West Indies

The West Indies previously hosted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2007 as well as the second edition of the T20 World Cup two years later.

Last week, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago were announced as the seven Caribbean countries that will host matches along with New York, Texas and Florida in the USA.

CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, described the confirmation of the region as hosts as a “big landmark” in a CWI interview last week and is looking forward to inviting the rest of the world to the Caribbean.

“It’s a big landmark for us at Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the ICC because, having this confirmation now that seven of our host countries have made successful bids to host matches means that a lot of the work and detailed planning that we need to do in order to make the most of this huge opportunity to host out third men’s ICC tournament in the West Indies, and this time in partnership with our friends at USA cricket, can start,” he said.

He also went into what are the next steps in preparing for next year’s festivities.

“The next big step is to get the match schedule agreed with the ICC. We’ve got the ten hist venues. The next stage is to work through the detailed match schedule. This is the first World Cup ever to have 20 teams so it’s a big tournament to organize and there’s a small window from early June to the 30^th of June when the final will take place to get all the matches in. We’ve got group stages after the warm-up games. We’ve then got the super eights stage then semi-finals and final so, once that schedule is agreed, then it’s all systems go in terms of tickets being on sale around December to coincide with us welcoming England to the region,” Grave said.

“It’s really important that we get the match schedules announced so that we can invite the world to come to the Caribbean next year,” he added.

Grave also expressed gratitude to the various Governments who put forward successful bids to host matches.

“We’re enormously grateful for the continued support we get from the Governments of the West Indies,” he said.

“All of them that put forward bids have been successful in securing matches which is great news. We’re really looking forward to some of the improvements that those Governments have put forward in their proposals to us and the ICC in terms of ensuring that they are ready for what is the pinnacle of the men’s game currently. It’s a huge opportunity for the region to use the platform of hundreds of millions of fans watching our beautiful countries and our iconic venues and we want everyone in the world to come to the Caribbean and experience what we have to offer,” he added.

While encouraging people from all over the world to make the trip, Grave also urged local fans to come out and support the regional side in their bid for a third World T20 title.

“Absolutely. We’ve seen that unique kind of atmosphere when we hosted the 2018 Women’s World T20 with big crowds in St. Lucia and Antigua when the West Indies played and I’m sure when the West Indies play next June there’ll be big crowds at all the venues,” he said.

“We want every host country to show what a welcoming and exciting place this is to watch and play cricket and it’s really important that the fans come out in their masses. The school children will be invited as part of our community engagement program so that we can show what kind of an atmosphere it is to the world,” Grave added.

A number of media outlets including CricTracker, Sportskeeda and the Daily Mirror have reported that the venue shift is being considered due to a lack of infrastructure in the USA but CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, denied these claims and questioned the source of the information.

“No!” was Grave’s answer when asked about the validity of the claims being reported.

“I don’t know where that’s coming from. I’m in London for the World Test Championship final and I’ll be here again for the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in a few weeks’ time so who knows what the agenda is. There’s no truth to it,” Grave added.

The West Indies previously hosted the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010.

The talismanic batsman, Gayle, who is 41-years-old, and Edwards, who is 39, were both selected as part of the T20I squad ahead of the team’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

 Despite being past the age many other players have retired from the sport, both men have expressed an interest in representing the team at the T20 World Cup, in India, in October.  On the back of an impressive IPL campaign, for Kings XI Punjab, few would have issues with Gayle suiting up.  Edwards would have been more of a question mark, however, as he was not available for selection, due to a Kolpak contract, for the last eight years.  The bowler recently showed he is still more than capable of hostile bowling at express pace.  In the recent Abu Dhabi T10 league final, Edwards was seen hurrying young in-form compatriot Nicholas Pooran.  According to Harper, despite the player’s age, he still brings exceptional quality to the team.

“I would hope it (selection) sends a message to the young players of the standards they need to attain,” Harper told members of the media via an online Zoom press conference.

“You would recall in some of the T20 games, for example in New Zealand, us losing some games and where we were deficient,” he added.

