England return to Test action next month with three matches against West Indies in the bio-secure stadiums in Manchester and Southampton, and they are set to be without skipper Joe Root when the first contest begins on July 8.
Root is due to leave the team bubble to be with his wife for the birth of their second child and he will require a seven-day period of self-isolation before returning to camp.
That means vice-captain Stokes is set to deputise as skipper, despite concerns from former captain Kevin Pietersen that such a role would curb the all-rounder's attacking instincts.
Stokes is determined to remain the same man, though, even if he admits it will be hard to get the ball out of his hand when he is on a roll.
Stokes said: "If it's flat, I'll just chuck the ball to Jofra [Archer] and Broady [Stuart Broad] and Jimmy [Anderson] and say, 'On you go!'
"It is a tough one because when Joe asks me to come and bowl… if I'm not bowling well I know, right, I'm probably going to be taken off here.
"But then when I feel like I'm in a really good rhythm and don't want to be taken off, Joe doesn't say, 'Keep going.' He sort of looks and goes, 'One more?' And he'll say that for another four or five overs.
"I guess I might have to be a little bit more mindful as I'm the person who's making that decision, but if I've got the ball in my hand or I've got the bat in my hand, I would like to think I'm still going to have to that same mentality as I always do.
"I've been in so many different situations in the field as a batter and as a bowler that I can always relate back to them and think, 'Right, what did Joe expect of me in this situation?' But it's a tough one isn't it to know if you are feeling good as a bowler when to keep yourself on."
While others such as Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Root had been earmarked to be England captain long before they were eventually handed the role, Stokes acknowledged few would have considered him as a skipper-in-waiting.
However, the 29-year-old believes he is ready for the position having played in 63 Tests since his debut in 2013.
"I've been a senior player since 2016 under Cooky and since Joe's been in charge," he added.
"Being able to learn from Alastair Cook and Rooty in terms of different situations throughout the game has rubbed off on me and will put me in good stead for all the different situations that a Test match can throw at you.
"At the same time, we've got some really experienced guys out in the field who I can use. We've got Jimmy, Broady, who've just got ample Test matches and wickets between them. There's so many people that you can throw ideas off.
"I would like to think I would be quite an open captain and wouldn't want my way is the only way. I don't think that's the best way to operate.
"There's 11 guys out in the field so why not get 10 other opinions on something that you're thinking about?"
The last time the regional team faced Sri Lanka away, in 2015, it was the part-time spin of Brathwaite that stole of as the batsman claimed six wickets in an innings. The frontline pace bowlers Kemar Roach (2), Jason Holder (3), Shannon Gabriel (1) failed to have a huge impact on the series, with the exception of Jerome Taylor who claimed 6 over two games.
Although the captain admits the surface is likely to favour spinners, Brathwaite is confident the Windies quicks will have a big role to play.
We haven’t been there as yet to see the surface but there’s always a role for the fast bowlers. Shannon Gabriel really led the way in Bangladesh in the first Test, bowling with some good pace, then Kemar Roach getting an early wicket in the morning was very crucial. Obviously, Jason wasn’t there but is always crucial. So, I do believe that possibly there being spin-friendly pitches, I think the pace bowlers will do well.
“I can see them getting wickets. It’s really about building pressure but seamers are very important and obviously, Shannon will bring some aggression and I look forward to seeing the guys operating.”
The tour is set to take place between January 10 and February 11. It was greenlighted on the recommendation of the CWI’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), who received a detailed report from a pre-tour visit of Bangladesh by CWI Director and Member of the CWI and ICC MAC, Dr. Mansingh, and Security Manager, Paul Slowe.
The recommendations have, however, not been enough to convince some players to embark on the tour. With 510,080 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,479 deaths, Bangladesh is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The country has, however, been hosting cricket tournaments under heavy quarantine restrictions.
According to initial reports, both captain Jason Holder and vice-captain Roston Chase have opted out of the tour with out-of-favour batsman Shai Hope also reportedly unwilling to accept the invitation. The West Indies were one of the first teams to resume playing international cricket when they travelled to England in July. The team then went on to travel to New Zealand for another series earlier this month. Cricket West Indies (CWI) is expected to announce the squad for the tour within the next 24 hours.
Matthews, the number one-ranked ICC Women's T20I all-rounder put together a remarkable series of performances last year, as she racked up 700 runs in the year, the most by any player in a year in Women's T20Is. She also picked up 19 wickets at an average of 16.21 in a mere 14 matches for the year.
The 25-year-old Barbadian is up against three high-class players, with, England’s Sophie Ecclestone, the top ranked T20 international bowler, Australia’s Ellyse Perry, and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu also nominated.
