West Indies

This will be played at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday 23 November to Saturday 26 November. The day/might match will be played under lights and will recognize the anniversary of the inaugural fixture in 1951, also against the West Indies.

The match will also form part of the team’s preparations for the series against the Aussies, which will feature the first pink ball Test between the two teams. It will be played on 8 to 12 December at the Adelaide Oval following the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on 30 November to 4 December. The series will be contested for the prestigious Frank Worrell Trophy – named in honor of the legendary West Indies captain. It will also form part of the ICC World Test Championship. 

Australia Prime Minister the Hon Mr Anthony Albanese said: “I am delighted to confirm the return of the Prime Minister’s XI this summer, an Australian tradition that spans 70 years. Along with Cricket Australia, I am very excited to be welcoming the West Indies. I grew up loving watching Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner, so I’m thrilled my first PM’s XI as Prime Minister will be against the current West Indies stars here in Canberra.”

West indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite said: “We’re looking forward to this tour of Australia and there is great energy and readiness in our camp. The match against the Prime Minister’s XI is a major part of the cricket calendar and it will be an honor to lead the West Indies in such a prestigious match.” He added: “My preparation has been going well. I’ve been home for a while so I have been able to do plenty of drills and fitness work as well as playing club cricket and other tournaments … spending time in the middle … for what will be a major tour for us. We have been playing some good Test cricket this year, with very good series wins against England and Bangladesh, and we want to make greater strides in the ICC World Test Championship table.”

According to Cricket West Indies director of cricket Miles Bascombe, the Windies all-rounders have requested "a period of rest" after playing five back-to-back tests against England and South Africa.

The West Indies fell to a two-match Test series defeat against South Africa yesterday, having already lost a Test series to England in July, their first series win since the tour of Pakistan in 2022.

Matthew Forde and Fabian Allen have returned to the squad after missing the T20 World Cup co-hosted by West Indies in June, while Alzarri Joseph and Brandon King remain absent.

"I’m confident in the squad we’ve selected, and with eyes already on the next T20 World Cup in 2026, I know the guys will be keen to show their hunger for success," said Windies head coach Daren Sammy.

The West Indies will play the T20 Series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on 23rd August, 25th August and 27th August.

Macron, as CWI’s new official technical partner and team kit supplier, is an Italian based sports apparel manufacturer which has been supplying equipment and sportwear from grassroots to elite athletes, sports players and teams for over five decades. The new partnership will see Macron supply team playing and training kits for all home and away Test, ODI and T20I matches and covering all West Indies Men’s and Women’s international teams including ‘A’ Teams, the Academies and age group teams. 

The team jerseys feature high performance material that not only support performance but also helps reduce plastic waste and energy consumption. Each jersey is made from a special 100% PET recycled polyester thread that comes from thirteen recycled bottles and requires less energy in the production of the apparel.  The new partnership also helps CWI’s desired aim to increase sustainability, reduce plastic waste and reduce energy consumption which is important for the future of Caribbean countries.  

The new team kit designs will be unveiled in the build-up to the three-match CG United ODI Series, which bowls off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on 3 December, and the T20I Series which starts on the 12 December at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. 

Macron’s online store will enable fans around the world to purchase the new range playing and training apparel as well as caps, polo shirts and other accessories. Fans in the Caribbean will initially be able to purchase the new range on match day at the four venues hosting the West Indies vs England Series, either through a click and collect service via CWI’s online channels, or at West Indies merchandise stands in each venue. CWI is also working with regional retail partners to stock the new West Indies Macron range. More details on where and how fans can buy the new West Indies kit will be announced in the coming days. 

CWI Commercial Director, Dominic Warne stated: “CWI is looking forward to a great technical partnership with Macron as a top-quality sports brand suppling technical apparel to sports teams around the world. We believe the new kit will be loved by fans, players and will also help the environment.  The players will enjoy high quality technical apparel to support their high-performance requirements. We know fans will enjoy the new maroon jersey designs which supporters can purchase at all West Indies matches as well as through Macron’s e-commerce store. The team jerseys will also make a positive environmental impact using recycled plastic bottles in their production.  We’re looking forward to seeing lots of maroon in the stands and the streets with fans rallying to see West Indies home for Christmas and with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup coming to the Caribbean and USA in 2024.” 