“I would hope the message that is sent is that these are the standards we need to attain and the sort of players that we need to have in these sort of teams; guys who will work harder at developing their skills to get to that level.”

The selectors have also named 11 reserves for the tour that includes fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Oshane Thomas.

The 22-year-old Holder – who is not related to captain Jason Holder – was the leading fast bowler in the West Indies Championship with 36 wickets in eight matches at 18.91 each, and was one of the successful ICC U-19 World Cup-winning side in 2016.

Bonner, 31, will be making his Test squad debut after being one of the leading batsmen in the 2020 West Indies Championship with 523 runs in seven matches at an average of 58.11.  He has previously represented the West Indies when he played two T20 Internationals back in 2011 and 2012.

Subject to the final approval of the UK Government, the West Indies will defend the Wisden Trophy in three back-to-back Test matches to be played behind closed doors,  starting on July 8.   The touring party that will all be tested for COVID-19 this week, is scheduled to fly to England on private charters on June 8.

According to CWI, the West Indies squad will live, train and play in a “bio-secure” environment during the seven weeks of the tour, as part of the comprehensive medical and operations plans to ensure player and staff safety.

The bio-secure protocols will restrict movement in and out of the venues, so the selection panel has also named a list of reserve players who will travel to train and help prepare the Test squad and ensure replacements are available in case of any injury.

Chief selector Roger Harper explained that the squad will have the time to get accustomed to the new norm in the UK but feels that they have selected a competitive squad.

“The new cricketing environment will take some getting used to. However, being in England and working together for four weeks before the first Test will give the squad the opportunity to get acclimatized and hopefully, mentally and technically adjusted to the demands of the new environment. Playing in July could be a blessing as the weather is likely to be warmer which will allow the squad more of an opportunity to play its best cricket,” he said.

“I think we have a squad that will be very competitive. More than half of the squad were involved in the victorious Test series against England in the Caribbean last year so they will bring that experience, that knowledge and belief with them and marry it to the enthusiasm and vitality of the newcomers.

“The experience of the players who toured England before in 2017 will also benefit the squad greatly. I expect that the bowling unit will once again provide a serious challenge for England and our batting will have to deliver. England is a tough team when playing in home conditions, however, I think the West Indies has a good chance of retaining the Wisden Trophy. We will have to bat consistently well to do so.”

Harper believes newcomers Holder and Bonner will benefit greatly from the tour.

“Chemar Holder is an exciting young fast bowling talent who is coming off an excellent domestic First-Class season. He should enjoy bowling in English conditions. He could prove a real asset to the team in England,” Harper said.

 “Nkrumah Bonner is an unflappable character. His ability to hold the innings together and bat through tight situations could serve the team very well.

“Jermaine Blackwood returns by sheer weight of performance in the domestic First-Class season. His patience and application were evident and that resulted in much greater consistency which I look forward to him taking back into the Test arena. His experience of playing Test cricket in England should stand him in good stead.”  

The chief selector also shed light on the inclusion of allrounder Raymon Reifer and Shannon Gabriel who is returning after undergoing surgery.

“Raymon Reifer has been around for a while and has proved to be a real competitor with both bat and ball – qualities that will add great value to the team. Shannon Gabriel is working his way back to full match fitness after his ankle operation last year.

“The four weeks leading up to the first Test will be of tremendous benefit to him. A fully fit and firing Shannon adds great potency to the bowling attack, so it is important to have him back at his best.”

West Indies are scheduled to arrive in Manchester on June 9 and will be based in Manchester for a three-week period before moving to Southampton for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl. They will then return to Manchester for the second and third matches at Emirates Old Trafford.  All these matches will be played behind closed doors and are still subject to UK Government approval.

The West Indies are scheduled to play the first Test at Ageas Bowl in Southampton from July 8-12.

The action will then move to the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester for the second Test from July 16-20 as well as the third Test from July 24-28.

WEST INDIES TEST SQUAD: Jason Holder (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Chemar Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, and Kemar Roach.

RESERVE PLAYERS: Sunil Ambris, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Keon Harding, Kyle Mayers, Preston McSween, Marquino Mindley, Shane Moseley, Anderson Phillip, Oshane Thomas, and Jomel Warrican.