Matthews’ stellar display against Australia in a bilateral T20I series in the second half of the year, was one for the ages. During that series, she posted scores of an unbeaten 99, 132 and 79, as she proved to be a thorn to the Australian side.
Matthews’ extraordinary unbeaten 99 in the first game of the series was overshadowed by her mind-blowing 132 in a run-chase of 213 in Sydney. The world-record run-chase in women's T20Is saw Matthews break several records, including that of the highest individual score in a women’s T20I run-chase.
Her overall tally of 310 runs in the series is the most by any player in a women's T20I bilateral series. Matthews also enjoyed good form in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, where she tallied 130 runs and took four wickets and four catches.
The hard-hitting Matthews produced a match-winning performance in a tight encounter against Ireland at the T20 World Cup. In that contest, she picked up four wickets and made a 34-ball 48, but her remarkable 132 against Australia overshadowed it all.
Having taken three wickets for 36 runs with the ball as Australia made a whopping 212, West Indies were faced with a daunting task in the run-chase, but nothing could have prepared anyone for Matthews’ innings.
She hit two fours and a six in the 17th over of the run-chase to raise her century off just 53 balls, and then clubbed Jess Jonassen for four fours in a row in the 19th over to bring the equation down to eight runs needed off six balls.
While Matthews was dismissed in the over, she had set the stage for one of the most outrageous women's T20I wins of all-time with her blistering 132 off just 64 balls. The innings was studded with 20 fours and five sixes, as 110 of her 132 runs came in boundaries.
Meanwhile, the men’s T20 shortlist includes 2022 winner Suryakumar Yadav of India, New Zealand’s Mark Chapman, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Uganda’s Alpesh Ramjani – who helped his side qualify for their first ever World Cup.
Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Yashasvi Jaiswal (India), Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka) and Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), compete for the men’s emerging player.
Nominees for Test and ODI awards will be released later this week.
The West Indies found themselves on the losing side of another series, after going down by 8 runs to India on Friday. The result saw the South Asian team claim an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, after winning the opener by 7 wickets.
This time, however, in pursuit of a solid 186 for 5, the team went a lot closer to the target and was more comfortable in the run chase. A 100-run partnership from Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell got the team close to India's score, and, in fact, until a miserly 18th over from Harshal Patel it seemed the West Indies were favourites to level the series.
According to the West Indies captain, while the team may have come up just short on runs, the approach was closer to what was required.
“I thought the partnership with him (Rovman Powell) and Pooran almost got us over the line. Sometimes that’s all we are asking from the guys to bat as deep as possible and for me, I’m pleased, obviously not with the result but with the way they continue to aim for consistency,” he added.
The partnership was the fourth-highest between two Windies players since 2019, adding to an overall 306 scored in 6 matches, whenever the duo of Powell and Pooran has come together during that time.
“Nicholas got another half-century, Powell has gotten two in the last four games, so, we are making progress.”
Despite the high of coming off a dominant T20I series, the Windies were crushed by 133 runs, via the DLS method. Batting first, Australia made 259 for 9 but in response, the West Indies could only muster 123 all out and were at one stage, 27 for 6.
For his part, Pollard, who only just returned to the team, made a battling 56. In an innings where four batsmen were dismissed without scoring, the captain could have used more of that grit from the rest of the team.
“I was disappointed with our overall batting performance, not being able to chase down 250 from the position that we were in,” Pollard told members of the media.
“I didn’t think we showed enough fight or enough courage. They are going to come hard at us, it’s an experienced bowling attack that they have so we need to fight as a team and as individuals when we go out there.”
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc was the dangerman for the tourists after ending with figures of 5 for 48.
West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican has achieved a career-best position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings following his maiden 10-wicket haul, even as the Caribbean side succumbed to a 127-run loss against Pakistan in the first Test of their ICC World Test Championship series in Multan.
The squad is expected to depart from the Caribbean on June 8.
According to cricket commentator and talk show host Andrew Mason, the selectors had a hard time selecting a squad but in the end, came up with a squad that includes the recalled Jermaine Blackwood and Shannon Gabriel.
The names of the others who were selected include Captain Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Shane Dowrich, Roston Chase, Shemarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Nkrumah Bonner, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder, John Campbell, Raymon Reifer and Kemar Roach.
The West Indies will be in the United Kingdom for about four weeks and will be housed in a bio-secure environment while they get up to speed before the start of the first Test.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday that a three-Test series without spectators is scheduled to start on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl.
Old Trafford will host the second and third Tests.