Macron CEO, Gianluca Pavanello said: “Given the history, success and international prestige of West Indies Cricket, we can be particularly proud of this partnership. This further confirms the quality and reliability of the teamwear we supply to the growing number of sports federations who choose to wear the Macron Hero on their chest. We are committed to designing and producing game sets and technical garments that express the history, symbols and identity of West Indies Cricket.”

Further information will be announced on windiescricket.com and CWI’s social channels using the ‘windiescricket’ handle.

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

The tourists began their second innings facing a deficit of 34 after dismissing the South Africans for 317 to close out day two.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who made 23 in the first innings, didn’t bat this time around as Raymon Reifer joined Tagenarine Chanderpaul at the top of the innings.

Chanderpaul reached a run-a-ball 12 before he was dismissed by Thando Ntini with the score on 13.

Three runs later, Devon Thomas was dismissed by Corbin Bosch for one. Reifer followed not long after for three as the Windies found themselves 18-3 in the eighth over.

Kyle Mayers and Jermaine Blackwood came together and orchestrated a recovery before Mayers went for a whirlwind 38 off just 24 balls with the score on 71 in the 15^th over.

Blackwood was then joined by first innings half-centurion Joshua Da Silva and the pair put on a further 62 for the fifth wicket.

That fifth wicket came when Blackwood was dismissed by Irvin Modimokoane for 39 in the 31^st over.

In the end, Da Silva followed up his first innings fifty with 44 while Jason Holder, who also got a first innings fifty, made 32 and Kemar Roach made 29* as the West Indies reached 208-8 off 49 overs before the match was declared a draw.

The West Indies will now turn their attention to the first Test against South Africa which bowls off on February 28.

Scores: West Indies 283-9 off 89 overs (Jason Holder 57, Joshua Da Silva 54*, Roston Chase 35, Raymon Reifer 30, Corbin Bosch 2-17, Irvin Modimokoane 2-39, Smangaliso Nhlebela 2-71) and 208-8 off 49 overs (Joshua Da Silva 44, Jermaine Blackwood 39, Kyle Mayers 38, Thando Ntini 2-10, Irvin Modimokoane 2-29)

South Africa Invitational XI 317 off 89.5 overs (Wihan Lubbe 71, Dewald Brevis 50, Ruan De Swardt 40, Akeem Jordan 3-32, Roston Chase 3-94, Shannon Gabriel 2-45)

The camp is set to run until January six days before the January 17 start of the World Cup.

Coming out of the camp, the West Indies u19s go into official warm-up games against Canada on January 13 and Scotland on January 15.

The West Indies are in Zone B of the World Cup group stage where they will face Australia, England and debutants, Nigeria.

According to Cricket West Indies, the players have been preparing well, given the exposure that has been afforded them through trial games in the Rising Stars Under-19 tournament, with players from the Super50-winning West Indies Emergin Players team, joining the World Cup outfit, as well as a skills camp in September of 2019, and two tri-series competitions against England and Sri Lanka in the Caribbean.

According to U19 coach, Graeme West, the two tri-series against England and Sri Lanka were instructive.
“The encouraging aspect of the Tri-Series was that the team got into strong positions in five out of the six games that were played, the bowling unit functioned well and was backed up by some impressive fielding that was enhanced by the introduction of Fielding Specialist, Julien Fountain. The batsman came out of the series with a better understanding of the skills they will need to deliver in order to achieve the team targets that have been set and the camp will certainly focus heavily in these areas,” said West.

“The six games has given each player a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities they will need to fulfil for the team to succeed. Equally as important was the time the players and coaches spent together to discuss, review and reflect on the cricket that was played and identify how each player can move their game forward and give more to the team.”

