Sammy’s final squad, which is expected to be named sometime this week, will be one of nine teams to travel to the Trinidad and Tobago in May for eight warm-up matches, four of which will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, while the other four is scheduled for the historic Queen’s Park Oval. The teams will arrive in twin island republic on May 21.
The revelation came from Cricket West Indies’s (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave during the recently-concluded CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, in Port of Spain.
Grave explained that the final West Indies squad will not convene in full until they travel to Jamaica at the end of May to engage South Africa in three warm-up contests. However, he pointed out that there will be a camp in Antigua prior, which will involve members of the final squad, who are not plying their trade in the Indian Premier League.
From Jamaica, the Rovman Powell-captained squad will then travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the clash against 50-over World Cup winners Australia, ahead of the tournament to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
West Indies, the 2012 and 2016 champions, are hunting a third T20 World Cup title.
“We’re going to have a week-long preparation camp in Antigua from May 12, before heading to Jamaica. We’re then going to leave Jamaica and come here to Trinidad and Tobago for a week’s preparation, including playing at the historic Queen’s Park Oval on May 30, in an evening fixture against one of the tournament favourites Australia,” Grave shared.
“That will probably be one of the only games in the warm-up schedule that will be ticketed, and we certainly hope that the fans here in Trinidad, and particularly those in Port of Spain, will come out and rally behind the West Indies in that warm-up match, which is the final game we’ll play before we head to Guyana for the opening game on June 2,” he added.
West Indies, who are drawn in Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, will open against the latter at the Guyana National Stadium on June 2.
Grave urged fans to come out and rally behind the West Indies outfit in their push to start the tournament on a high.
“Making sure we have a huge party in Georgetown, and we get off to a winning start (will be crucial). We all know in these global tournaments, confidence and momentum are important and we can think of nothing better than starting with a victory in Guyana and ending it in Barbados on June 29 with a similar victory,” Grave said.
The inconsistency of the batting unit has been a sore point for the Caribbean team for the past several years, particularly the top order, who are often accused of not spending enough time at the crease.
As expected, the performance of the top order has been crucial to the outcome of matches against England in recent outings. In the last two series, the top order has averaged somewhere around 158, in wins for the West Indies, and around 66 in losses.
“We’re missing some key players right now, so it’s very important for us as top-order batters to get those runs on the board, see off the new ball and make it easier for batters coming down the line,” Hope told members of the media.
“As soon as we get those starts, we have to capitalise and go big for the side,” he added.
“It’s the first series back for us, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to showcase our skills and win the series.”
Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite were two of the standout performers for the regional team on their last tour of England. In the only Test match that the team won, Hope, scored 147 and 118 while opening batsman Brathwaite made 134 and 95.
The West Indies were scheduled to start a three-Test duel with England at T/he Oval, Edgbaston, and Lord’s on June 4 until the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Europe threatened to derail those plans.
The ECB and Cricket West Indies have been trying to come up with solutions to keep what is expected to be a lucrative series alive.
According to reports, the ECB is stepping up plans to resume cricket in June, but with no spectators, but that broadcasting would still go ahead since that was safer and that is where the majority of money to be earned from the series would be in any case.
The approach, ECB Director of Special Projects, Steve Elworthy, explained that any approach involving re-starting cricket in England would mean creating a sterile environment, safe for players and staff.
The decision to postpone the tour came as a result of the uncertainty for the safe resumption of cricket in the United Kingdom, as well as international air travel.
As a result, it was a logically mutual decision to postpone the tour to a later date until the clearance is granted by the UK government. The proposed window for the likely staging of this series is now July until the end of September.
“We continue to be in regular dialogue with the ECB on when and how we might be able to rearrange the Test Series. Clearly playing in June is now not possible and we will continue our discussions with the ECB and other Internationals Boards on trying to find new dates,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.
“We will only travel to England to play the series if our players can be assured that it is safe to do so. Our respective Medical Teams are beginning to discuss how this series could be played whilst guaranteeing the health and safety of our players and support team. We will be as flexible as we can without compromising the safety of our team.”
The West Indies were scheduled to play the three-match Test series from June 4-8, The Oval, June 12-16 Edgbaston, June 25-29 Lord’s.
This was the second agonizing one-wicket defeat in the series, following a similar result on the second Youth ODI in Beckenham.
Left-arm quick Gordon, who claimed 3 for 37, stood out bowling with good pace and swing, highlighted by his dismissal of England opener William Luxton, clean bowled in the first over. He was well supported by his right-arm pace duo compatriots Layne, 3 for 40, and Isai Thorne, 2 for 40, as they kept West Indies in the contest by regularly taking wickets.
