Amazon Warriors opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz giving the fans at Providence stadium a spectacle, scoring 60 from 42 balls to ignite the Warrior’s innings and help take them to 173-6.
In their chase, the Trinbago Knight Riders built a steady opening partnership through Tim Seifert and Colin Munro, but wickets then fell throughout their innings as the Amazon Warriors were spurred on by a vocal home crowd. The Knight Riders finished 136 all out and lost by 37 runs.
Guyana Amazon Warriors suffered an early setback in their innings as Ravi Rampaul showed his effectiveness in the PowerPlay by taking the wicket of Chandrapaul Hemraj. Gurbaz would then play some spectacular shots to accelerate the run rate. Sunil Narine, who did not bowl until the 12th over, would claw the Knight Riders back into the game by taking the key wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Romario Shepherd. A remarkable late blitz from Odean Smith, scoring 23 runs from 7 balls, would then catapult the Warriors to 173/6.
Trinbago Knight Riders had a good start in their chase, Seifert and Munro keeping up with the run rate, but led by Shakib, the Warriors fought back to take wickets, including some spectacular fielding to dismiss Nicholas Pooran. Once captain Kieron Pollard was out stumped, the Knight Riders faced an uphill battle and finished on 136 all out.
The result means that Trinbago Knight Riders have been eliminated from play-off contention.
The 27-year-old Ambris was among several players unexpectedly named to the West Indies squad for the tour after 12 first-team players made themselves unavailable for the tour. Prior to that Ambris had last played for the team in February of last year, on the team’s tour of Sri Lanka. On that occasion, the player averaged 26 in three matches. He was not selected to the team for either of the team’s previous tours to England or New Zealand.
Ambris, in addition to providing support for less experienced players on the tour, hopes to push himself back in the conversation for regular selection.
“This is the first tour that I’m actually confident that I will be starting. So, I would like to use this tour to cement myself in the starting 11 for other tours,” Ambris told members of the media via an online press conference on Friday.
“I’d love to get at least one hundred out of these three games, I think that would do me a lot of good,” he added.
The ECB put out an advertisement for three vacant positions, pace-bowling coach, spin-bowling coach and batting coach, in December. Interviews were conducted in recent weeks after applications closed last month.
Ambrose, who made known that he had applied for the post a few weeks ago, revealed that he had been contacted but unfortunately was not selected for the post.
“I got a call from one of the panellists yesterday [Thursday] to inform me that I was unsuccessful in my bid. The interview went very well. There were four panellists and everything went according to plan and I thought I did a wonderful job, so I was pretty excited. I thought I probably would have made it but I am not going to really worry too much about it. To have made the shortlist is a step in the right direction obviously,” Ambrose told the Antigua Observer.
With the Ashes on the horizon, Ambrose, who has taken 128 wickets against Australia (fourth-best all-time, with the best economy rate among the top 5), admits that he was hoping that his previously dominant performances down under might have weighed in his favour.
“I was expecting to be part of the squad considering the World T20 coming up and, of course, the Ashes. You know that when England play Australia in the Ashes, it’s a big one and I thought that maybe because of my tremendous success in Australia that it would have, at least, given me an extra step, but it didn’t work out and I am quite happy with how everything went. In life, we get some good news and some not so good, and you learn to accept it and move on,” he said.
The 57-year-old previously worked as West Indies bowling consultant between 2014 and 2016. He was replaced by Roddy Estwick.
The matches for the tournament will be played in Antigua, Guyana, Saint Kitts, and Trinidad. Antigua has been earmarked to host the Super League quarter-finals, semi-finals the finals, in addition to the 3rd, 5th, and 7th place playoffs.
The main venues that will be used are the Coolidge Cricket Ground and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium but there have been questions asked about the state of some of the practice grounds with the tournament set to bowl off on January 14.
Two of the venues of concern are the Liberta Sports Club and the Police Recreation Ground. At Liberta, issues were recently brought to the fore regarding the reconstruction of a section of the facility’s fencing and work for the bathrooms.