This is in addition to 90 players across the region who are contracted to Territorial Board Franchise Squads.  

The West Indies Men’s contracted player list sees fast bowler Jayden Seales, left-arm seamer Obed McCoy and allrounder Odean Smith awarded international retainer contracts for the first time. The West Indies Women’s contracted player list sees allrounders Mandy Mangru and Jannillea Glasgow along with batter Rashada Williams awarded international retainer contracts for the first time, all of which are development contracts.

For 2022-23, CWI has changed the Men’s retainer contract structure to offer player contracts across all formats of cricket, compared to specific red or white-ball contracts in previous years.  The offer of retainer contracts to all players follows an Evaluation Period of performances from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, which is also supported by statistics from the previous 2019 -2020 Evaluation Period. This allows for all players to be appraised immediately after the Evaluation Period and provides a notice period before new contracts start on 1 July 2022. The system is designed to reward hard work and performance results. 

“Congratulations to all the players who have been offered contracts.  We think this is a dynamic group, with the right mixture of experience and youthfulness to properly represent the people of the Caribbean. With general retainer contracts, it gives us a pool of talented and dedicated cricketers, who can take West Indies cricket forward in years to come,” said West Indies Men’s Lead Selector the Hon. Desmond Haynes.

West Indies Women’s Lead Selector, Ann Browne-John also offered her congratulations.

“The selectors have placed a great focus on the young developing players because these are the ones who will help to build the team as we look towards the future. The panel believes that the combination of experienced players and the emerging players will give a good base as we continue to prepare teams for international matches and the T20 World Cup early next year,” she said.

“I am delighted for all the players who have been offered retainers for the upcoming period. This represents a significant investment in the ongoing development of our international players whilst also ensuring our best players are available for selection,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.

Full list of contracted players:

West Indies Men

Jermaine Blackwood
Nkrumah Bonner
Kraigg Brathwaite
Joshua Da Silva
Jason Holder
Shai Hope
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Kyle Mayers
Obed McCoy
Nicholas Pooran
Rovman Powell
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
Hayden Walsh Jr.

West Indies Women

*Denotes developmental contract 

Aaliyah Alleyne
Shemaine Campbelle
Shamilia Connell
Deandra Dottin
Afy Fletcher
Cherry Ann Fraser *
Shabika Gajnabi *
Jannillea Glasgow *
Chinelle Henry
Mandy Mangru *
Hayley Matthews
Anisa Mohammed
Chedean Nation
Karishma Ramharack
Kaysia Schultz *
Shakera Selman
Stafanie Taylor

Rashada Williams*

The trio – Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes - received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees in recent ceremonies. Sir Andy was honoured by the UWI Five Islands Campus in Antigua, while Sir Gordon and Haynes received theirs from the UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.

“I felt that it was an honour, and you know, I appreciate anything that is given to me because of my contribution towards the game of cricket and towards the development of Antigua and Barbuda,” Sir Andy said.

During a brief ceremony in Antigua, the CWI as well as the Board of Directors and staff of Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) recently presented Sir Andy with a token of appreciation. The presentation of the special hamper was made by Enoch Lewis a Director of CWI, and Nelecia Yeates, General Manager of CCG.

All three are members of the ICC Hall of Fame. They formed part of the formidable West Indies team which dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s. Sir Andy and Sir Gordon were members of the 1975 and 1979 World Cup-winning teams, while Haynes was a member of the 1979 team.

Greenidge and Haynes formed the most successful opening batting combination in the history of international cricket.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) extended their congratulations to the West Indies Test team on their remarkable 120-run victory against Pakistan in Multan, marking the team’s first Test win on Pakistan soil since 1990.

Led by an amazing double century by Kyle Mayers on debut, West Indies made 395-7 to win by three wickets. He made 210 not out and shared a superb partnership of 216 with fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner, who made 86.

The superb batting performance was the second-highest score in a successful run chase in West Indies Test history and the highest run chase in a Test match in Asia.