When Layne dismissed tail end batters Nathan Barnwell caught behind and Joshua Boyden comprehensively bowled in the space of two overs, West Indies were on the verge of pulling off a thrilling fightback win with England still needing 12 runs. However, George Bell, who had an unbeaten half-century of 60 from 115 balls, held his nerve alongside the number 11 batter Sonny Baker to take the home side over the line.
Earlier, Matthew Nandu (51) became the second West Indies batsman to score a half-century on tour alongside Teddy Bishop. His 57-run third-wicket partnership with Ackeem Auguste 32 had West Indies solidly placed at one stage on 101 for 2. But the innings never kicked on, with captain on the day Giovonte Depeiza (34) being the only other major contributor.
The two teams will return to the same venue on Friday for the series finale. First ball is 10:30 am (5:30 Eastern Caribbean/4:30 am Jamaica).
The U-19 Windies, who won the title in 2016, are off to a strong start at the current edition of the tournament after notching wins over Australia, England, and Nigeria. The team’s latest win, a dominant 246 runs win over their African opponents, ensured that the Windies were top of group B.
According to the CWI president, the team’s strong showing, which has taken many by surprise, is no accident.
“This administration promised that we would invest more seriously and in a more focussed and strategic way on our youth cricket and this Under-19 team is an example of what we set about to do immediately – to give them the best possible preparation going into this World Cup,” Skerritt said recently.
“They have achieved already way beyond the expectations of most people. They beat Australia, they beat England. We are going to hope and pray that they continue on the path of improvement and performing at their best and whatever the end result of this World Cup is for them they would have made the Caribbean people extremely proud.”
The 28-year-old gloveman often failed to get things right to start the decisive Test, with a day characterised by fumbles and being wrong-footed. The Windies managed some control, bar a late run from England, but Dowrich never really look at ease behind the wicket.
In defense of his teammate, however, Brathwaite was adamant that things were not as easy as they looked and was confident the player would be much improved for the second day.
“He had a tough day but he’s a strong guy so I know he’ll be looking to bounce back,” Brathwaite told members of the media, via a Zoom Press Conference, in assessing the players performance.
“I’m looking for him to improve, it has to be up from here. We just have to keep supporting him. Obviously, the ball was swinging quite late so it wasn’t easy but tomorrow he will be better,” he added.
Dowrich has also had a difficult time with the bat for the series, with the exception of a solid 61 in the first innings of the first Test. The player was dismissed, without scoring, in both innings of the second Test, which England won by 113 runs.
The Proteas have been tentatively scheduled to tour the Caribbean in June of this year, most likely in Trinidad and Tobago, but a dispute between Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the government could lead to its cancellation.
The issue stems from the government's request that Cricket South Africa (CSA) adopt a new constitution for cricket administration in the country. In a recent meeting, however, CSA voted against adopting the measure. The country’s sports minister is as a result said to be considering taking serious measures against the board.
One option could be to take away the body’s right to designate itself as the official national representative of the country. As such, CSA could not then select a national team for the tour of the Caribbean.
South Africa is one of several countries that are lined up to tour the Caribbean this year, as the region looks to recover from the financial setback of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sri Lanka toured the region last month and Australia and Pakistan are also expected to tour the Caribbean later this year. The South Africa series was previously reported to consist of two Tests and five T20s.
The West Indies will take on the Netherlands in three ODIs on May 31, June 2 and 4. The team will then travel to Pakistan for three more ODIs on June 8, 10 and 12.
Estwick was speaking at a media conference late last week when he addressed the Hetmyer situation. Hetmyer recently withdrew from Rajasthan Royals in the IPL to travel back to Guyana for the birth of his first child.
Mere days later, he returned to the Royals which will play the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, May 24 in the first IPL qualifier. However, the explosive Guyanese batsman has not made himself unavailable for the West Indies tours.
Estwick said the West Indies will miss his talents.
"If someone like Hetmyer's not playing, you're obviously going to miss his talent. He's having an outstanding season for Rajasthan Royals. He's doing very, very well. He's playing well,” Estwick said.
“He will be missed, but at the end of the day, he's not there. He's asked not to be selected for this tour so we have to get on without him and we hope that he will make himself available for future tours."
Notwithstanding Hetmyer’s absence, Estwick said he expects the West Indies to win the three ODI series against the Netherlands.