WEST INDIES UNDER-19 WORLD CUP SQUAD:

Kimani Melius - Captain

Nyeem Young

Ashmead Nedd

Leonardo Julien

Kevlon Anderson

Daniel Beckford

Matthew Forde

Joshua James

Antonio Morris

Mbeki Joseph

Avinash Mahabirsingh

Kirk McKenzie

Ramon Simmonds

Matthew Patrick

Jaden Seales

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Graeme West (Head Coach)

Kenny Benjamin (Assistant Coach)

Dwain Gill (Manager)

Dinesh Mahabir (Analyst)

Khevyn Williams (Physiotherapist)

Martin Gallyer (Strength & Conditioning Coach) 

Julian Fountain (Fielding Coach) 

West Indies lost by an innings and 114 runs in just over two days in their first Test against England at Lord's last week, with the hosts dominating with the ball.

However, at the Adelaide Oval in January, Australia thrashed them by 10 wickets in the first of two Tests before they responded with a famous victory at the Gabba.

Coley is confident his side can channel that same resistance at Trent Bridge in order to set up a decider at Edgbaston.

"They would've taken a lot of positives from that," Coley said when asked about the Gabba Test.

"In terms of how we were able to bounce back, the process that we went through to be able to do that I believe is a lot more powerful [than the result].

"It reinforces the fact that in a series you could actually not start well but then compose yourself and come back in the series and be quite competitive, potentially set it up for a game-three decider.

"So, there are real positives to be taken away, not only from the first Test here but what we would've [faced in the] last six months."

West Indies struggled with the bat in both innings at Lord's, with Gudakesh Motie the highest scorer as he finished the second with 31.

They only managed 257 runs, not coming close to England's tally of 371 from their single innings, but Coley remains optimistic they can make the necessary improvements ahead of the second Test.

"We admit that the side we have, it is young and emerging, but we are still very positive about how we are approaching the second Test," Coley added.

"Everybody's in good spirits. We've been catching up with the players one-on-one and this will really be the first time that we'll be settled as a squad.

"I would love to see us with a lot more intensity that we're known to show in the field.

"I thought in this Test match, we weren't at our best in terms of imposing ourselves on the England batters. That is definitely something that we need to be better at for the next Test."

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 third CG United ODI will be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 9 December followed on 12 December by the first of five T20Is.

The Spice Isle of Grenada welcomes both teams for two T20Is on 14 and 16 December and the tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the fourth and fifth T20Is at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad which will be hosting a West Indies vs England men’s fixture for the first time on 19 and 21 December.

CWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Grave said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the England match schedule and to welcome once again their many travelling fans to the region for a pre-Christmas white-ball tour. “

Grave added: “This tour will be a major economic boost to the host countries, as well as providing our fans with the chance to see some of their favourite players in action against one of our biggest rivals. The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation and event planning for one of the biggest events ever to be staged in the region, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which takes place in June next year.

"We also look forward to announcing the fixtures and venues for the India tour of the West Indies in July and August very soon."

Official West Indies Tour Operators and ticket information for the series will be announced in the coming weeks with tickets available in advance on the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard, accessible via Windiescricket.com where fans can also find all the latest news and scores. Fans can register sign up to receive the first news of tickets going on sale at https://www.windiescricket.com/updates/. ​

MATCH SCHEDULE

CG United One-Day Internationals

3 December: 1st CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

6 December: 2nd CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

9 December: 3rd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

T20 Internationals

12 December: 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

14 December: 2nd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

16 December: 3rd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

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

21 December: 5th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

Following their series-sealing Test win in St Lucia, South Africa's squad travelled to Grenada, where all five of the matches will be played at St George's over the course of eight days starting on Saturday.

The remaining players have returned negative COVID-19 tests, but Pretorius is ruled out of the compacted schedule under recovery and return to play protocols despite being asymptomatic.

Wiaan Mulder – who took a remarkable 3-1 in four overs in the first innings of the second Test - will take Pretorius' place in the travelling party, having been retained from the red ball squad, and will hope to add to his solitary T20I cap. Similarly, left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks had been due to return home after the Tests but has stayed on.

Bavuma missed South Africa's dominant 2-0 Test series triumph, dislocating a finger after being initially laid low with a hip complaint, but the batsman is expected to be fit for the toss as his side look to snap a six-match winless run in the format.

West Indies begin an intensive period of preparation for the defence of the T20 World Cup in India later this year, with the South Africa series the first of three consecutive five-match rubbers.

Australia and Pakistan are also on the agenda for Kieron Pollard's side within the space of the next six weeks.

