West Indies

The West Indies became one of the first teams to resume international cricket, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, when they toured England in August.  The entirety of the tour was conducted within a biosecure environment.  New Zealand officials had said last month that they were examining the series with the hope of staging a similar version.  Pakistan is also expected to be invited to tour the country.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said the tours would help the sport through the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a huge boost for us, it’s our financial lifeline,” he told reporters on Friday. “International cricket funds the whole game of cricket in New Zealand, so it’s very, very important for us."

White said the teams would fly to Auckland then catch a charter to Christchurch, where they would stay in quarantine while training at NZC’s high-performance centre in Lincoln University. White said all players would follow health and testing protocols set down by the government.

“It’s not going to come cheap; we will be footing the bill but we are happy to do that and fully understand it’s a user-pays model.”

New Zealand has been one of the world's most successful nations at containing the new coronavirus and the country's borders remain closed to almost all visitors.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the Prime Minister’s XI got a solid start as openers Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris shared in an opening stand of 134 inside 42 overs.

Jayden Seales broke the partnership when he had Harris caught by Kyle Mayers for 73.

Renshaw made 81 for the Prime Minister’s XI, who also benefitted from 55 from the bat of Peter Handscomb as the home side looked set for a score above 400 at 250-4.

However, Roston Chase led the West Indies fightback when he dismissed Aaron Hardie for 23 and then removed Handscomb as the Prime Minister’s XI slipped to 253-6.

Alzarri Joseph then bowled Ashton Agar for 33, Michael Neser for 10 and Joel Paris for two with the last ball of the day to finish with figures of 3-52 from 17.3 overs.

Chase’s two wickets in 21 overs cost 72 runs while Kemar Roach, Mayers and Raymon Reifer had one wicket each.

Darren Bravo scored a masterclass 135 and Shamarh Brooks 80 on Saturday as the West Indies, replying to New Zealand ‘A’s 308 for 3 declared ended the day on 329 for 6.

They batted on Sunday taking the score from 329 for 6 to make 366 and establish a lead of 58. Nkrumah Bonner compiled 24 from 50 balls but there was little contribution otherwise with Shayne Moseley remaining unbeaten on 11 at the end.

Jacob Duffy was the best of the bowlers taking 3 for 49 with his medium-paced deliveries while Blair Tickner returned 2 for 66 from 27 overs.

However, any thoughts the West Indies would have harboured that their bowlers would do a better job in New Zealand ‘A’s second time at the crease were dashed despite the fact that first-innings century-maker Rachin Ravindra was bowled for by Shannon Gabriel for just 10 with the score at 27.

Will Young and Devon Conway shared in an unbroken stand of 97 when the match was called off after 45.3 overs. By then Young had scored 64 and Conway 41 as they frustrated a blunt West Indies attack.

Gabriel finished with 1 for 23 from nine overs.

De Zorzi, the Proteas’ opening batter, was dismissed for 78 before lunch, while Bavuma was dismissed late in the day for 80, allowing West Indies to gradually claw their way back into the contest. Wiaan Mulder, not out on 37, and Kagiso Rabada, on 12, will resume batting for South Africa on Friday’s third day.

Jomel Warrican has been the pick of the Caribbean bowlers so far, with Kemar Roach (2-53) and Jayden Seales (2-57) also picking up key wickets.

Scores: South Africa 342 for 8 (Bavuma 86, de Zorzi 78, Warrican 3-66) vs West Indies

Resuming at 45-1 on a slow pitch that requires patience instead of flair, South Africa were initially kept quiet by West Indies' senior seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder, who started on good lengths but were punished as soon as they strayed.

While de Zorzi, who resumed on 32, got to his 50 off 78 balls, Tristan Stubbs (20) didn’t have the same luck as he edged a delivery from Roach to Holder in the slip cordon, adding only 18 to his overnight score of two.

Bavuma, in his first Test innings since March 2023, and de Zorzi kept West Indies at bay with a 51-run third wicket stand, which was eventually broken when the latter gloved to Kavem Hodge off Warrican shortly before the lunch interval.

After the break, Bavuma again dropped anchor and allowed his partner, David Bedingham, to take the fight to West Indies in a partnership worth 50 runs. Bedingham (29) later holed out to debutant Keacy Carty off Seales.

