West Indies

All-rounder Raymon Reifer has been ruled out of the tour with a groin injury and Kyle Mayers can no longer bowl in the series after suffering a strain to his right teres major. Nkrumah Bonner has been ruled out of further participation in the current first Test Match due to concussion protocols after being struck on the helmet when batting in West Indies first innings. Shamarh Brooks replaced him as the concussion substitute. 

Mindley, 27, has so far played 42 first-class matches with 103 wickets at an average of 24.25 runs per wickets. His last first-class assignment was in August for the West Indies “A” Team against Bangladesh “A” in Saint Lucia where he had impressive figures of 5-59 in the first four-day match.

The first Test is being played at the Perth Stadium and enters the fifth and final day on Sunday, 4 December. The second Test will be a day/night contest featuring the pink cricket ball at the Adelaide Oval, from Thursday 8 December to Monday 12 December. The two teams are competing for the Frank Worrell trophy, named in honor of the former West Indies captain and icon.

FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)

Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)

Nkrumah Bonner

Shamarh Brooks

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Roston Chase

Joshua Da Silva

Jason Holder

Alzarri Joseph

Kyle Mayers

Marquino. Mindley

Anderson Phillip

Kemar Roach

Jayden Seales

Devon Thomas

Mitchell Marsh will return to the batting order when Australia step up their T20 World Cup preparations against West Indies on Wednesday, captain Aaron Finch has confirmed.

Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis is expected to return for Sunday's opening T20I against England, having joined Marsh in missing the recent tour of India.

Marsh has not featured since an ODI outing against Zimbabwe in August after sustaining an ankle injury, leaving Cameron Green to deputise throughout last month's 2-1 series defeat in India.

While Marsh will not bowl against the Windies, Finch believes a place at number three is his to lose, saying: "One-hundred per cent, he's made that spot his own in T20 cricket. 

"I think the way that he played in the lead-up and then through the World Cup [last year] is so important for the way that we want to play and gives us a lot of flexibility through that middle order.

"I think he had his second bowl yesterday and he felt really good. He pulled up well from it. So that's a really positive sign.

"I think for the balance of the side, it's better when they [Marsh and Stoinis] are both bowling because you can get caught a little bit short if you go in with five bowlers. But we'll work that out."

Having suffered a side strain in early September, Stoinis has not travelled to the Gold Coast for Australia's meetings with the Windies, but will join the squad in Perth for the first of three matches against England.

Finch is hopeful over Stoinis' fitness, highlighting the role of logistics in that decision as he added: "He's at a level where we think that he'll be fully fit for that first game against England.

"We were just conscious of the travel with a quick turnaround. It can be quite a high-risk game for some guys with some soft tissue injuries so he's just still planning and preparing there. 

"He's such an important part of our side and the make-up of it, especially with his bowling."

While Green performed well in India, recording scores of 62 and 52, Finch doubts whether he can force his way into Australia's 15 for the World Cup if Marsh and Stoinis stay fit.

"I don't think so," Finch added. "It's just one of those things. He had a really good tour of India. It was good for him to get an opportunity to open the batting.

"I think he'll get an opportunity at some point in this series. Obviously his batting is exceptional and he shows a lot with the ball. 

"He keeps improving every time he gets an opportunity but over the next few weeks, he'll get a run, no doubt."

Australia begin their World Cup defence against neighbours New Zealand on October 22

Four teams remain in the World Cup – India, Pakistan, England and New Zealand – with the semi-finals looming. However, the West Indies did not get into the Super 12, the first time that has ever happened in the team’s history.

This latest embarrassment from the two-time world champions, has not gone down well with the Master Blaster who won two ICC World Cup titles with the West Indies in 1975 and 1979.

During an interview on the Good Morning Jo Jo radio show in Antigua, Richards did not hold back his feelings.

“I’m really, really, really disappointed. I honestly felt that they would have fought their way out of the qualifying stages to get themselves into the Super 12,” said Richards, who was recently named an ambassador for the Lankan Premier League.

“It didn’t look good at all. One of the things that really caught my eye, when we won against Zimbabwe, the way in which we behaved, liked we had won the World Cup, I felt we should’ve just calmed it down a little bit.