Star all-rounder Andre Russell is back in the fold alongside batsman Shimron Hetmyer, pace bowlers Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas and leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Indies – Evin Lewis

Lewis will be charged with providing the fireworks at the top of the West Indies order – something he relishes. The powerful left-hander is 11 runs away from 1,000 in T20Is. He would be the sixth Windies player to reach the landmark and the second-fastest in terms of innings, with the series opener set to be his 35th. Chris Gayle reached four figures in his 34th match.

South Africa – Aiden Markram

Opener Markram began the Test series with a fifty but could only contribute nought and four to a resounding 158-run win last time out. Nevertheless, he is likely to be in a confident mood heading into a format he relishes. Markram has hit a boundary for every three deliveries faced in T20Is since the beginning of 2019 – the most frequent for any batter to have faced 50 balls or more from a Test-playing country.

KEY OPTA FACTS

- West Indies will be aiming for back-to-back multi-game bilateral men's T20I series victories for the first time since March 2013, following their 2-1 triumph over Sri Lanka in March.
- Ireland defeated West Indies by four runs in the only previous T20I at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.
- West Indies have scored 62 per cent of their runs from boundaries in T20Is since the beginning of 2019, the best rate of any Test-playing country and five percentage points higher than South Africa (57 per cent).
- South Africa have a bowling dot-ball percentage of 33 per cent in T20Is since the beginning of 2019, the lowest of any Test-playing country and two percentage points fewer than West Indies (35 per cent).
- South Africa have saved 58 runs when fielding in men's T20Is since the beginning of 2019. Only New Zealand (61) have prevented more in that time amongst Test-playing countries.

Holder opted not to tour Bangladesh in January due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Brathwaite filling in as captain.

Brathwaite subsequently retained the leadership role for the home series against Sri Lanka in March, and the batsman will again be captain for South Africa's tour of the Caribbean.

It was a decision that came as a surprise to Holder – who had been captain since 2015 – though the 29-year-old is now hoping he can use the opportunity to focus more on his own game.

"It was kind of a shock. Yeah, still lost for words in regards to that, but I am not dwelling on it. I don't think it's something I should dwell on, to be fair," Holder told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the first Test of the two-match series, which starts on Thursday.

"Yeah, it's been difficult. I probably may not show it, but it has been difficult.

"For the last five-six years, I've been captaining West Indies, whether that be Test-match cricket or one-day cricket. So now being relieved of both captaincies, it has been a strange transition for me personally."

Holder had some fine individual moments during his captaincy, though in total only managed 11 Test wins, compared to 21 defeats.

"I am just trying to find ways to move on and transition back to just being a regular player. For me now, it's about showing a bit more of my character, and being a lot more… I would say outspoken. I am relatively outspoken, but just expressing myself a little bit more and having fun," he added.

"I feel as though I have been really, really committed to West Indies cricket – I am still committed to West Indies cricket, but more or less for me now it's just about having fun and enjoying however many days I have playing international cricket.

"There is a lot less pressure, a lot less responsibility. It's just about me now personally… I'm 100 per cent a team man. So I'll play my part to help the team and if there are other players who are seeking out advice or guidance, no doubt I'll be here to give them that."

The Proteas, meanwhile, are set to hand a debut to Keegan Petersen, who has drawn the praises of new Test captain Dean Elgar.

"I've been nervous for a while now," said Petersen, who is likely to replace the retired Faf du Plessis.

"It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I know I will have big boots to fill. Anyone would be nervous. This is what we dream of as kids and eventually when the dream becomes a reality, it gives your system a bit of a shock."

BLACKWOOD CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE

Jermaine Blackwood could well be crucial if the Windies are to pull off a series victory this month, though they do face a South Africa team who have lost their last nine Tests as tourists.

He needs just 55 runs to bring up 2,000 in total in Test cricket, having averaged 37 from his 67 innings so far. Blackwood and the likes of Shai Hope and Kieran Powell – who have earned recalls – will need to be wary, however, with South Africa's bowling strike rate of 52.2 in Tests since 2018 ranking them behind only India (47.8).

Teenager bowler Jayden Seales, meanwhile, will be looking to make an impact on his debut.