Ryan Rickelton (19) came and went shortly after watching Bavuma raise his 21st Test fifty. However, the captain was later trapped in front, and as the day draws to a close, Warrican struck twice, removing Kyle Vereynne (39) and Keshav Maharaj (zero) to keep West Indies in contention.

Blackwood made scores of 22 and 55 in the first Test that the West Indies won by one wicket chasing a relatively modest total of 168 on a tricky pitch in Kingston. During a press conference on Wednesday, the Jamaican urged his teammates to apply themselves better in the final Test in the Betway series between the two teams.

“Once we go out there and play some hard cricket, I don’t see why we can’t beat Pakistan,” Blackwood told members of the media.

“In the last game you saw some bits of application, so once we can go out there and bat for longer periods I don’t see why we can’t win the series because the bowlers have always done an awesome job for us.”

Asked about the batsmen’s shot selection, which oftentimes sees them getting out to injudicious stroke play, Blackwood, who was dismissed in the first innings playing an attacking shot, agreed that better shot selection would help the batters produce better scores.

“I think once can get down to ball selection and select the right balls to score and which ones to leave and defend that will be much better for us,” he said while defending his own aggression.

He said his plan when he gets to the crease is to face 150 balls or more but in the second innings when he scored 55 from 78 balls he got out pushing at one outside his off stump.

“I am an aggressive batsman and I am always going to be aggressive but once I can curb it a little bit I don’t think my team will kill me for that because as you saw in the last game in the fourth innings on that pitch if I didn’t go out there and get that aggressive I think would be talking about something different today.”

He said, however, that the batting coach Monty Desai has been urging him to be patient, choose the right balls and stay in the moment, as he would love to see him score a double century.

 In the opening innings, West Indies posted a total of 282, with Brathwaite contributing 61 and Jason Holder 59. However, England responded strongly with a total of 376, bolstered by significant contributions from Ollie Smith (95), Joe Root (87), Chris Woakes (62), and Ben Stokes (54). Alzarri Joseph (4-122) and Jayden Seales (3-79) were the pick of the West Indies bowlers.

 Reflecting on the performance, Brathwaite remarked, "For sure, looking back, it wasn't enough runs. It was a better pitch than 280, but we showed good discipline. It's tough to take. We weren't as disciplined with the ball as we should have been to put a batting team under pressure for long periods. We have to improve on that."

 Brathwaite further emphasized the need for his team to focus on consistency and execution. "We weren't as consistent as we needed to be, didn't hit the top-of-off area long enough. You give the batsmen momentum. We need to get back to where we were in Australia, hitting the top of off," he said.

 Despite their struggles, Brathwaite highlighted the positive aspects of the team's performance. "We never gave up, always came back and fought. Kavem Hodge got his hundred, and we got first-innings totals. Jayden took wickets, and Motie as well. We need more cricket; playing against good players, you will improve. So I'm excited for the series against South Africa. We've got to have the right attitude and consistency."

 West Indies' second innings saw a collapse, managing only 175 runs. Mikyle Louis and Kavem Hodge both scored half-centuries, but their efforts were overshadowed by Mark Wood's exceptional post-lunch spell. Wood took five wickets for 40 runs, finishing with figures of 5 for 40 from 14 overs, adding to his 2 for 52 from the first innings. His spell dismantled the West Indies batting lineup, leaving them with a paltry lead of 81 runs.

 England's chase was swift and decisive. With Zak Crawley injured, Ben Stokes opened the innings and delivered a blistering 57 off 28 balls, while Ben Duckett contributed 25 off 16. They chased down the target in just 7.2 overs, securing a 3-0 series sweep for England.

 Brathwaite expressed optimism for the upcoming series against South Africa, emphasizing the need for growth and improvement. "Looking forward to [SA Tests], because we have to see growth and improvement. Hit the top of off, stayed committed with the bat. Then we'll see improvements."

With the stakes high and the odds challenging, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has placed an unyielding focus on self-belief and bravery as key factors for his team to deliver memorable performances in their two-match Test series against Pakistan.

On Friday, the 34-year-old Pollard walked off the field in the 13^th over of the West Indies innings against Bangladesh but returned later to smash the last ball of the inning for six runs that proved to be crucial in the context of the Caribbean side’s narrow three-run win.