“This is supposed to be our best opportunity for us to win something at the international level because this is a team that showed that sort of prospect. This is where I think we have geared ourselves that if we were gonna win anything and win it quickly, it would’ve been the T20 World Cup. Because of that, I’m very, very, very disappointed. I’m not sure why, but I am.”

Some of the blame, Richards feels, should fall squarely at the feet of the players, whose loyalty to the region should be questioned; that they give the T20 leagues across the world preference over playing for the West Indies.

“It’s alleged that you hear players sometimes saying ‘CWI knows my schedule’ and stuff like that. That’s not the way it should be. You should be telling CWI what your schedule is and see the best way to work around it if your heart and soul is in representing the West Indies at that particular level,” Richards argued.

“But what I find is that there are some that want to go do what they like in terms of contracts they have with the various franchises. To come back and automatically get in when you have individuals who have been performing and being around and not basically getting a look in because of these individuals being favorites of such. I think we should at least have found a way earlier to nullify that and have the guys who are fit to play, and not the guys who pick and choose when they feel like playing.”

England arrive in Antigua to start the tour with two CG United ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on 3 and 6 December. The 1st CG United ODI is a day game starting at 9:30am with the 2nd CG United ODI starting at 1:30pm as a day/night game. The 3rd and final CG United ODI to be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 9 December will also be a day/night game starting at 1:30pm.

The five-match T20I starts in Barbados with the first match played at Kensington Oval under lights starting at 6pm. The Spice Isle of Grenada then welcomes both teams for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is on 14 and 16 December with both matches starting at 1:30pm.

The tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the 4th and 5th T20Is on December 19 and 21. The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad will be hosting a West Indies vs England men’s fixture for the first time with day/night matches starting at 4pm.

Fans can purchase tickets in advance from the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard at Tickets.Windiescricket.com . Fans who purchase online and in advance can choose their preferred seats and benefit from a discount compared to tickets purchased at the venue box office. 

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE (with start times)

3 December: 1st CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 9:30am

6 December: 2nd CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 1:30pm

9 December: 3rd CG United at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 1:30pm

12 December: 1st T20I at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 6pm

14 December: 2nd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm

16 December: 3rd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm

19 December: 4th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm

21 December: 5th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm

​

Sam Curran made amends after being thumped for 30 in an over, hit for four sixes and a four by Windies captain Rovman Powell, with 50 off 32 balls, having been elevated to number four in the batting order.

While there were several cameos, Curran lacked support as England fell 10 runs short of overhauling their opponents’ 176 for seven to fall 2-0 down in the five-match series after losing the ODIs 2-1.

The tourists struggled against left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein, who leaked a combined 33 in eight overs. Motie was especially successful, taking 4-0-9-1 on a tricky pitch to bat on.

“No one likes losing,” said Mott. “We played good cricket again for 90 per cent of the match. We had them under control up to the 15th-over mark and unfortunately, as West Indies can do, they hurt us.

“We fought back at the back end to keep them to 176 which was definitely chase-able. It’s light and shade with our batting, there’s some really good things happening but probably just too many dot balls.

“We have to respond from this. We will try to come up with more solutions. We are trying hard, we are close. We are a couple of good hits away from a win.

“The message in the changing room is that we are not far away. We just have to stay the course. We’ve got to win one first. That’s our first target.”

Curran averaged 11 from 26 previous T20 innings, albeit having only once before batted in the top five, but he has three Test fifties and sparkled with an unbeaten 95 in an ODI against India in 2021.

It was still a surprise to see him stride out after Phil Salt was England’s second batter dismissed, with Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali each nudged down one position.

Curran, though, was the pick of the batters and uncorked seven boundaries – including three sixes – and Mott revealed his promotion was down to how they thought he would fare against Hosein and Motie.

“He didn’t seem to get a heap of strike, it’s funny how it works out and he ended up taking down the medium-pacers,” said Mott, who added it was a “50-50 call” about whether to elevate Curran or Moeen.

“We just thought Sam was the one to try and really disrupt and get a free licence to go and go hard. He did it, not in the fashion we were expecting but he certainly did his job.

“We’ve always rated his batting and he’s been in some strong teams, as he showed. When he gets an opportunity, he’s a class player. He’s worked really hard on facing fast bowling.