Matthew insists there is no need to worry, however, as the government fully intends to honour its commitment.
“I just want to assure the public of Antigua and Barbuda that all of the venues will be ready. We’re almost there in terms of our readiness to host what is probably the largest international cricket event on our shores and the nation will be proud,” Matthew told the Antigua Observer.
“The major area of work that needs to be done [in Liberta] is one part of the fencing and so you can be assured that those things will be completed because it is part of our hosting requirement and so we do not have the option to not do it,” he added.
The ICC Under-19 World Cup will take place between 14 January – 5 February.
“We’re actually hosting the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals for the Under-19 World Cup, and immediately following that we will be hosting the Test series with England, the Richards-Botham series and so we will be hosting a four-day warm-up match and then go right into the first Test so for the next eight to 10 weeks we should be having a substantial amount of cricket here in Antigua and Barbuda.”
The regional team was on the wrong side of a 3-0 mauling, at the hands of Bangladesh, in a lopsided series that showed a tremendous gulf in quality between the two teams.
The result could not have been entirely unexpected, as a full-strength Bangladesh comfortably beat a full-strength West Indies team in 2019. The Jason-Mohammed team that took the field last week had at least eight players making their international debut.
Skerritt’s administration has made it clear that players who opt out of tours during the pandemic will not be punished, believes that the threat that the disease poses to the players must be acknowledged.
“We have to deal with the reality that players are facing a tremendously stressful decision about their careers and whether they participate in cricket under risky situations; even though cricket West Indies and other boards are doing everything possible to minimize the risk,” Skerritt told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“What do you do to get the best players on the park, when many of the best players are reluctant to travel and choose not to play? Are you going to punish them? Are you going to say if you don’t play then you don’t play again ever, then you lose them forever?”
"I listen to some of the discussion’s about COVID and I wonder if we believe that COVID only affects us individually and we should be fearful, but players and others shouldn’t. So what has happened with this particular tour and the two tours before, during COVID is that you could not get all of your best players on tour at the same time.”
The Windies scored a dramatic win over Pakistan to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing two-Test series. The match featured typically robust performances from the team’s bowlers with Jayden Seales ending with 125 for 8 and Kemar Roach 5 for 77.
With the bat, there were solid performances from captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, and Blackwood but elsewhere in the batting order, the concentration and execution on display from the line-up sparked cause for concern. For Blackwood, however, it remains a work in progress and a hurdle that the unit will get over sooner or later.
“We are making improvements, baby steps. It’s just the process, we are working hard as a batting unit, even though we did not get the scores we wanted,” Blackwood told members of the media on Wednesday.
"I see this unit is in a good place and on pace to do well for all the people of the West Indies, themselves and their families, and every day that we go to train we put in 150 percent,” he added.
Since the start of the year, Blackwood has himself struggled with the bat, averaging 22.92 in 7 Test matches played. So far, he has a high score of 68.
On Monday, Cricket West Indies announced the naming of a 15-man squad, which as expected will be led by Windies Women captain Stephanie Taylor and feature several other experienced players. Joining the likes of Taylor will be the experienced Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbell, and Anisa Mohammed who will be headed to her fourth World Cup.
The team, however, will also feature a host of younger players and two uncapped players Kaysia Schultz and Jannellia Glasgow in the reserves. Walsh believes the team’s combination is suited to performing well in all areas.
“We were just trying to get the best combination we thought for the World Cup, so all the tours we had, the camps and thing. All those things were taken into consideration in trying to get as balance an attack as we can in terms of batting, bowling, and fielding as well,” Walsh said.
“We wanted the complete package with regards to batting, bowling, and fielding. The 18 players that we have here is what we as the selectors thought was the best balanced 18, we could take. We have an adequate backup should there be any injuries.”