 CWI President Ricky Skerritt lauded team and their performance, which brought great joy to West Indies supporters around the world.

“Congratulations to Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and our entire squad for an exceptional display of composure and desire,” Skerritt said in a statement.

“Led by debutant Kyle Mayers, it was a fighting team performance overall. The people of our region should walk a little taller today and the challenges of COVID-19 should temporarily be overshadowed by this astonishing West Indies Test victory. The hard work will continue.”

Mayers was named Man-of-the-Match for the knock that turned the match around for the West Indies.

The CWI CEO, in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), said he is increasingly confident that the CWI board will greenlight the tour.

Initially set to get underway in June, the tour was postponed because of the Coronavirus COVID 19. However, the England Cricket Board and CWI began discussions at the start of the month over the possibility of starting the Test series in July.

Grave told Sportsmax.TV that the tour would only go ahead if the ECB could guarantee the safety of its players and support staff. However, in subsequent discussions, it was suggested that the players would fly to England by charter and be housed in a bio-secure environment for up to four weeks before the series could begin.

Last week, during the ongoing discussions, Grave said the two sides were making progress after which the CWI CEO said he now believed that the ECB now believed that they had a ‘robust and safe’ plan to ensure that the series could go ahead.

“From where we sit at the moment, based on the information we have, based on the fact that every day there are less and less cases in the UK, everyone is getting increasingly confident that the tour will happen at some point,” Grave told CMC

“Our board meeting is on May 28. If the tour has to take place, by the start of June we would need to have the [CWI] board approval and support by then in order to get the charter flight logistics in place and select the players.”

If the CWI agrees, West Indies players and support staff would likely depart the Caribbean on June 8.

Cameron hoped to be in competition for the top spot, along with former ECB Chairman Colin Graves, Singapore’s Imran Khwaja, who is currently serving as the interim ICC chair, and Greg Barclay of New Zealand.

Graves was thought to be the favorite for the post but failed to attract enough votes to stay in contention. With the deadline expiring on the weekend, the position is now set to be contested by Barclay and Khwaja.

Recent reports suggest Barclay – an outsider up to now but a director of New Zealand Cricket since 2012 – already has the backing of India, England, and Australia but will still require 11 votes out of the 16 ICC board members with voting rights to prevail.

The ICC has outlined that the nominees must be either a former or current ICC board member.  The USA Cricket Hall of Fame had asked CWI to nominate Cameron, 49, as chairman but the proposal found no favour.  His name was not among the nominees after the deadline closed.

"I reached out to certain people but did not hear anything from them, so I guess that it is safe to state that I was not nominated by anyone for the post seeing that the process that now closed,” Cameron told T&T Guardian.

CWI vice-president Dr. Kishore Shallow also confirmed the board did not nominate Cameron.

According to Shallow: "It did come up for discussion and we did not nominate anybody for the post."

The 33-year-old Trinidadian all-rounder announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday after formally communicating his decision to CWI.

During his career, Pollard was one of the most powerful batters on the international stage and revolutionized the way T20 cricket was played. This was recently demonstrated when he struck six sixes in an over against Sri Lanka at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua in March, 2021.

His finest hour came in 2012 when as a member of the West Indies team that won the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup, defeating Sri Lanka in the Final at the Premadasa Stadium.

In expressing his gratitude CWI President Ricky Skerritt said Pollard demonstrated great leadership during his time representing the West Indies.

“On behalf of everyone at CWI I would like to express our thanks to Kieron Pollard for his outstanding service to the West Indies ODI and T20I teams over the past 15 years,” Skerritt said.

“We respect his decision to retire from international cricket and are especially grateful for the high quality of leadership and commitment he invested in both West Indies teams since his appointment as our white-ball captain in September 2019. We wish him continued success in his career.”

Pollard made his international debut for West Indies during the 2007 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and played 123 ODIs. He made 2,706 runs with a top score of 119 vs India in Chennai in 2011. He also took 55 wickets.