“He’s got a great all-round game. We know he can hurt the spinners a lot but there’s certainly more layers to his batting which is exciting for the future. It was unfortunate he got out when he did.”

The Windies belted 13 sixes to England’s eight, with opener Brandon King and Powell sharing five apiece. King anchored the Windies innings with 82 off 52 balls and Powell registered 50 off 28.

Assessing Curran’s more ignominious offering on Thursday, Mott added: “When they line you up, it’s a tough place to be.

“Every time you clear the rope it’s a big win, particularly early in an over. It’s something we have spoken about and we have got some really good six hitters ourselves.”

Powell was on a run-a-ball 22 at the start of the 16th over having been kept quiet by Adil Rashid, who took 4-0-11-2, but followed up a streaky inside edge off Curran with some monstrous hits.

Jacqueline Williams, who became the first female umpire from the Caribbean to stand in a men’s T20 international, raised her arms skywards on four occasions before Powell ended the over by holing out.

“It definitely changed the game,” Powell reflected. “As a batter you sometimes look for that over.

“After being pegged down by the leg-spinners and then the pacer comes on, you think ‘maybe this is the opportunity to cash in’.”

Buttler’s World Cup hangover followed him to the Caribbean with two single-figure scores either side of a sparkling unbeaten fifty in a new-look England side’s 2-1 ODI series defeat by the West Indies.

He was out for a golden duck in Saturday’s decider in Barbados, caught at fine-leg after an imprudent hook, bringing the England captain’s average down to a modest 18.09 in his last dozen innings.

With ODIs on the back-burner till September, England can focus on building towards the T20 World Cup in June with a five-match series against the co-hosts, where Buttler will be in his usual opening role.

“It’s always good when you lose a series to change the format, you move on pretty quickly,” Mott said ahead of the T20 series opener on Tuesday at the Kensington Oval.

“Jos showed his class the other day and he may well, at the top of the order, come out and take the bowling on as he has done for for a number of years.”

Will Jacks and Phil Salt have put on four opening stands of 50 or more in five ODIs, finding some fluency together in the manner predecessor Jason Roy did, first with Alex Hales then Jonny Bairstow.

The pair’s success invites speculation as to whether England could persevere with the pair in T20s and move Buttler down to number three in a reshuffle, but Mott dismissed the notion out of hand.

“Jos is a lock-in, definitely opening,” Mott said. “He’s proven over a very long period of time.

“It will be just what he needs to get up the top and really boss the game from the start and I know for a fact he’s looking forward to it.”

Mott’s position came under scrutiny after England’s shambolic World Cup and he has lost 18 ODIs in his tenure and won 16 – but five of those have been against non-Test playing Ireland and the Netherlands.

A series defeat against a side that did not qualify for the World Cup was another low moment but the success of this tour might be judged on how the T20s pan out with a more experienced bunch of players.

Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes and Tymal Mills are now in tow and, alongside Reece Topley, they trained in Bridgetown barely 12 hours after England’s rain-affected defeat at the same venue.

The quintet give England more depth with the ball, while Mills and Topley are attractive options at the death after their pacemen struggled at the back end in the ODI defeats in Antigua and Barbados.

On both occasions, England were in with a sniff of victory courtesy of their spinners – led by teenager Rehan Ahmed, who was described as “a bit of a revelation for us with the ball” on this tour by Mott.

But Sam Curran was flayed and recorded the most expensive ODI figures by an England bowler in the opener while Gus Atkinson leaked 24 in an over when the Windies needed 33 in 24 balls in the finale.

“We’ve got some really good (death bowling) options,” Mott added. “The guys getting an opportunity haven’t had a lot of opportunity in this format yet but I think they will be better for the experience.

“Sam’s definitely a player that we really want to invest in. He hasn’t missed too often at the death for us. But he’s that type of bowler that wants the ball in his hand at the back end.

“When you’ve got guys who want to do that, they’ll come out on top more often than they miss it as well.”

Andrew Flintoff is due into Barbados on Sunday night and is scheduled to be at training on Monday as he rejoins England’s coaching set-up in a paid role as a team mentor.

Nandu scored 128 as the West Indies made 317-6, their highest score of the tournament.