Coming into the final day’s play of their match against Windward Islands Volcanoes, the Bajans led the Leewards Islands Hurricanes on points. Resuming the day on 109-1 the Pride batted out the final day without much event. Barbados captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 109 off 219 balls and ended the season as the leading runscorer in the tournament. Brathwaite shared in a 95-run partnership with Roston Chase, who made 59 as the team ended on 285-6.
Elsewhere, Guyana Harpy Eagles opener Tevin Imlach put together a resolute half-century, in a predictable draw, as the heavily rain-affected West Indies Championship fixture against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force came to an end at Port of Spain.
Having lost the last two days due to the inclement weather, the Red Force resumed the day at 203 and only added another 10 before the last wicket pair were dismissed.
In their turn at the crease, the Harpy Eagles chased the score with conviction, and Imlach’s 76 from 172 formed the base of the innings. The team, which ended with a score of 331 all out, also got valuable contributions from Kevin Sinclair, who had 58, and Veerasammy Permaul who scored 47.
For the Red Force, Bryan Charles and Terrance Hinds took three wickets each. Batting again, Trinidad and Tobago were 25 for 1 at the close of play. The day’s other match between the Leeward Island Hurricanes and Jamaica Scorpions was called off in the hour after the lunch break, because of persistent rainfall.
The West Indies had a day to forget at the crease, failing to get to triple digits in an innings for just the 19th time ever. Jason Holder had the team’s high score with a mere 20 runs, with Brathwaite himself and opening partner Shai Hope adding the next best with 15 apiece.
The hosts were undone by the pace tandem of Lungi Ngidi, who claimed an impressive 5 for 19, and Anrich Nortje who took 4 for 35. In response, South Africa were 128 for 4 but Brathwaite was already thinking about the second innings.
“Obviously, South Africa bowled well and we didn’t bat well, so we have to make up for it in the second innings, it’s as simple as that,” Brathwaite said at the end of the day’s play.
“We played some loose shots, but it happens, everything won’t always be perfect as batsmen we played some balls we know we probably shouldn’t have played at, we should have left, but we know what we have to do in the second innings.”
The team’s batsmen faced plenty of criticism in a 2-1 loss to England, earlier this year, and a quick look at the recent batting statistics suggests they may well deserve it. For the series, the team averaged close to 27.86 and it was one of the best batting performances in a series in recent years.
In fact, it is the fourth-best for the West Indies’ batsmen among all the series consisting of two or more matches since 2017. Their highest batting average in a Test series consisting of at least two matches since 2017 is 34.66; which came in Zimbabwe in 2017. Harper knows they will need to do much better to have a chance against the Blackcaps.
“New Zealand are very competitive, in their own backyard especially. They play very well as a team. They plan well and they execute well. We have to be at the top of our game,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“Again, a lot of questions will be asked of our batting and that’s the department that needs to step up for us in order for us to have a real chance of getting a positive result in the series,” he added.
The historic England tour ended on a bit of a sour note for the regional team, not only because of a 2-1 loss to the hosts but the manner of the defeat, which represented somewhat of a collapse by the Jason Holder-led unit. Things began brightly with the team putting in a strong all-around performance to secure a four-wicket win in the first Test.
“I’m looking for the team to build on its performance in England. Winning away Test matches hasn’t been something we have done consistently. We won one in England and we were positioned to really draw that series comfortably, if not win it, and I’m looking for us to build on that in New Zealand.”
In recent times, the West Indies have not had the best of fortune in New Zealand, where they have lost three of the last four T20 series, with one draw, while losing four of the last five-Test series again managing one draw.
Batting first, the Hurricanes seemed set for a below-par total after losing wickets at regular intervals at the top of the order. The top three of Montcin Hodge, Kieron Powell, and Ross Powell were removed with just 65 runs on the board. Devon Thomas was next to go just two overs later and was, like Powell before him, bowled by the excellent McSween.