He made his T20I debut against Australia at Kensington Oval in 2008 and appeared in 101 matches. He scored 1,569 runs – including 99 sixes, and also took 42 wickets. His top score was 75 not out against New Zealand in Auckland in 2020; while his best figures were 4-25 against Ireland at Warner Park, St Kitts in 2020.

Sandals became CWI’s principal partner, enjoying branding rights across all West Indies Men’s, Women’s and age-group teams in 2017, a partnership extended by a further year during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the course of many years, CWI and Sandals were able to achieve many positives, including the fact that it was CWI and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who one year ago jointly led the resumption of international cricket at all levels following the initial Pandemic shutdown. Sandals’ encouragement and support for that historic CWI decision to tour the UK was much appreciated”, said CWI CEO, Johnny Grave.

“Global sports and tourism have suffered badly from the unprecedented health-based crisis, caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, which has reduced Caribbean travel and hospitality revenues immensely. In spite of those setbacks, we were still able to encourage Sandals to extend their sponsorship for a further year. That extended period has now come to an end, and we want to again thank Sandals and its Board for their immense contribution and long-standing support of West Indies cricket.”

The CWI Partnership with Sandals was part of the incredible legacy of the late Sandals’ Chairman, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who was a life-long supporter of West Indies cricket and who made sure that the Sandals brand stood proudly on the shirts of all West Indian cricketers, continuously over the past four years.

CWI paid tribute earlier this year to Stewart, whose passing was closely followed by the loss of his senior management colleague David Roper, himself also a Sandals-based West Indies cricket stalwart. It was Mr Roper who coordinated the varying commercial relationships with West Indies cricket for more than two decades at home and abroad.

Sandals’ financial contribution through the most recent four-year period of commercial sponsorship, provided much-needed capital to CWI for investing in players and tournaments across all formats of the game.

Sandals had also previously entered into shorter-term sponsorships with CWI on a number of specific tours to the United Kingdom (UK), one of the major tourism markets where Sandals received a significant return on investment from their partnership with West Indies cricket. Sandals was the first-ever West Indies sponsor to have their logo across the chest of the Test teams.

At current, there are no cricket leagues around the world that require players to be vaccinated in order to take part in a competition.  However, with the risk and expense attached to the current model of staging tournaments in a biosecure environment and increasing evidence of the positive effect of vaccination on preventing the spread of the virus, there is no guarantee things will stay the same.

At current, a few members of the squad have taken the vaccine, but some remain hesitant at this point in time.  Mansingh pointed out that it was the duty of the medical team to educate the players on the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated but, at the end of the day, the freedom to make individual choices had to be respected.  He speculated, however, that the choices could plausibly, in the near future, affect an individual’s ability to earn income.

“We live in a free society, and we have to respect the decisions of people.  But there may be leagues around the world who say if you are not vaccinated then we will not take you and that is when personal decisions will have to made,” Mansingh told the Mason and Guest Radio program.

“We have erred on the side of freedom of choice, etc., etc. and we will entertain the discussion but there are leagues that are going to pop up, which will not entertain the discussion,” he added.

“We allowed people to opt-out of bubbles that we knew were safe and some of the people that opted out at that time made a completely different choice when they went to India, which was the second most infected country in the world.”

The four-year agreement will see SuperSport feature exclusive live coverage of all West Indies international home matches and regional tournaments played in the Caribbean on its television and digital platforms.

As part of the agreement, West Indies cricket will now be seen in over 54 African countries and islands, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Kenya. SuperSport’s coverage starts with the recently confirmed West Indies versus Sri Lanka series which commences on Wednesday, March 3 with three CG Insurance T20 International matches.

The agreement also includes the rescheduled visit by South Africa to the Caribbean in June 2021, a tour that had to be rescheduled from July 2020 due to COVID-19.

“This new long-term SuperSport agreement ensures that the much-loved West Indies teams will be accessible to an expanded number of African consumer markets with sub-Saharan Africa’s premier broadcaster,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt.

“As CWI’s third major media rights agreement finalized in the past few weeks, we are excited that SuperSport will be featuring every international series and regional tournament from the Caribbean, including the upcoming Sri Lanka Series and the rescheduled tour of the West Indies by South Africa in June.”