The 18-year-old Guyanese faced 134 balls and hit 15 fours and two sixes in his match-winning knock. He shared in an opening stand of 155 with Parris before the latter was dismissed by Rasan Kevau for 64 from 89 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

Teddy Bishop and Nandu took the score to 191 when Bishop was bowled by Patrick Nou for 15.

Wickham joined Nandu at the crease and together mounted a third-wicket stand of 107 that took the West Indies to 298 when the Caribbean youngsters suffered a late middle-order collapse.

The drama unfolded in the 49^th over when Boio Ray removed Nandu with the second ball, Rivaldo Clarke first ball and then with the fifth ball of the over dismissed Jordan Johnson, who also failed to score.

It was left to Wickham, who remained unbeaten on 61, to take the West Indies past 300.

Ray finished with figures of 3-43 and was PNG’s best bowler.

Needing 318 for an unlikely victory, PNG were bowled out for 148 in 37.4 overs. Aue Oru top-scored with an unbeaten 27 while Peter Karoho contributed 21. Barnabas Maha made 15 as Nandu took 2-14, McKenny Clarke 2-34 and Isai Thorne (2-30) combined to destroy the PNG batting.

Batting first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 307 in 50 overs. Kusal Mendis top-scored with 55 off 48 balls and Dhananjaya de Silva made a 47-ball 51. West Indies in reply narrowly fell short at 301-9.

West Indies seam bowler Alzarri Joseph took 4-65.

Shai Hope top-scored for the West Indies with 72 off 88 balls. Fellow opener Sunil Ambris made a run-a-ball 60 and Nicholas Pooran scored 50. Mathews took 4-59 in 10 overs and was player of the match.

Sri Lanka won the first ODI by one wicket and the second by 161 runs.

Despite only being able to post 140/9 from their 50 overs at Bay Oval, the Caribbean side was able to use all their experience to bowl Bangladesh out for 136 in reply for their third win of the tournament.

Needing eight runs from the final six balls, with just one wicket in hand, Bangladesh were held in check by West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor who once again came up with a big-time performance as Fariha Trisna fell for a duck on the third ball of the over to hand West Indies a narrow win.

All-rounder Hayley Matthews (4/14), who received player of the match honours, and Afy Fletcher (3/29) that did the majority of the damage with the ball, but the team would have been nowhere without a strong effort at the crease from wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle (53*) who propped up a batting innings that had failed to spark.

Bangladesh spinners Salma Khatun (2/23) and Akter (2/23) were the top bowlers for the South Asian team, while skipper Nigar Sultana (25) was the equal top-scorer in a low-scoring innings.

The win sees West Indies jump to third on the standings with three victories from five games, while Bangladesh remain seventh.

For the Caribbean team, Campbelle's half-century was the sole highlight, as Deandra Dottin (17), Matthews (18), and Taylor (4) all fell cheaply.  With the team desperate for early wickets to defend the small total it was Matthews that took up the challenge, trapping Shamima Sultana Lbw for a duck in the opening over of the chase.

Fargana Hoque (23) and Sultana looked assured at the crease as they took the score along to 60/2, but Fletcher's three-wicket haul during the middle overs turned the game on its head as the score quickly went to 60/5.

Matthews returned to pick up two more wickets - including the key scalp of Sultana - before Taylor came through with the goods in the final over to seal the result.

In a magnificent player-of-the-match performance, Matthews put together a shot-filled 119 from 128 and claimed bowling figures of 2 for 41 to anchor the West Indies in a nail-biting 3-run win over the hosts.

Prior to the win, the team had not defeated New Zealand in the format since 2014 and it was only their second win in 7 meetings between the teams at the tournament.  The innings, her third ODI century and first at the World Cup, also represented a career run high for Matthews and was the team’s fourth-highest total at the World Cup.

For a team that few would have listed among the favourites, it was a solid start to the tournament.  

“It’s exactly what we were looking to come out here and do, get off to a really good start and hopefully we can carry this momentum into the rest of the tournament,” Matthews said, following the match.

Matthews seemed to be set to bat in the middle order for the World Cup, after several strong performances in that position heading into the tournament.  The player was, however, promoted back to the spot she had previously occupied after an injury to Rashada Williams.

“I didn’t know how I felt about it at first, seeing I was pretty comfortable at 5 but I’m the type of player that whatever the team needs, I’m looking to try and do.  It seemed to work out all right."