Jahmar Hamilton paired with Terrance Ward to add a respectable 47 for the 6th wicket but the partnership came to an end when Hamilton was caught, attempting to pull Kenneth Dember. Rahkeem Cornwall managed to add just one run before becoming McSween’s 3rd wicket and the writing seemed on the wall when the bowler returned to pick up the valued wicket of Ward a few overs later.
Archibald’s brutal 104 from just 97 deliveries, at the bottom of the order, however, changed the complexion of the innings entirely. At the close of play, the batsman remained not-out at the crease and was partnered by Daniel Doram on 17 from 69 deliveries.
Earlier this week, the 31-year-old left-hander was named among the final 13-man Test squad that will compete against South Africa. His selection marked a two-and-a-half-year absence from the team, despite some believing the player to be among the region’s top talents.
Powell, who last represented the West Indies in 2018, during the team’s series against Bangladesh, was in contention for selection to the team last year but failed a fitness test in May.
With several first-string players opting out of the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, he was certainly favourite to claim a spot in the squad but was declared to not have met the fitness standard required by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel. Both the player and the Nevis Cricket Association (NCA) rejected the claims and insisted the batsman had in fact met the required fitness standard. Having been given another chance to shine, Power is, however, eager to claim the opportunity.
“I’ve been out of the team for two and half years now and I’ve counted each month I was not on it,” Powell told members of the media.
“So, it’s obviously a great feeling to be back, but being back is just the start. Obviously, now when I get my opportunity I have to go out and perform and cement my spot,” he added.
While the majority of his exploits in the game’s shortest format have occurred in the league format, Gayle has also made his presence felt on the international stage. The towering left-hander played a crucial role in the West Indies winning two T20 world titles, first in 2012 and then again in 2016.
In addition, Gayle is fifth on the all-time list for the most T20I sixes with 105 registered so far. India's Rohit Sharma is at the top of the pile with 127. The player is fourth on the list of highest scores, with 117 off 57 balls, and is one of only nine players to score more than one century in T20I cricket.
Pollard, the West Indies T20 captain, was part of the successful World Cup-winning team in 2012. He has scored a total of 1226 runs and has blasted 78 sixes with a highest score of 75 unbeaten. Gayle and Pollard were the only West Indian men named to an ICC team of the decade
ICC T20 team of the decade
Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, MS Dhoni (c), Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga.
The in-form Blackwood scored a solid 68 from 146 deliveries, before being caught by Liton Das off the bowling of Mehidy Hasan. Prior to his dismissal, Blackwood formed part of a crucial partnership with Joshua Da Silva worth 99 runs, which formed the bedrock of the team’s 259 first innings score.
The batsman, however, seemed well settled before getting a feather touch to a length delivery that seemed to just be spinning past the batsman.
“It was very frustrating because I’ve told myself that I really want to convert more of these half-centuries into centuries,” Blackwood said, following the day’s play.
“I’m stepping in the right direction, but I was very disappointed with the way that I got out. But, I guess next innings I just have to hold down my head and bat in the same fashion,” he added.
The West Indies still trail Bangladesh by 218 runs. Mehidy ended the innings with a tidy 4 for 58, with Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, and Nayeem Hasan claiming two wickets apiece. Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite top scored with 76.
The stylish 30-year-old batsman has evolved as a red ball specialist over the last few years but was called into the team after recently returning Shimron Hetmyer pulled out of the squad due to personal reasons and allrounder Keemo Paul was ruled out with an injury.
The aggressive batsman has only ever played two ODIs and has a high score of 11 but has long been proposed as an option for the format because of his aggressive scoring instincts. In Test cricket, he averages 31.29 and has three half centuries.
Blackwood is ever to prove that he has improved much as a batsman since his previous two appearances.
“I was over the moon. I’ve always been telling myself that I wanted to come back into the team and make a difference, so right now I have the opportunity to do just that,” Blackwood said.
“My game has developed a lot. I haven’t played regional 50 over cricket in three years because of West Indies duties but in-between that I’ve played a bit and I’ve scored some 100s batting at the top of the order and at number three. So, I have the experience batting the new ball and the old ball.”