The nature of the injury remained unclear even after vice-captain Nicholas Pooran offered assurances in his post-match comments that the team captain was okay.

"He looks fine; the medical team is still working with him but he should be okay. You can see why he's a wonderful leader, walking back in to hit that last-ball six. We try to be someone like that in the future," Pooran said.

However, CWI, in a brief statement on Monday, shed further light on the health of the captain.

“Kieron Pollard sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh in the match against Bangladesh,” the statement said.

“Today (Monday) is the squad’s first training session since that encounter. Pollard is training and being assessed by the medical staff, with the aim of being ready for the match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.”

The West Indies will have to defeat Sri Lanka and Australia to have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament after losing to both England and South Africa in their first two matches.

The West Indies are defending champions having won ICC T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016.

Powell's side which was on a high after they opened up an early two-nil series lead with four-wicket and 10-run victories, was brought down to earth in the third and fourth encounters that England won by seven wickets and 75 runs respectively.

On both losing occasions, England's opening batsman Phil Salt hammered centuries, while West Indies batting was sub-par, as they lost wickets at regular intervals when gathering some semblance of momentum.

Still, Powell saw some positives, particularly in the most recent contest on Tuesday when Andre Russell made a brisk 51, as they were bowled out for 192 chasing 267.

“I think the way Andre Russell played, I think he give us some impetus at the back end of the innings, and it showed us that if we had batted properly, or if they had scored just a little bit less runs, we would have been able to get it," Powell said.

“I think the intensity at which we start was very low, and you know in a T20 game when you start with such low intensity it's very difficult to find a rhythm, and I think that's cost us. They posted 260 which was a very, very big total. If you're going to chase 260, everything has to go right and it's not it's not very often you see those things happen, so it was it was always going to be uphill task," he added.

With things now squared at 2-2, Powell is well aware that his regional side will not only have to learn from the defeats, but more importantly, reproduce performances from the top of the series.

In fact, he believes the situation requires some serious introspection, as it is imperative that they improve, both individually and collectively.

“We have to do some introspection. You know, as individuals, we have to look into ourselves and see if we have done ourselves justice, and if we haven't done ourselves justice, then it's obvious that we haven't done the team justice. So, some introspection and see if we can come up with some better plans to fix what's happening," Powell reasoned.

“I think in all the games the batting has stand up, hopefully the batting can stand up for the final game, but the bowlers have to come to the party. It has been disappointing for the last few games how we have executed as bowling group, so this final game provides an opportunity for us to get that right," he noted.

That said, the Jamaican expressed confidence that whichever 11 players take the field at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium for the day/night clash scheduled for 3:00pm, will represent with much gusto.

“, we always feel as if when we put guys on the park, it's the best combination for that game. We'll sit down, revise the plan, see if we can come up with different plans and if we come up with different plans, we'll find the players who can execute that plan," Powell declared.

"It's a final, and when it comes to final situation West Indies normally triumph so hopefully, we can pull it off," he ended.

After weeks of negotiation and a delay due to positive COVID tests, the teams have finally settled on the official dates of the tour, which will take place in Antigua between Wednesday, March 3 and Friday, April 2.  The teams will play three T20Is, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and two Test matches.

With the team having played the last three Test matches away from home, in England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, Grave admits it will be good to see international cricket back on West Indies soil.

“It’s been a long time since we hosted Ireland in the Caribbean back in January of 2020, so I’m just delighted that we’ve been able to get Sri Lanka to fulfil their obligations under the ICC Futures Program.

“We’ve had to delay the tour by a few days due to two of the Sri Lanka party testing positive for Covid-19 but we’ve been working really closely with our counterparts at Sri Lanka cricket and we were delighted to confirm that the tour is on and that we have been able to keep all the matches, all three formats.”

The tournament will take place under biosecure conditions, with Covid protocols in full effect for the duration of the series.

West Indies head coach Andre Coley is urging his players to apply themselves and capitalise on early opportunities against Pakistan in their two-match Test series, regardless of the conditions they face.

Simmons also confirmed that the players who transgressed would be sanctioned internally.

Earlier this week, the New Zealand Health Ministry, revealed that several West Indies players repeatedly ran afoul of the restrictions imposed while the team was in isolation in Christchurch. The incidents, they said, were captured on closed-circuit television and also reported by staff at the facility where the team is being housed.