The venues have been selected from a group of four that submitted an interest, having had to demonstrate to the ECB board an ability to meet criteria surrounding biosecurity, medical screening-testing provision, footprint to enable social distancing and venue-cricket operations.
Edgbaston was picked as a contingency venue and will be utilised for additional training throughout July.
The Windies are due to arrive in England on June 9 and will use Old Trafford as their base for training and quarantining before travelling to the Ageas Bowl.
The 36-year-old Bravo will be heavily involved in the proceedings from start to finish, beginning with the tournament launch press conference in February, to a celebrity appearance on the final day.
The tournament, now in its third year, has garnered increased interest for this edition with a reported 40 teams in pursuit of just 20 spots. The first two editions of the tournament saw 16 teams take part. Bravo has indicated his delight at both the association with and taking part in the tournament.
“I am delighted to be the face of the 10PL World Cup of tennis ball cricket tournament. I have learned a lot of my key tricks that I'm sure many of the players in the tournament will employ, especially the use of slower ball and Yorkers,” Bravo said.
“The tournament, therefore, promises to be the perfect platform for raw talents to showcase what they are capable of. I am really looking forward to this competition,” he added.
Meanwhile, Abdul Latif Khan, who is the chairman of Petromann Events has expressed delight with having Bravo onboard.
“It is an absolute honour to have Bravo as the face of the tournament. In the coming days we will be unveiling a campaign with Bravo to further raise the profile of the tournament,” he said.
The tournament is expected to take place between the 8-13 of March.
The 41-year-old star batsman recently stepped in front of the mike with British-Indian singer Avina Shah for a single titled Groove. The music video which was shot in two separate locations, during the pandemic, is also a mix of Indian and English, and is set to a lively, club-rocking beat.
The track wasn’t the musician’s first foray into the music entertainment business. Earlier this year the star batsman recorded a remix of Jamaican entertainer Stylo G’s Too Hot. The cricketer, who is known for having a good time, recently revealed that there is likely to be more to come from him in the future and even during his ongoing career.
“Well, I am someone who doesn’t really like to have limits in life. No limits is what I believe in. I love music and I am fun-loving by nature,” Gayle told IWMBuzz.
“I have recently got an entire music studio set up in my house and I will certainly be looking forward to making more songs to entertain the fans. I can happily say that music will now co-exist in my life along with cricket.”
Gayle isn’t the first West Indian cricketer to make an incursion into music and follows on the heels of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.
With the disease having a devastating impact on normal life over the last year, countries around the globe have already launched various campaigns to stop the spread of COVID-19 in a bid to halt its devastating impact on those most vulnerable to its effects.
According to research, the majority of the vaccines have efficacy rates between 80 and 100 percent when it comes to preventing serious illness and deaths for those who contract the virus. Despite the evidence of clinical trials, however, some have questioned the safety of the vaccines. Last week, Jamaican World Champion Yohan Blake stated that he would rather not compete at the Olympics than take the vaccine.
“If I don’t have to take it, I wouldn’t want to take it. I wouldn’t want to take any vaccine at all, to be honest, because I am naturally living fine. So, I don’t want anything being injected inside of me,” Gayle told the Antigua Radio program Good Morning Jojo Radio Show.
So far, no sport has mandated that athletes looking to compete at any event be vaccinated. Gayle, however, believes that in the future it could be a requirement for those wishing to compete.
“Down the road, there is a possibility they are going to slow you down from your earnings and say if you don’t take it you can’t do this or you can’t do that and you can’t earn. So, it’s a situation where they might hold you ransom at some stage, but for me, if I don’t have to take it, I don’t want to,” he added.
“I am sure that at some stage they are going to hold everybody ransom by saying you can’t travel, you can’t play in a particular tournament or you can’t fly on a particular airline, but I am not up for it. I’ve been tested maybe over 60 times, 70 times since I’ve been flying and playing and being in a bubble and knock wood because I haven’t caught the Covid.”
The 31-year-old T20 star was forced to have surgery on his left knee after being out of the ICC World Cup with the injury. Despite having a successful T20 career the issue has kept the player out of the longer formats of the game.
In retrospect, the big hitter believes things could have been dealt with differently by taking better care of the issue and has warned developing players not to follow his example.
Russell is expected to undergo an injury assessment to determine his level of fitness as the team steps up its plans for this year’s T20 World Cup.
“Those who want to be another Russell should never do what happened to me. When I was 23 or 24 I began to get knee pain,” Russell told Gulf News.
“If I had someone tell me: ‘Look Russ, you should get your knee stronger by keep doing these simple exercises, I would have been pain-free from my knees and hopefully I wouldn’t have to have had surgery. Unfortunately, at 23 you are fearless, and I used to ignore that pain and I always gave it a quick fix by taking pain killers and kept running,” he added.