The past year saw the talented 23-year-old put in brilliant performances with both the bat and ball.  In 14 matches Matthews scored 380 runs at an average of 29.23, with one century and one half-century.  She claimed 18 wickets at an average of 22.44 and had an economy rate of 3.33.

Matthews was named Player of the Series when the West Indies Women faced Pakistan in a five-match ODI series in July.  She scored 168 runs, which included a century, and took seven wickets in a series that the Caribbean team won 3-2.

The player was not as impressive against South Africa but returned to full form in the following series against Pakistan.  Matthews started the series with a half-century and three wickets in the first ODI and followed that up with a four-wicket haul in the second game.  The all-rounder ended the series with a knock of 49 in the final match, which helped her side complete a whitewash.

Also in contention for the award are Pakistan’s Fatima Sana, and England’s Tammy Beaumont.

Skipper Hayley Matthews top-scored for the West Indies with 46 off 48 deliveries and which included four fours and a six, as the team chased a target of 108.

Matthews shared an opening stand of 45 with Shabika Gajnabi (17). Chinelle Henry then lashed 16 not out off 14 balls to lift the tempo as the victory came with two balls to spare.

Bowling for Sri Lanka Kaveesha Dilhari and Malsha Shehani each had figures of 1-11.

Sri Lanka batted first and Aaliyah Alleyne had Sri Lanka Captain Chamari Athapaththu trapped leg-before in the second over.

Sri Lanka benefitted from a 32-run partnership between Nilakshi Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani that helped them to 107 all out in 20 overs.

Matthews picked up two wickets in the final over to finish with figures of 4-0-17-3. Afy Fletcher supported with 2-12.

“It was good to have a decent all-round performance today from a personal perspective,” said Matthews afterwards.

“From a team aspect, I think the bowlers did a fantastic job to restrict them to 107. As we know they’ve got a couple batters who can really fire up. We still have areas to improve on, but the win will no doubt give us a boost heading into our first official match against England on Saturday.”

The West Indies will take on England Women on Saturday, February 11 at Boland Park in Paarl. First ball is at 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica). The two teams are drawn in Group 2 alongside England, India, Pakistan and Ireland.

The eighth edition of the marquee event will begin on February 10 with hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka.

West Indies Match Schedule

February 11…West Indies Women v England, Boland Park, Paarl, 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

February 15…West Indies v India, Newlands, Cape Town, 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

Matthews ended the match with figures of 2 for 17, going to work with the ball first of before smashing 49 from 58 balls in pursuit of 120.

In stifling Pakistan, Matthews had plenty of help from the duo of Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack as the trio combined for eight wickets.

Overall, it was Mohammed who led the way with 4-27 off 9.4 overs, while Matthews had 2-17 off eight and Ramharack got 2-27 off nine.

Opener Muneeba Ali top-scored for Pakistan with 37 from 63 balls but runs and partnerships came at a premium.  Aliya Riaz also contributed 26 for the tourists.

In reply, West Indies Women were solid from the get-go as Matthews and Kyshona Knight put together 65 in 17.5 overs effectively ending the contest.

 Matthews was eventually dismissed after being run out by Diana Baigs, while Knight remained unbeaten on 39. Kycia Knight fell for 12, and Deandra Dottin was on 13 not out when victory was achieved.

Game three will take place on July 12 from 9:30 pm at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, England Women put up an average 141 for 6 in their stint at the crease.  The team was led by an enterprising 43 runs from 43 deliveries from opener Sophia Dunkley, who gave England a solid start with partner Danni Wyatt.

Dunkley and Wyatt put 36 on the board before Afy Fletcher broke the partnership, after bowling Wyatt for 20.  Following the dismissal of Lauren Winfield-Hill, Heather Knight became the first of Matthew’s wickets.  She was caught by Karishma Ramharack on 4. 

Matthews then also accounted for Dunkley, who was stumped by Knight.  A new-look England line-up then struggled to put together solid partnerships after that managing just 31 off the last five overs.

In pursuit of the target, the West Indies started out at 21 without loss but Lauren Bell and Charlie Dean were then introduced to the attack with great success. 