TIME FOR RABADA TO CLICK BACK INTO GEAR

Only one pace bowler has taken more wickets than South Africa's Kagiso Rabada (202) in men's Tests since his debut in November 2015 (Stuart Broad – 203).

Rabada averages 23.4 and has a strike rate of 41.7 across 82 innings, but as of late the burden of carrying South Africa's attack appeared to have dragged him down prior to an 18-month COVID-19 enforced lay off for the team.

While questions remain over the rest of South Africa's pace attack, the tourists need Rabada to step up and deliver at his best. A five-for would be a good start – he has not taken one since March 2018 against Australia.

KEY OPTA FACTS

- This will be the first time West Indies play South Africa in a men's Test since January 2015 – the Windies are winless in their last eight Tests against the Proteas (D2 L6).
- South Africa have won all their eight men’s Test series against the West Indies so far, four of which were won away in the Caribbean.
- West Indies have a win and two losses at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in men's Tests, the remaining four matches they have played at this venue ended in a draw.
- Quinton de Kock has dropped nine catches since 2019 in Test cricket; the only wicketkeeper to drop more catches during this period is India's Rishabh Pant (12).
- West Indies are unbeaten in their last four Tests (W2 D2); however, they lost their four such matches prior to this run.

South Africa batsman Rassie van der Dussen clean bowled by Kemar Roach after letting a straight one go.

Asked to bat first, Australia posted 259-7 from their 50 overs.

Ellyse Perry top-scored with 62 off 85 deliveries and Annabel Sutherland supported with 54 not out. Stafanie Taylor led her team from the front with the ball, taking 3-51 followed while Anisa Mohammed finished with figures of 2-45 and Hayley Matthews 2-45.

In their reply, West Indies Women reached 169/9 in 50 overs.

Taylor led with the bat scoring 66 from 128 deliveries. However, the next best effort came from Matthews with 24.

Ellyse Perry was the pick of the Australian bowlers with 2-6 while Tahlia McGrath, Alana King and Annabel Sutherland took two wickets each.

West Indies Women's vice-captain Anisa Mohammed said despite losing, there were some positives to extract from the match.

"The bowlers bowled really well and we had Australia under some pressure up until the 45th over but with wickets in hand a long batting line-up, it was expected they would go after it (our bowling),” Mohammed said.

“It's good to see Staf (Stafanie) getting back into the runs and taking wickets. We just need a couple more batters to get going and come that first game with New Zealand I think we will be ready."

West Indies will play their final warm-up match against India on Tuesday at Rangiora Oval before taking on home team New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament on March 4 in Tauranga.

That said, she opined that she doesn’t mind if the 2016 champions are considered underdogs this time around, saying that the team is a good space and is focused on the task at hand and that they won’t be letting anything distract them from taking the tournament one game at a time.

“I think we're in a really good space at the moment. The two practice games are for us to focus on ourselves and work on ourselves before the first official game against New Zealand,” Taylor said.

“We don't mind being underdogs. It’s good that we don’t get too ahead of ourselves, and some people don't look at us being a 50-over team, but I’ve seen us getting better and better so that's a plus for us.”

The West Indies Women will take on India in the second of their two warm-up games at the Rangiora Oval in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Captain Hayley Matthews made a top-score of 34 while under-19 player Zaida James made 21 not out as the Windies Women were restricted to just 94-6 off their 20 overs after India won the toss and chose to field first.

Off-spinner Deepti Sharma starred with the ball for India with 3-11 from her four overs while medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar took 2-19 from her four overs.

The Indians then needed just 13.5 overs to achieve victory, reaching 95-2 thanks to an unbeaten 53-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues (42 not out) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (32 not out).

West Indies Women have now lost 10 T20 Internationals in a row. India will take on South Africa in the Tri-Series final on Thursday.

In what was a must-win match for the Caribbean women, Captain Stafanie Taylor won the toss and asked South Africa to bat.

It proved to be the correct decision as Chinelle Henry took 3-11 and was backed up by Shamilia Connell, who took 1-18 as South Africa lost four wickets for just 22 runs by the sixth over. However, the situation could have been worse for South Africa as the West Indies dropped three chances in those early overs, two of them by Deandra Dottin.