The incident has proven to be an embarrassment for CWI, whose CEO Johnny Grave who said he was disappointment.

Simmons was contrite.

"I have to apologise to the New Zealand public and the government who have allowed us to come here. It's embarrassing from our point of view," Simmons told New Zealand media, explaining that the incident has now robbed the team of valuable training time.

"We were just getting to the levels that we would normally start at, but coming from no cricket, we had to start slower. Hopefully everybody tests negative and then we can move to Queenstown and ramp it up as quickly as possible because later in the week we have a training game," Simmons said.

The West Indies have a practice match in Queenstown from November 20, a week before the first T20 International on November 27.

Roach ended the second Test with overall figures of 4 for 95 but that did not tell the full story.  Prior to that, the pace bowler, despite crafting excellent, economic spells, had failed to claim a wicket for the entire first Test. In fact, Roach’s dismissal of Ben Stokes ended a wicket drought going back to August 31, 2019, and lasting 521 deliveries, or 86.5 overs.

It was a strange for the fast bowler, who starred for the West Indies team the last time the team’s met in the Caribbean, where he claimed 13 wickets, with one five and two four-wicket hauls.  Now that he has got the monkey off his back, however, Simmons expects more wickets to come, which would be good news for the Windies.

“It’s great to see him getting wickets, it’s been a while since I have seen him bowl so well and not get wickets,” Simmons told members of the media on Sunday.

“I’m glad he is back in the wickets that will just fuel his fire for the next Test match.”

The West Indies will play England in the decisive Test, at Old Trafford, beginning on Friday.

In the end, West Indies and Sri Lanka played to a 0-0 Test series draw with neither team really able to press home advantages at various stages in both matches.  In a reversal of fortunes, it was the West Indies who had headed into the final day of the final Test with a big lead and looking to put the pressure on the visitors.  The team, however, managed to take two wickets as Sri Lanka closed the day on 193 for 2.  Ambrose, however, believes the West Indies did not give themselves enough time to win the game.

“I think that we didn’t show enough intent to try and win that game. We batted too long in my opinion, we took too long to score the runs which means we didn’t have enough time to bowl out Sri Lanka on a very placid surface and I thought that the urgency in getting those quick runs wasn’t there. We batted too long,” Ambrose told the Antigua Observer.

During the second innings, with team captain Kraigg Brathwaite anchoring the unit on the third day, Ambrose believes the batting line-up should have been re-tooled in an attempt to score more quickly.

“We know the captain Kraigg Brathwaite isn’t going to take an attacker path. He is one of those guys who are going to bat for long and accumulate his runs and nothing is wrong with that,” Ambrose added.

“Kyle Mayers we know will go on the attack but I thought that later on after Kyle Mayers got out, we should have at least sent Jimbo [Rahkeem Cornwall] or Alzarri Joseph ahead of Da Silva to get some quicker runs so we could have enough time after the declaration to try and bowl out Sir Lanka. Sending Da Silva to me wasn’t a good move at that particular stage.”

Ambrose insisted, however, that there were several positives to be taken from the display.

“You can see that the guys are putting a lot more thought into the cricket which is very good to see. They have been patient, they try to construct their innings in terms of the batting and even in the bowling department, you could see they were really trying to bowl in good areas and not just trying to get a wicket every ball."

The Caribbean team will head to South Asia immediately following the conclusion of the ongoing series against England, where they are currently leading 2-1.  The series has featured a number of standout performances so far, with the likes of Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and some of the more commonly known names like Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran all putting together noteworthy performances during the series so far.

 “They have got some really good one-day players, but we have unearthed some new talents in the ongoing series against England,” Sammy said of the team’s chances for the upcoming series.

“I think the West Indies would do well, but you would need the guys to take the wickets with the new ball.”

The former captain also believes the team’s cause could be helped by the knowledge of current captain Kieron Pollard.

“He has been playing in India for so long (at the IPL) and knows the conditions very well,” Sammy said. “Hopefully that experience and knowledge he could bring on to the field.”

The 26-year-old had to be stretchered off the field after being struck by a pull shot from Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne.  The incident happened during the fourth delivery off spinner Roston Chase’s over that had seen the player deployed at the short-leg position.