"Our expectation is to win all three ODIs [in the Netherlands] but it's not going to be easy," Estwick said. "Remember, a lot of the players won't have played in conditions like the ones we'll encounter in the Netherlands.
"It's about how quickly we adjust to conditions. We've only got a couple of days' practice before we go into the first ODI so it's all about adjusting and getting used to the conditions and then executing plans as well as possible."
West Indies batsman Haley Matthews has targeted putting together a string of consistent performances, with the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifiers just on the horizon.
Matthews has had a strong showing in the recently concluded tour of Pakistan, scoring 132 runs in three games, with an average of 44. In addition to that, however, she also made a healthy contribution with the ball after snaring seven wickets.
The 24-year-old has, however, managed to put together standout performances before. Her career-best score of 117, in 2018, was for instance followed by scores of 17, 17, 6, 26, and 16 in subsequent One Day Internationals, before improving again to make 49 and 100 not out.
On the back of her recent performances in Pakistan, the player is hoping to maintain her current run of consistency heading into the World Cup qualifiers and beyond.
“I think for me it’s going to come down to consistency. I feel like for a lot of tours I have one big score or two big scores and then I’m probably dry for the rest of the season,” Matthews told SportsMax.Tv’s InCaseYouMissedIT.
“Here in Pakistan and moving into Zimbabwe my key focus is going to be putting down good performances more consistently. I don’t want these games to be just the entire series, I want it to be the start of something really big for me. Hopefully, I can take this form into the World Cup qualifiers as well.”
The player has been enjoying a new position in the team’s batting line-up, coming in at the 5th in the middle order as opposed to her traditional position of opener. She, however, remains unsure as to whether the change will be a permanent or temporary one but insists she remains ready to assist the team in any capacity.
“It’s a good role change I’m not exactly sure how long I’ll be playing this role for but at the same time I’m just trying to do as much as I can for the team as possible and if me batting at five is what the team needs from me right now…then it’s exactly what I’ll do.”
The match then went to the one-over eliminator and the home team scored 7-1 after the visitors made 6-0.
West Indies made their highest score of the series, thanks to a career-best knock from Rashada Williams – playing her fifth match.
The opening batter, top-scored with 78 not out off 138 balls as she batted through the innings. Then, off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond took a career-best 4-33 off her 10 overs in her sixth match, as South Africa slipped from 111-0 to 143-6 in the space of 13 overs.
“It was a great finish and I’m happy I played my part in today’s win. We really wanted to win, and we gave it all we had. The end was amazing with the run out off the last ball. We didn’t panic, we were focused, we kept our nerve in the ‘super over’ and it felt great to win,” said Grimmond, who was named CG Insurance Player-of-the-Match.
Match Summary: West Indies Women 192-5 off 50 overs (Rashada Williams 78 not out, Hayley Matthews 48; Nadine de Klerk 3-33) South Africa Women 192-7 off 50 overs (Lizelle Lee 61, Tazmin Brits 48, Mignon du Preez 46; Sheneta Grimmond 4-33, Qiana Joseph 2-29)
The regional team shocked the cricket world after defeating heavily favoured Australia in the 2016 final. The 28-year-old Windies skipper has freely admitted that reflecting on the unexpected triumph years later still fills her with a sense of pride and is eager to replicate it.
“I have played a lot of games over the years but the memories of India 2016 stand out so much,” Taylor told the ICC Cricket.
“Looking back on it, I’m just hoping that we can replicate it again this year – both the feeling that we had as a team and the impact that individual players had on the tournament from start to finish,” she added.
“Four years ago was a perfect storm for us. We really wanted to win, and I think we left all we had on the field throughout the tournament, especially in the final against Australia.
“This time around, we just need to do that again, play our game and push until the last ball to see how far that can take us. Winning the title and bringing the trophy back to the West Indies would be success for us.”
The West Indies Women will hope to emulate the feats of the men’s team who are two-time winners of the competition.
In pursuit of England’s target of 151, the West Indies were at 71 for 1 at around the halfway point of the runs chase. The team was anchored by a 61 run top-order partnership between captain Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin.
Once Dottin was dismissed lbw, however, Taylor followed two overs later and a rapid collapse saw the team eventually all out for 104. In the last 6.1 overs, the team nosedived from 72 for 1, to 96 for 8.
“For this format of the game, the intensity is very important. We had that early on with that significant partnership between Deandra and Stephanie of 60-odd that really kept that momentum going,” Colley explained following the match.