Through the efforts of Mignon du Preez and Marizanne Kapp, South Africa began to fight back as the pair shared in an unbroken partnership of 39 before the rains came. Du Preez, who hit three fours in a row off Hayley Matthews’s first over that yielded 15 runs before the rains came, was unbeaten on 38 from 31 balls and Kapp on five with South Africa on 61-4.

Both teams earned one point each. With it, the West Indies Women move to third on the standings with 7 points and now await the outcome of the South Africa-India match on March 27. Should South Africa win, the West Indies will secure a semi-final berth, should India win, then the West Indies will be eliminated.

“It's not the way we liked. can't do much about it, something we can't control,” said a concerned Taylor, who praised Henry afterwards.

“We were hoping that we would have had a game. The bowlers have been doing a fantastic job, For Chinelle, there's something about South Africa, she always does well, she takes wickets.

 I tossed her the ball and she was in great rhythm. We will probably have some popcorn, hope that South Africa do beat India for us to give it a chance. It's something we can't control but do hope it goes our way.”

The West Indies Women’s captain conceded that their inconsistent form has led them to this situation where the team’s destiny is not within its own hands.

“Probably other than the first two games we have played we have been iffy. Travelling does put a dent in that, you don't get much recovery time, we are trying our best to recover,” she said.

“Niggles do creep in at times, it's about managing them. It's never easy when you are travelling around. If we go to the semis, you just have to go out and play, does not matter if it's a niggle or an injury, you have to step up. It comes down to how badly you want it.”

West Indies Women's all-rounder Deandra Dottin shared some of her captain’s concerns but remained optimistic.

 "We knew coming into this tournament that it was going to be tough. We had to travel after every game so consistency was difficult,” she said.

“We played good cricket, we just didn't put enough runs on the board in some games. The girls are still in good spirits; we always have that never die attitude. We just have to look forward now. The tournament is still playing so not all is lost just yet."

There will be two groups of five competing for progress to the semi-finals, with the top two from each group making it through.

The West Indies find themselves in Group B along with England, South Africa, Pakistan and Thailand.

West Indies had a successful tournament in 2018, reaching the semi-finals before being knocked out by the eventual champions Australia. Whilst their form in the format has not been ideal over the last few years, they still have some of the most exciting players in the tournament lining up for them.

Deandra Dottin is among the best attacking batters in the world, particularly if she's facing spin - in the last two years she scores at 8 runs per over against spinners, and only gets out every 38 balls.

With ball in hand, captain Stafanie Taylor will be looking to Shakera Selman to make inroads at the top of the inning - nobody swings the ball more than her over the last two years of T20I cricket, and on the hard fast pitches of Australia, movement through the air will be crucial.

If all goes to plan, West Indies will be more than confident of progressing to the knockout stages.

England made the final in the last edition of the T20 World Cup before, like West Indies, being eliminated by Australia. Heather Knight's side are still somewhat in transition, but a new-found balance relying on Nat Sciver to bowl four overs has allowed them to play an extra specialist batsman - it's given the batting line-up some serious oomph. On the bowling side of things, Sophie Ecclestone is a very important part of the English attack. A tall left-arm orthodox spinner, no player has taken more wickets for England in T20Is since the start of 2018 than Ecclestone, with 35 wickets in that time at an average of 16.82. Offering control as well as attacking threat, she'll be the likely fulcrum of the England attack. Knight will see anything but progress from the group as abject failure, and they'll be eager to go all the way.

Pakistan bowl 76 per cent spin over the last two years - that’s the most of any team in the world during that period. Much like Bangladesh in Group A, this does at least give them a clear blueprint to work to a basic structure they can focus on in the absence of many acclaimed stars. If they have one standout player it's Bismah Maroof, who has notched up 782 T20I runs in the last two years, comfortably the most of any Pakistan batter and the 11th most for anyone in the world. If anyone in Pakistan green is going to spring a shock on the opposition, it'll be her.