Davies got the breakthrough when she removed Aaliyah Alleyne, who made 16 from 14. Dean then the important wicket of Matthews to leave the team struggling at 23 for 2 after the first 4 over.  The Windies never recovered and eventually fell short at 125 for 8.  Dean ended with figures of 3 for 22, while Bell claimed 2 for 21.

Matthews celebrates her third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after previously winning in November 2021 and October 2023.

Her most recent success comes thanks to an array of eye-catching all-round performances resulting in 451 runs and 12 wickets across both shorter formats.

The West Indies began their tour of Pakistan with three ODIs, and skipper Matthews set the tone early with a dominant display in the opening encounter, blasting an unbeaten 140 from atop the order and following up with three wickets for 17.

More success followed with Matthews replicating her heroics in the third fixture, scoring 141 in 149 balls and taking two wickets for 26 in another comfortable victory to seal the ODI series sweep.

When the attention turned to the subsequent T20I series, the 26-year-old reinforced her position as the top-ranked Women’s T20I allrounder.

Back-to-back half-centuries in Karachi and six wickets at an average of 10.50 told the tale of her series, as she inspired the tourists to another emphatic 4-1 series triumph.

“I am really happy to win the award again. These performances resulted in the team’s success and that’s the most important thing for me as captain,” Matthews told ICC.

“To win in Pakistan was always a big goal. I wanted to perform well and contribute to the team’s success so to be able to have performances and get the results, that was really good and showed that the hard work and the concentration in Pakistan paid off.

“Being able to set some new records and achieve some new milestones as well was good for me so I’m extremely happy. We have confidence and we will take this with us going into the tour of Sri Lanka and look to secure more crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.”

Matthews faced 122 balls for an even hundred that included 11 fours as she guided the home side to yet another victory over the visiting Pakistan Women. She shared in an opening stand of 56 with Kyshona Knight, who contributed 18 before being trapped lbw by Anam Amin.

Britney Cooper joined Matthews at the crease and together the pair put together a stand of 106 in 24 overs during which Cooper hit three fours in her score of 45 that came off 68 balls.

She was eventually out caught in the deep by Ayesha Naseem off the bowling of Fatima Sana.

Chedean Nation ended unbeaten on 13 as she and Matthews completed the chase without further loss with 59 balls to spare.

Matthews said her century was the result of hard work.

"I've been working really hard over the past couple of months to improve on my batting and on my consistency and it's really good to see it finally paying off,” she said, revealing that she was a bit concerned when she realized that runs were running out and she was not yet at three figures.

“I don't think nervous necessarily but probably when I got into the nineties and realized it was about 10 runs to win the game and five runs for me to get my hundred and then the rain started setting up, I felt a bit anxious about actually getting the runs but I never doubted I was going to get my hundred."

Earlier, Umaima Sohail top-scored with 62 in Pakistan Women’s score of 182.

Chinelle Henry took two of the first three wickets as Pakistan slipped to 56-3 in over number 16, despite opener Muneeba Ali’s contribution of 25.

However, Nida Dar and Sohial put together a fourth-wicket stand of 87 before Dar was dismissed by Matthews for 24.

Wickets fell with regularity afterwards with Chinelle Henry, who finished with 3-37, Anisa Mohammed (3-25) and Matthews (2-30), combining to tear through the middle order.

Only Rameen Shamim’s 19 from 21 balls managed to get Pakistan to 182, a score that proved to be not nearly enough.

Despite being considered one of the team’s brightest talents, and having appeared in all formats, Hetmyer has not suited up for the Test team since 2019, against Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old, who made his debut against India in 2016, has struggled for consistency, scoring five 50s in 15 matches with a high score of 93, but with several other innings where he has not delivered.  Despite obvious potential, his overall average of 28 falls on the mediocre side.

In addition, the athlete has also had his share fair of fitness issues over the past two years, twice failing fitness standards after being included in touring squads.  Simmons has, however, backed the batsman to eventually get things right.

“I think that Hetmyer can be a world-class Test player when that time comes,” Simmons told members of the media.

“I’m sure at some point he’s going to return to the Test squad.  I’m sure the experience he’s gotten from being there before will serve him well and that he will make use of it.  I think he is maturing as we go along.  He’s had a few incidents he’s not proud of, but he’s maturing and I’m sure he will get back into the Test squad at some point in time and show what he’s made of.”