“By the time I reached my late twenties I started feeling the pain like I never felt before. The wear and tear began to show up. If I was doing those strengthening exercises like training of the legs and doing the right things, I would have been fitter.”
“I want the youngsters to know that guys should not just think about the upper body alone,” he explained.
“I used to go to gym and just work only on my abs and my shoulders because I wanted to look sexy for the girls. At the end of the day being sexy and then your legs being weak, don’t work. So it is very important to have a complete work out of the body. I could have done more wonders had I worked on my legs too.”
The schedule for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman was confirmed on Tuesday, with the final taking place in Dubai on November 14.
Pakistan and India will do battle in their opening Super12 Group 2 match at 6 pm local time.
New Zealand will get their bid for glory underway against Pakistan in Sharjah two days later, while Afghanistan begin their campaign on 25 October against a qualifier
Holders West Indies play England in a repeat of the dramatic 2016 final in debut on October 23, the same day as Group 1 rivals Australia face South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
The opening game of the competition will see co-hosts Oman come up against Papua New Guinea in Group B on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh in action on the same day.
The first semi-final will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and the second will be staged in Dubai the following day.
West Indies T20 World Cup schedule
23 October
England vs West Indies
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
26 October
South Africa vs West Indies
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
29 October
West Indies vs B2
Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
4 November
West Indies A1
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
6 November
Australia vs West Indies
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Despite some promising signs in both the Test and T20 versions of the sport, the team Windies have continued to accumulate indifferent results in 50-over cricket. Currently ranked at 9th in the world, the team has won just 4 of the last 10 games and won only one against a team in the top 10.
In their last encounter, the team struggled to come to grips with Pakistan in a 3-0 loss after a convincing win against the Netherlands prior to that. Recently appointed Pooran, however, believes the team is still trying to find its legs.
“There are a lot of new guys on the team and we need to learn to play together as a group. You just have to be patient, the ODI format is between the Test and the T20, and the mindset is changing. We just need to get the right mindset, the right template, and just stick with it for a bit, I am really looking forward to the Bangladesh game,” Pooran said.
The West Indies will play Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series, beginning in Guyana tomorrow.
The win was not just the Irish team’s first triumph over the West Indies in an ODI series, but the come-from-behind victory was only the second over a full member team. Prior to that, the team defeated Zimbabwe at home in 2019.
After dismissing the West Indies for just 212, the Irish survived a late-game wobble but still had enough to get over the line after getting to 214-8 in the 45th over.
The effort was anchored by half-centuries from Andy McBrine and Harry Tector.
Earlier, the West Indies were off to a fast with Shai Hope cracking 53 from just 39 balls at the top of the innings, as he did the majority of the scoring in an opening stand of 72 in 11 overs with Justin Greaves. However, things fell apart when he and Greaves were caught off the bowling of Craig Young in quick succession. The hosts went on to lose the next three wickets for just four runs as the middle order collapsed when Nicholas Pooran, Shamarh Brooks, and skipper Kieron Pollard all spent very little time at the crease.
Jason Holder ensured at least a competitive score with an impressive 44 but was run out, with West Indies all out for 212. Odean Smith remained unbeaten on 20 from 10 balls.
Sent in to bat, the West Indies were bowled out for 122 in 32.2 overs as Man of the Match Shakib Al Hasan took remarkable figures of 4 for 8 from 7.2 overs in his return to cricket from a one-year ban for failing to report corruption.
Hasan Mahmud provided strong support as he took 3 for 28 from six overs. However, the West Indies lost their first two wickets to Mustafizur Rahman who conceded 20 runs from the six overs he bowled.
Kyle Mayers was the best of the West Indies batsmen with 40 runs from the 56 balls he faced. He and Rovman Powell produced the most useful partnership of the West Indies innings with a stand of 59 for the sixth wicket.
However, once Powell got out in the 30th over with the score at 115, the West Indies lost their remaining five wickets for just seven runs.
"It was a bit disappointing for us. The wicket wasn't the easiest one for us, but we didn't have enough partnerships. Even the ones that got starts, didn't convert that for us. It was a great partnership [between Powell and Mayers] but we have to work with the positives,” said Windies captain Jason Mohammed.
It's a difficult place to come and play cricket. The wicket was turning and slow, but we have to put things in place for the next game.”
Captain Tamim Iqbal’s patient 44 provided the foundation for the Bangladeshi reply notwithstanding the efforts of Akeal Hosein who returned figures of 3 for 26 that briefly stymied the home side’s reply.