“During that middle period, however, we actually dipped in terms of our intent and moved away from that intensity around scoring boundaries and that obviously led to us losing some momentum toward the end. We needed to keep going to stay on pace with the required rate,” he added.
Even before that, however, the team must certainly be regretting not doing a bit better with the ball. Having reduced England to 96 for 6, they let it slip in the last bowling five overs, and a 150-target was always going to be a tough task.
"In this game, we were able to pull things back in the middle. Our spinners did well to pull back in the middle. The last five overs was really what cost us, they scored 50 runs in the last five and that pushed them past a score we were looking at.”
Electing to bat first the Windies Women complied just 125 with the DLS further reducing the target to 110. Pakistan were 103 for 6 when the rain stopped the match.
The West Indies effort was built on the backbone of Chedean Nation and Kycia Knight, who put together a 32-run stand from 26 balls for the fifth wicket. The batsmen were 28 and 30 not out respectively, after forming the partnership at 69 for 4 in the 14th over.
In pursuit, Pakistan got off to a tough start after the top three were sent back to the pavilion with just 25 runs on the board. Pakistan had five run-outs, with Nida Dar top-scoring with 28. West Indies Women coach Courtney Walsh admits he is hoping for a clean sweep.
“I don’t expect any complacency to set in. Winning is a habit to have and I want us to go out and focus on us winning the series comprehensively,” Walsh said, following the match.
Ahead of its three-team series, the Windies Women will be bolstered by the return of former captain and star all-rounder Stafanie Taylor, bowler’s Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman and Britney Cooper. Cooper was not injured, but the experienced middle order batsman will be playing in the team for the first time since 2021.
Taylor, in the meantime, has not featured for the team since the second ODI against New Zealand in September. It’s safe to say Matthews has noticed the absence of the team’s more experienced players.
The Windies have struggled to make an impact at the crease, recently, losing 3-0 last month in their ODI series against England, and 5-0 in the T20 format.
“It’s really good to have a lot of our players back. We had a couple of injuries over the past couple months which at the same time would have given some of the younger players really good opportunity,” Matthews told members of the media.
“But to have the senior core back, really gives us a strong team coming into a series like this. We’re thankful to have her (Taylor) back and know she’s been the gel of this team for quite some time now and has so much experience and knowledge on the game,” she added.
“Hopefully she gets an opportunity to go out there and get things rolling before the World Cup comes up.”
With the Women’s T20 World Cup set to begin next month, the team will play at least four matches in the upcoming series, playing two matches each against South Africa and India. The two top teams will then play each other in the Tri-Series final on February 2.
The three ODIs will form a part of the ICC Women's Championship 2022-25, and will take place on April 18, 21 and 23.
It will be followed by a five-match T20I series from April 26 to May 3, which will provide both sides with plenty of time to finalize their preparations for this year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
All matches games will be played at the National Bank Stadium (NBS) in Karachi.
This will be West Indies women's second tour of the country since 2021. They last visited Pakistan in November 2021 for three ODIs, which they won.
The upcoming ODI series will be Pakistan women’s fourth at home, having earlier hosted Sri Lanka (June 2022), Ireland (November 2022) and South Africa (September 2023).
Pakistan are currently third in the ICC Women's Championship standings with 16 points, while West Indies are towards the bottom at ninth with eight points.
The T20Is will also kick start preparations for both teams in the build-up to the Women's T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Bangladesh in September.
Pakistan's Head of Women’s Cricket Tania Mallick said the series forms part of a strategic move.
"We extend a warm welcome to the West Indies women's team to Pakistan for the upcoming series. Hosting the fourth women's championship series at home within the 2022-25 cycle is a testament to PCB's commitment to promoting women's cricket and providing our players with opportunities to shine on the international stage," Mallick said.
“The forthcoming series against West Indies is not just about cricket; it's about developing relationships and strengthening bonds between cricketing nations. The current position of the Pakistan women’s team reflects our determination and dedication, and we aim to collect maximum points from the three championship matches at home,” she added.
Series schedule
18 Apr – First ODI, Karachi (ICC Women’s Championship)
21 Apr – Second ODI, Karachi (ICC Women’s Championship)
23 Apr – Third ODI, Karachi (ICC Women’s Championship)
26 Apr – First T20I, Karachi
28 Apr – Second T20I, Karachi
30 Apr – Third T20I, Karachi
2 May – Fourth T20I, Karachi
3 May – Fifth T20I, Karachi
The regional team claimed the ICC Women’s World Cup with a surprise won over Australia in 2016. Since then, not only have the Windies failed to win another title but seem increasingly unable to compete with the game’s biggest teams.