Australia's total of 241 for 4, their highest on home soil, set a challenging target for West Indies. Despite a valiant effort from West Indies captain Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, and Jason Holder, Australia's bowling attack, led by Marcus Stoinis with figures of 3-36, proved too strong for the Caribbean side.

The match featured late controversy when Alzarri Joseph was short of his ground attempting a tight single. However, umpire Gerard Abood ruled there had been no appeal, leading to heated scenes on the field. Despite the late drama, it did not affect the match's outcome.

Maxwell's innings, featuring eight sixes, was the second-highest T20I score for a batter at number or lower, equaling Rohit Sharma's record with a fifth T20I century. His dominating performance left West Indies with a challenging target, and despite Powell's attractive 63 off 36 balls, they fell short, finishing at 207 for 9.

The series victory for Australia, following their 11-run win in the first game at Bellerive Oval, marks a successful start to their T20 World Cup preparations. The third and final game of the series is scheduled to be played in Perth on Tuesday.

West Indies, facing an imposing total, came out swinging with aggressive batting early on. However, Australia's left-arm quick, Spencer Johnson, making his first appearance in a home international, showcased his talent with figures of 2 for 39. Johnson, who debuted for Australia late last year and starred for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, is emerging as a bowler of considerable interest across formats.

Despite West Indies' big-hitters like Andre Russell providing some fireworks, the team fell away in the face of Maxwell's relentless assault. Russell's entertaining 37 off 16 balls and Powell's glimmer of hope were not enough to overcome Australia's commanding performance.

So claims West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite on the eve of the second Test in the Betway series as the home side looks to pull off another victory that would see them win the series 2-0.

Mayers, the hero of the Bangladesh series in February, has had a lean time with the bat since the Sri Lanka series in March.

In his last three Tests, the Barbadian all-rounder has had scores of 1, 12, 12, 34, 0 and 0. Bonner, meantime, has had an even leaner spell with scores of 0, 12, 0, and 5.

To compound matters, he was hit on the helmet first ball in the second Test against South Africa and was substituted under the sport’s concussion protocols.

Still, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes both players are eager to get back out in the middle and deliver the goods for the home side that desperately needs better performances from its batsmen.

“The guys are very confident and they are looking forward to the challenge,” he told members of the media in a pre-match press conference in Kingston.

“Obviously, they didn’t get the scores in the last couple of innings but the guys are raring to go, to be honest. We had a good session today and yesterday. As batters, number one to 11, we all know our jobs. The guys are really excited and can’t wait.

“The guys are really looking forward to the challenge. It’s Test cricket. It’s never easy and you got to work and you got to work hard and they’re willing to put in the work in this second Test.”

That said, Brathwaite believes patience will be key to the success of his batsmen against the quality Pakistan bowling attack spearheaded by the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali, who between them took 12 of the 19 West Indies wickets to fall in the first Test.

“We saw how Pakistan bowled and how the pitched played and they were constantly on a line and length and so as batters, I believe who has the most patience will come out on top,” the captain said.

“As a group, we have had a few chats about it and we do believe that patience is the key in Test cricket, regardless, patience is always the key.”

After losing the toss and being put in to bat, Mayers and Brandon King got the team off to a solid start, in the power play, after a 57 partnership for the first wicket.  Although by taking 20 deliveries to make his 20, King somewhat slowed down the scoring rate.   

 Hardik Pandya got the breakthrough for India when King, deceived by a slower ball, dragged onto the stumps.  Mayers then joined forces with captain Nicholas Pooran for another 50 partnership pushing the team to 107.  Pooran was then undone by a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which he miscued before being gobbled up by Pant.  The Windies captain used 23 balls for his 22 runs.

The same pair, Kumar, and Pant, combined to finally account for Mayers, as well, as he top-edged to Pant from a slower ball.  Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer made brief cameos of 23 and 20, and briefly accelerated the scoring but were kept in check by India’s bowling line-up.

In pursuit, India got off to a flyer despite Rohit Sharma retiring hurt in the second over and Shreyas Iyer struggling after coming in next at the crease.  The innings was fueled by Yadav’s aggression with his 76 runs off 44 balls putting the match out of reach for the West Indies. India now leads the five-match series 2-1 after three games.