“Whatever score we put up, our work is to go there and work hard. Akeal on debut was very good, picking up three wickets and being very economical,” Mohammed said.
Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim was unbeaten on 19 and Mahmudullah nine, as Bangladesh eventually cruised to a comfortable victory.
With the return of veteran batsman Chris Gayle and pace bowler Fidel Edwards, along with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Jason Holder, and Pollard himself, to call upon, the West Indies has plenty of firepower to begin the series against Sri Lanka and build-up to the ICC World Cup, which will be held in India, in October.
With many of the above players forming parts of World Cup-winning teams, in the case of Simmons, Bravo, and Gayle on multiple occasions, the team has an unrivaled amount of title-winning know-how.
Added to the firepower of a younger generation, led by the likes of the explosive Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, and Andre Fletcher the two-time World Champions could have the perfect ingredients for another powder keg. With Gayle being the oldest members of the squad to face Sri Lanka, at 41, and Kevin Sinclair the youngest at 21, the average age of the squad is around 30.
“We’re excited to have certain individuals back. We excited as well to have the younger players trying to get an opportunity as well. I think the way to go forward is having that sort of mix,” Pollard told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.
“In the team, we have youth and experience. The youthful guys can learn from the experienced guys. These are some of the things that have been missing throughout, from 2016 till now, can we say we have put out our best T20 team to go to any series or anything like that. There was always different things happening in the midst of it.”
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie confirmed that both the St Catherine and 12 Dunrobin Avenue locations of Russell's T20 Restaurant and Sports Bar were issued with orders to immediately close on Wednesday.
Night clubs across the island were ordered closed in March, in a bid to arrest the spread of the Covid-19 virus. According to McKenzie, however, some of the locations across the island have been operating as restaurants in an apparent bid to circumvent the regulations. In addition to that, however, McKenzie also claimed some of the establishments were not licensed to operate in the manner in which they were.
“There are two locations that we have decided to take actions against, immediate actions. They are facilities that are owned by a prominent sports individual,” Mckenzie told Nationwide Radio.
“I’m talking about Russell’s T20, the one on Dunrobin and the one in Old Harbour. The KSMEC and the St Catherine Municipal have never received an application for an amusement license or permit for the operations of these facilities."
Russell opened the Old Harbour branch of the restaurant in 2017, the Kingston location was opened earlier this month.
Though scans showed no fracture after he was clattered on the boot by a Mitchell Starc yorker, a gritty Joseph battled through pain on the fourth day to produce one of the greatest spells in Test history. The 24-year-old Guyanese claimed seven wickets for 68 runs to inspire West Indies to a famous eight-run win - their first victory in Australia since 1997.
Interestingly, Joseph was not expected to feature on the day, but with the help of team physio and painkillers, he defied the injury and bowled a remarkable spell that will forever be etched in the minds of cricket enthusiasts.
Following his heroics, Joseph was due to head straight to the ILT20 having signed with Capitals, the team of West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell, before the Australia tour, but will now return home to recover before travelling to the PSL where he was signed as a replacement by Peshawar Zalmi.
Still, with his stocks rapidly rising, Joseph is unlikely to be short of offers from T20 leagues around the world after the stunning start to his Test career where he claimed Steven Smith with his first delivery and claimed two five-wicket hauls.
The one-day matches will be the final bilateral series West Indies will play before the Caribbean side and all the top thirteen teams participate in newly formed ICC ODI league that runs from May 2020 - March 31, 2022.
In this new limited-overs cycle, under the 2019 - 2023 Future Tours Programme (FTP) established by the ICC to bring greater context to international cricket fixtures, the seven highest-ranked teams apart from India, who gained automatically entry as tournament hosts, will qualify for the 2023 World Cup.Following the 3- 0 ODI series clean sweeps against Afghanistan and Ireland, the West Indies currently sit in 9th position with 80 points with Sri Lanka in 8th place on 81 points.
A series win for West Indies will move them into 8th position ahead of Sri Lanka in the official ICC ODI Team Rankings, ahead of the first ODI league matches at home in July against current number three ODI ranked team, New Zealand.
The T20Is provide West Indies the opportunity to win their first T20I rubber since the 2-1 series victory over Bangladesh in December 2018 as they continue to build momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in October 2020, a country where the team won their first T20 World Cup title in 2012.
Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said the series was important as the team sought to continue steady preparations for the World Cup.
“The Sri Lanka series allows us to continue the process of building towards this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia as well as the longer term goal of automatic qualification for the next ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023. Playing in unfamiliar conditions should be a good test for both of our squads.”