At the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup the team failed to advance from the group stage after winning just one game. In September of last year, the team found itself on the wrong side of a one-sided 5-0 loss at the hands of England. Collymore, the specialist bowling coach, believes that based on their talent the Windies could once again be battling against the top teams, but it will take work.
“As I said to them, it will take some work. I was with the U19s in 2016 but now being here with these ladies, and judging from England, I spoke to them and I said our overall game definitely needs some serious work,” Collymore told members of the media.
“We’ll put that in, but it will take time. We’re not here to say you need five years or whatever the case may be, but we need a pool of players that we can put some consistent work in, then we can be able to choose a squad that will be able to go forward and deliver performances like the one in 2016.”
The team, which has been inactive since September, is currently at a training camp in Antigua with one eye on the World Cup qualifiers later this year.
Matthews held off determined challenges from Bangladesh spinner Nahida Akter and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr to claim the award, after a dominant period of play against Australia during the month.
The 25-year-old smashed scores of 99*, 132 and 79 in a Player of the Series performance during the T20I component of the West Indies' tour of Australia
Matthews also chipped in with an excellent spell of 3-36 during the second match of that three-game series to help the Caribbean side to a memorable victory.
The all-rounder then backed up those efforts with strong contributions during the ODI leg of the Australia tour, with scores of 20 and 23 during the two completed 50-over contests to cap off a huge month for the West Indies star.
Matthews remained Down Under following the series to compete in the domestic WBBL competition and was thrilled to accept her award from Australia.
“I’m very grateful to have received the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for October," Matthews said.
"I love pulling on the West Indies jersey. Every time I do wear that maroon and gold, it definitely adds an extra layer where you can go out there and perform well, not only for yourself and for the team, but in knowing how much cricket means to the people of the Caribbean and how much it can bring people together.
“It was pretty special going out there in Australia and being able to perform the way that I did, but knowing how many people’s faces I was able to put a smile on back home in the Caribbean, that’s what means the most to me.”
The West Indies and England are set for a return to international cricket next month with a three-match Test series, in England. With the spread and effects of the coronavirus still very much evident in the UK, however, some have questioned the wisdom of the decision, particularly based on the risk posed to the players.
With 291,409 thousand reported cases and 41,279 deaths, the UK is the hardest-hit region in Europe. The ECB has, however, been taking precautions with a chartered flight for the team to the UK and the implementation of a biosecure environment for the series, which will keep the players quarantined from the rest of the general public for the duration of the tour. There is still, however, some risk attached but Grave has been quick to dismiss suggestions the invitation was accepted because of a debt owed.
“We got a three-million-dollar advance of our ICC distribution that was given to us by ECB. It’s a short-term interest-free advance because its due to be paid back in full in July, directly by ICC to ECB and will be deducted from the money we get,” Grave told Barbados Nationnews.
“In early May when we received it, we weren’t discussing it at all because the situation in the UK was not the state that it is now. So, I guarantee you it’s not linked in any way shape, or form to our touring or not touring.”
Hetmyer and Bravo joined bowler Keemo Paul in rejecting the offer to join a 25-member squad to tour England this month. With the UK being one of the countries most badly ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, the trio insisted that they did not feel it was safe to take the risk associated with going on the tour, despite safety assurances given by the England Cricket Board (ECB). The matches will take place in front of empty stadiums and players will be kept in an enclosed and heavily quarantined environment.
With both players, despite their prodigious talent, struggling for firm footing when it comes to the West Indies squad, Holding believes the match could have provided useful hitting time.
“I think it’s unfortunate as far as West Indies cricket is concerned. I’m not going to tell anyone that they should be going to England, because the COVID-19 is around. Someone may get sick or even worse,” Holding said on youtube podcast Mikey – No Holding back.
“But at the same time, I think it’s unfortunate for the West Indies team because these guys have quite a bit of talent and they’ll be missed," he added.
“I’m sorry that Bravo in particular isn’t going, because I think he needs to resuscitate his career. He started off so brilliantly, everyone thought he was going to be another great West Indian batsman but he hasn’t really fulfilled that. I think the more cricket he can play now, especially with the West Indies, is the more he has a chance of getting on track and showing everyone the great player he could be,” Holding said.
“Hetmyer is another talented player and again I’m sorry that he is not going to get more opportunities to express himself, but I’m not blaming them for not going.”