 Johnny Grave, CWI CEO said the agreement is another step of taking West Indies crickets into new markets.

 “We are absolutely delighted to confirm this significant four-year agreement with SuperSport to ensure that millions of cricket fans in Sub-Saharan Africa can follow West Indies Cricket in the Caribbean,” Grave said.

“By partnering with Africa’s leading sports broadcaster, CWI continues to deliver against our strategic objective of increasing the worldwide audience for and access to one of the world’s most loved cricket teams and regions.”

 This is the third major broadcast agreement announced by CWI following the recent ground-breaking agreements with ESPN+ for the United States market and with BT Sport for the United Kingdom and Ireland markets.​

The breach has resulted in the team members being unable to train for their final days of isolation prior to their continued preparations for the upcoming T20 series that begin on November 27.

According to reports from New Zealand, NZ Cricket said it found out on Tuesday that some members of the West Indies team had "contravened protocols" within the managed isolation facility in Christchurch.

"These incidents included some players compromising bubble integrity by sharing food, and socializing in hallways,” New Zealand Cricket said.

However, there is no evidence that any members of the touring party left the facility, or that any unauthorized persons accessed it, reports said.

CWI said the New Zealand Ministry of Health advised them that all members of the West Indies touring party will now be unable to train for the remainder of the quarantine period and will have to complete their quarantine within the Managed Isolation Facility only.

“CWI is in full support of the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s position,” CWI said in a statement.

“From the information we have received so far, we have been told that the incidents in question included some players compromising the bubble integrity by mixing between two separate West Indies bubbles into which the touring party had been split.”

Ahead of the tour to New Zealand, the West Indies touring party all returned two negative COVID-19 tests before leaving the Caribbean, and underwent two further tests since they have been in New Zealand. All results were negative.

The players underwent their final scheduled tests yesterday and, results permitting, are scheduled to leave the Managed Isolation Facility on Friday to travel to Queenstown ahead of two warm-up matches against New Zealand “A”.

The legendary former West Indies captain received the honour for being an exemplar in the field of sport, management and leadership during the university’s graduation ceremony in Georgetown on Friday.

“We want to congratulate Sir Clive on this well-deserved honor bestowed on him by the University of Guyana,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt.

“Sir Clive’s leadership style brought unity and pride to his team. His vision and passion on the game and his respect and trust for his colleagues were the driving forces behind his immense success as he drove the West Indies to become a sporting dynasty. We celebrate with Sir Clive as he receives this valued award for his service to Guyana and West Indies cricket.”

Sir Clive Lloyd was captain of the West Indies team during a period of unprecedented dominance, which included winning the Cricket World Cup in 1975 and 1979.

He played 110 Test matches between 1966 and 1985, where he scored 7,515 runs with 19 centuries. He also played 87 ODIs and made 1,977 runs with a best score of 102 in the 1975 World Cup final against Australia at Lord's.

The victory came on Sunday morning – the fourth day of the third Apex Test at the Grenada National Stadium. With the superb 1-0 series result, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite became the first man to lift the newly-minted Richards-Botham trophy.

In the aftermath of the victory, CWI President, Ricky Skerritt, congratulated the team on its superb performances against the traditional archrivals on home soil.

“On behalf of CWI and the West Indies supporters around the world, I want to express heartfelt congratulations to Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, head coach Phil Simmons, and the entire team on what were truly outstanding efforts from start to finish,” Skerritt said.

“It was a remarkable three weeks of cricket which saw our team battle hard to earn draws in the first and second matches. Then, with all to play for, they seized every opportunity in the final match to triumph in style. This will put smiles on the faces of West Indies fans everywhere are we lift the fabulous Richards-Botham trophy for the first time.”

The first two matches in Antigua and Barbados ended in draws, which set up the decider in Grenada, which West Indies won by 10 wickets, with Brathwaite hitting the winning runs before lunch.