Shai Hope was brought in as the replacement after the injured player left the pitch.  Solozano was reportedly responsive while being taken to the hospital and is currently undergoing scans.  Cricket West Indies has promised to give further news on the player’s condition as soon as it becomes available.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first Sri Lanka were 163 for 1 at the end of the second session.  Pace bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed the team’s only wicket so far after dismissing Pathum Nissanka.

Following England's success over co-hosts the United States on Sunday, the game in Antigua was a straight shootout to decide the other side to progress from Group 2. 

The Proteas elected to bowl first and looked in control, having restricted West Indies to 135-8, with Tabraiz Shamsi starring in their attack (3-27). 

However, Andre Russell struck twice in the second over of the chase, seeing Reeza Hendricks (1) and Quinton de Kock (7) fall to leave South Africa 15-2.

The West Indies' momentum was halted, though, following a spell of rain at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, forcing the players off the pitch for over an hour. 

South Africa returned with a new target from their remaining 17 overs, and although Roston Chase, who made 52 with the bat, took three wickets, the Proteas withstood the pressure as Marco Jansen sealed the win with a six with five balls remaining. 

Data Debrief: De Kock breaks T20 record

With the stumping of Rovman Powell, De Kock became the first player to record 100 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in T20I's (82 catches, 18 stumpings). 

South Africa have now won each of their last four men’s T20Is played in West Indies, after winning just one of their five games (L4) in the country prior to that. 

On Sunday, at the end of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup final, either Pakistan or England will join the West Indies as two-time winners of the tournament.

The Caribbean team, however, once the standard bearers in the world’s shortest format, were nowhere close to hitting those heights in this edition as they crashed out of the tournament in the first round following losses to Scotland and Ireland.

Richards, who once thrilled as part of an all-conquering squad, insists such results are difficult for fans in the region to take, particularly given the team’s once proud legacy.

“There is a legacy where this whole thing is concerned and maybe that’s why some of these players are currently on show,” Richards told the Good Morning Jojo Radio program.

“So, there are a lot of things to represent and I just think that’s lacking. The West Indian fans deserve much more because we have had so many issues like the pandemic and we needed something to uplift us and there are times when we look to our sportsmen and women to do that and presently, the West Indies team is basically lacking where that is concerned.”

The former captain, however, also believes the issue of player availability must be addressed.

Fawwaz Baskh, the Tournament Director, reached out to the regional fan base to encourage the supporters to make wise use of the available window which will allow them to pre-register for tickets.

“Everyone is eagerly looking forward to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, this is the biggest event to be staged in the West Indies. It will feature the best players in the world, and as a result, the eyes of the sporting world will be on our countries in this region and the USA,” Baskh said.

“There will be a great demand for tickets as cricket lovers worldwide want to get this golden opportunity to see their favorite players. This will be a truly world-class event – at a level never before seen in our region – and fans will enjoy the amazing atmosphere and entertainment that is in store.

“We want to encourage our ‘hometown’ fans to join the public ticket ballot and give themselves every opportunity to secure the best seats and be part of an amazing event on their shores,” he added.

Ten of the 20 teams will play their first match of the 29-day tournament in the USA – with 16 games to be held in Lauderhill, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Nassau County, New York.

The remaining 39 matches will be played in the Caribbean across six different countries, with semi-finals to be played in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on June 26 and 27 respectively, and the title decider to be played in Barbados on Saturday June 29.

Details on the public ticket ballot will be shared in the coming days. The start time for games will vary from venue to venue, for tournament details fans can visit www.t20worldcup.com.

The West Indies were given a special dispensation to train while they were isolation but have now began more intensive training as they ramp up their preparations for their three T20 Internationals and two Test-series that begins on November 27.

Phil Simmons revealed that there are specific areas which the team has been focused on that will hopefully translate in better performances in what is expected to be a challenging tour.

“The big areas are consistency, especially in the bowling and understanding situations, especially in the batting,” Simmons said.

We have situations when we have been in control of games and people give away their wickets, so things like that are the main things that we are concentrating on now.”

Overall, things have been going well Simmons said, explaining that while some days have been cold there have also been warm days which they players have enjoyed.

“When its warm, West Indies teams tend to thrive so they’ve been very good. They’re enjoying it,” he said.