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Scorpion's batting line-up was rocked early on when Leroy Lugg was sent back to the pavilion, with just 17 runs on the board. Lugg was caught by Gudakesh Motie off the bowling of Demetri Cameron. Blackwood and John Campbell then went about repairing the damage and put on a 50-run partnership for the second wicket, but that was brought to an end when Campbell was trapped lbw by Kevin Sinclair.
Blackwood would, however, continue to anchor the innings putting on another 30 with Paul Palmer Jr after Oraine Williams also fell victim to Sinclair when he was trapped lbw without scoring. Palmer himself became one of two victims on the day for Motie after being gobbled up by Cameron.
Alwyn Williams then joined the set Blackwood, at the crease, and the two saw the score to over 200 with Williams adding 51 before being dismissed by Motie.
Overall, Motie ended with figures of 2 for 39, while Sinclair ended with 2 for 74. At the close of play, Blackwood stood unbeaten on 110 off 251 balls and he was partnered by Aldane Thomas who notched 35 off 40 deliveries.
The middle-order batsman’s previous encounter against the Sri Lankans earlier this year did go quite to plan after managing just 42 runs in two matches with a high score of 18. Ahead of the upcoming series Blackwood who admits to being a better frame of mind this time around is determined to set things right.
“To be honest, the last time I played Sri Lanka my mind wasn’t right at that time, but now my mind is fully there, so, I’m looking forward to a very good series,” Blackwood told Windies cricket.
Despite not typically being a threat with the ball, Blackwood believes he might even be able to make an impact with the ball, should the surfaces in Sri Lanka live up to their usual reputation of being more friendly to slower bowling.
“I always tell the skipper that I want to bowl a few overs because I have the golden arm. As you can see, I always get one of the wickets. So it will be very interesting this series if I can get a few overs.”
The 35-year-old Bonner has earned plenty of accolades for gritty performances for the West Indies since making his debut against Bangladesh in 2021. The player has, however, struggled vor vorm ov late, managing just 65 in his last 5 innings and has been hit twice off short pithed bowling in the last year.
Bonner has been ruled out of the current Test series against Australia after being struck on the back of the helmet by a Cameron Green bouncer. Despite being allowed to continue batting for another few hours Bonner is now under the team’s concussion protocol.
In light of the latest incident, questions have been raised regarding the player susceptibility to pace bowling.
“Short bowling is simple yet complex, you are either looking to attack the ball or defend it. I think. In simple parlance either you are hooking or you ducking. I think either Bonner is caught between two minds,” Smith told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“…He takes his eyes off the ball. We’ve seen him now being struck. If we’re being honest, we can pinpoint some of the technical deficiencies our batters have,” he added.
“We can’t knock Bonner because he’s done reasonably well up until this point, but you know he’s languid, he always looks little bit slow on the ball and these hard bouncy surfaces will show that up.”
Bonner has recorded two 100s and three 50s for the West Indies in 15 matches so far.
It was tough going on day one of the first tour match, for a Windies bowling unit that included top strike bowlers Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, and Alzarri Joseph. Of the trio, Joseph was the only one to take a wicket in the first innings as New Zealand A put on 308 for 3 before declaring. Gabriel did claim a wicket in the second innings of the drawn match.
The coach, however, believes the consistent threat of the bowling unit over the past several years speaks for itself and remained more concerned about the team's batting, which has been far less assured during the same time period.
“Over the years we have seen that the bowling has been our strength,” Simmons told members of the media from New Zealand on Tuesday.
“If in these two matches, the one that’s gone and the one tomorrow, the batsmen can get into form and get into the line that we want them to, I’m not worried about the bowlers. The bowlers are always up to the task in the Test matches for a few years now,” he added.
Led by a century from returning batsman Darren Bravo the West Indies did put in a solid performance with the bat after scoring 366 in their first innings.