In contrast to Pakistan, 76 per cent of the deliveries sent down from South Africa over the last two years, come from pace bowlers, the most of any side in the competition. They were a disappointment at the last T20 World Cup, not reaching the semi-finals. Their bowling is mixed, but their batting is likely to focus around a few key individuals, and one in particular. Alyssa Healy is renowned as an absolute colossus, but Chloe Tryon - at least statistically - is almost keeping pace with her. A powerful left-hander, Tryon is particularly effective against spin bowling, rocketing along at 8.6 runs per over (compared to 7.6 runs per over against seamers). The South African has a particular preference for hitting off spinners, scoring 180  from 113 deliveries against off-break bowlers in T20I cricket. Given how much spin is bowled in T20 cricket, this sets Tryon apart, her strength and power meaning that she doesn’t need pace on the ball to cause damage - South Africa will be looking to her to really lift the scoring rate when she’s at the crease.

Thailand are the most notable presence at this T20 World Cup, an unfamiliar presence in top-level cricket for both men and women. However, much of their success in recent years and in qualification is down to Nattaya Boochatham. A skilful right-arm seamer, Boochatham has taken a lot of wickets since the start of 2018; in fact, in that time period, only Poonam Yadav has taken more international T20 wickets than Boochatham. Undoubtedly, this has been given a boost by the standard of opposition that Thailand have been facing, but it’s been Boochatham who has done the damage in those matches. If Thailand are going to lay a glove on any side at this tournament, she’ll have to be at her best.

The outspoken 57-year-old Ambrose, who took 405 Test wickets in 98 Tests between 1988 and 2000, was speaking on Talk Sports Live with Michael Bascombe in Antigua on Saturday when he made his stunning declaration.

“This is no disrespect to the players we have now because we have a couple of guys who have some quality in them and can become great but what we have to understand is that I don’t think we will ever see those great, exceptional glory days again,” said the towering Antiguan, who famously took seven wickets for one run in a devastating spell against Australia in Perth in 1993.

“It’s going to be difficult to find another Viv Richards, or a Haynes and Greenidge, a Brian Lara, Richie Richardson; you know, a Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, and the list goes on and one, Clive Lloyd.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult to find those quality players again.”

He believes this to be the case because the modern players have little appreciation for the legacy that made the West Indies great.

“Most of the youngsters we have now, probably don’t quite understand what cricket means to West Indians in the West Indies and abroad because cricket is the only sport that really unites Caribbean people,” argued Ambrose, who took 22 five-wicket hauls during his illustrious Test career.

“When we were the best team in the word, West Indians all over the globe could walk and boast about how good we are because we were the best, so it’s going to be difficult to see those glory days again.

“Yes, we can be competitive and climb up the ICC rankings and be a force to be reckoned with again, but those glory days, I don’t think we will see them again.”

For almost 20 years, the West Indies under the leadership of Sir Clive Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards was the number-one Test and ODI team in the world. The team won the ODI (Prudential World Cup) in 1975 and 1979 but have not won the tournament since. The West Indies are now ranked eighth on Tests and ODIs and tenth in T20 cricket despite being the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2016 and 2012.

Chasing a relatively modest target of 233, the West Indies eased to 236 for 2 with 18 balls to spare. Hope hit 12 fours and a six while scoring 110 runs from only 133 balls at a strike rate of 82.71.

In the opening stand between Hope and Evin Lewis of 143 runs, the effort to rotate the strike was more evident than in the recent past. The first 50 came up in just 53 balls and while the scoring rate slowed a bit, the 100-run partnership took only 134 balls.

However, according to the Barbadian batsman, the West Indies can do a lot better.

“There is definitely a lot of improvements that can be made,” said Hope during a press conference on Thursday on the eve of the second match against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

“We always look at ourselves as power hitters, ball beaters, but there is so much more to our game.

“If we can merge the two together, limit the dot balls along with the boundary balls that will come along, then we can consistently get big totals.”

He revealed that doing a better job rotating the strike is something that the team has been working on behind the scenes, but conceded that there is still a long way to go.

“WE have been working on picking up these singles, working on our singles options, making sure we have a clear mind on how we are going to play a particular bowler to get those singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over,” he said.

“It’s a work in progress but we are going to get there.”

West Indies XI and Pakistan Shaheens had to settle for a draw in their three-day tour match, as both teams delivered competitive performances but ultimately canceled each other out in the final push for a result in Islamabad on Sunday.