The women’s event will be 30-over matches played from 4 to 12 July at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), UWI Sports & Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC), and Gilbert Park Cricket Ground (GPCG) in Trinidad. This is the second year of the tournament and players will be identified with a view developing talent and participating in international events such as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 to be played in Malaysia and Thailand.

The men’s event will be played in St Vincent from 4 July to 1 August. It will feature five rounds of 50-over white ball matches and four rounds of three-day red ball matches. These will be played at Arnos Vales, Sion Hill, Park Hill and Cumberland.

Following the tournaments, West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team will be selected for a tour of Sri Lanka where they are due to play a four-day match as well as 50-over matches. This will be part of preparations for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka early next year.

These tournaments serve as a pivotal platform for showcasing and identifying talent and facilitating their progression. CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources into developing the game at every level and these tournaments therefore play a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies players.

During the tournaments LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of matches will be available on the www.windiescricket.com match centre.

MATCH SCHEDULE

Women’s 30-over in Trinidad

• start at 10am (9am Jamaica)

Tuesday 4 July

Windward Islands vs Guyana at GPCG

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at UWI SPEC

Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados at NCC

Thursday 6 July

Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago – GPCG

Guyana vs Barbados – UWI SPEC

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – NCC

Sunday 9 July

Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at GPCG

Jamaica vs Barbados at UWI SPEC

Guyana vs Leeward Islands at NCC

Tuesday 11 July

Jamaica vs Guyana at GPCG

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago at UWI SPEC

Barbados vs Windward Islands at NCC

Thursday 13 July

Leeward Islands vs Barbados at GPCG

Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana at UWI SPEC

Jamaica vs Windward Islands at NCC

Saturday 15 July

5th and 6th play-off at GPCG

3rd and 4th play-off at NCC

FINAL at UWI SPEC

Men’s Under 19 50-over in St Vincent

• matches start at 9:30am (8:30am Jamaica)

Tuesday 4 July

Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale

Trinidad and Tobago v Barbados at Sion Hill

Jamaica v Guyana at Cumberland

Thursday 6 July

Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Arnos Vale

Leeward Islands v Guyana at Cumberland

Windward Islands v Barbados at Sion Hill

Saturday 8 July

Guyana v Barbados at Arnos Vale

Windwards v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill

Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Sion Hill

Monday 10 July

Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill

Windward Islands vs Jamaica at Sion Hill

Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Arnos Vale

Wednesday 12 July

Windward Islands v Guyana at Park Hill

Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill

Barbados v Jamaica at Arnos Vale

Men’s Under 19 three-day in St Vincent

• matches start at 10am (9am Jamaica)

15-17 July

Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale

Barbados v Guyana at Park Hill

Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill

20-22 July

Barbados v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill

Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Cumberland

Windward Islands v Guyana at Arnos Vale

25-27 July

Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Sion Hill

Windward Islands v Jamaica at Arnos Vale

Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill

30 July to 1 August

FINAL at Arnos Vale

3rd and 4th play-off at Park Hill

5th and 6th play-off at Cumberland

As a left-arm spinner, Jumadeen played 12 Test matches between 1972 and 1979 taking 29 wickets. His best figures of 4-72 came against Australia at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1978.

He was also one of the leading bowlers for Trinidad and Tobago and played 99 first-class matches in which he took 347 wickets at an average of 27.9.

Following retirement from the game, Jumadeen was a coach and selector in Trinidad and was a member of the West Indies senior men’s selection panel.

“Raphick Jumadeen was an outstanding servant of the game and gave his all on and off the field. He was a stand-out performer for Trinidad and Tobago in the Shell Shield and was one of the most successful wicket-takers at the regional level,” CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow said in tribute to the fallen former West Indies bowler. 

 “He returned to serve West Indies cricket as a senior selector. Raphick made an invaluable contribution to the game as a coach in his country, where he played a hand in the development of many young players. He has left behind a legacy of service, commitment, and giving back to the game he loved. CWI extends our condolences to his wife and other family members, loved ones, and the cricket family in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The West Indies team paid respect to Jumadeen by wearing black armbands during the first match of the CG United ODI Series powered by YES BANK against India at Kensington Oval on Thursday.