On that occasion, the Windies showed plenty of grit and determination to beat the much more highly fancied England 2-1. A similar result against New Zealand would be even more remarkable, however, considering the team’s poor showing against the Blackcaps in recent campaigns.
With the regional team having not registered a Test series win against New Zealand since 2012, it is the Kiwis that have won the last three, with the Windies winning just a match. The victories included a 2-1 win over the West Indies in the Caribbean in 2014. Chase, however, believes the upcoming series could be a little different.
“New Zealand is never an easy place to play…but I am feeling something special about this tour. The energy that I’m feeling from the guys. The eagerness reminds me of when we played the series against England in the Caribbean,” Chase told windiescricket.com.
“I just really have a good feeling about this one,” he added.
Chase replaced opener Kraigg Brathwaite as vice-captain of the squad. The West Indies will face-off against New Zealand in two Test and three T20 internationals.
The attacking-minded Mayers burst on the scene with a stroke-filled 210 unbeaten in the first Test against Bangladesh, in February of this year. However, against Sri Lanka last month, the player also had a good turn with the ball. Not only extracting movement from a placid pitch but taking four wickets in the process, with just a short spell.
The display prompted some pundits to suggest that the player had the ability to become a dependable all-rounder for the squad if he could improve his overall fitness.
Bowling would not have been entirely new to Mayers, however, as he was at one point considered more of a bowling all-rounder, having claimed 71 wickets in 30 first-class matches at an average of 21.54. Having displayed more prowess with the bat in recent months, Mayers is convinced that he can do both at the highest level in the mold of former West Indies captain Jason Holder, or England’s Ben Stokes, the world’s top-ranked all-rounders.
“I have it in me to do it. I just have to become fitter,” Mayer’s told SportsMax’s The Commentators podcast.
“I just started Test cricket and people think watching it on tv, it’s very easy, it’s very hard. I will always say that, and I will always let young people coming up know that if you want to play Test cricket you need to work very hard,” he added.
“Preparation is key for me to be up there with Jason. It will take that hard work, but I believe I can do it for sure. Having number one and maybe number two in the world can’t be so bad. If they had two of the world’s best all-rounders the guys would be happy.”
Catch full interview in the Podcast below
Since the advent of the cash-rich shortest format of the sport, the top Caribbean players have often found themselves caught between representing the regional team and earning from the major payday provided by the global T20 calendar.
With the emergence of a new generation of talented West Indies players, the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and particularly more recently Kyle Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner, and Joshua Da Silva, Lloyd is already worried Cricket West Indies could find itself in a similar position to several years ago.
“I impress on the board and all those that are in charge, to make sure that these guys stick with our cricket,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“We can’t afford to lose another three guys because I know the IPL fellows are going to come knocking and it’s very difficult for them to say no,” he added.
“They have a lot of T20 games in which they will be able to make money, but the point is the other countries seem to be able to harness their talent. They go to those places and play but when international cricket is being played, they are back there. Let’s just hope that we keep these young men we are grooming that we work hard with and they’ve now come to fruition; so that the captain or whoever will have people to call on. If you keep losing players, it’s like digging a hole to fill a hole.”
Despite some amount of debate surrounding the selection of the inexperienced player, the performance of the 19-year-old Seales was one of the few bright sparks in a wretched series for the regional team.
The teenager, who came into the line-up with the absence of Shannon Gabriel due to injury, claimed figures of 3 for 34 and overall figures of 3 for 75. He did not get the chance at a second innings as South Africa only needed to bat once. Prior to his debut, Seales had only played one First-Class match.
While admitted to being delighted by the young bowler’s potential, Holder recommends caution as a necessity in ensuring he lives up to his full potential.
“I’m very excited for Jayden. It was special to see not just the way he bowled but also the way the team rallied around him,” Holder told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I was actually commenting on his first Test wicket and everyone was saying they really enjoyed how he got around it. I honestly felt like I was taking my first wicket when Jayden got his wicket,” he added.
“The most impressive thing for me about Jayden's debut is the sustenance of his consistency. He was there, thereabouts nagging. He asked tons of questions at multiple stages of the game, which is impressive for a 19-year-old.”
The sky’s the limit for him if he can just stay fit. I just hope that we manage him well. When I say manage him well, we still have to understand that for Jayden that’s his second first-class game, first Test match. The body will take a little bit of time to adjust to the workload and we have to be careful not to bowl him to the ground. I think sometimes we get excited by a young prospect like Jayden and throw him into all formats. I would like to see a gradual build-up with him.”
Allen took figures of 1-13 as the West Indies restricted Sri Lanka to 131 for 4 despite an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 85 between Dinesh Chandimal, who made 54 and Ashan Bandara who was unbeaten on 44.
Allen, who was also outstanding in the field, taking a blinder off his own bowling and saved several runs fielding in the outfield, then, with the West Indies needing 20 runs from the last two overs, smashed three sixes in the penultimate over of the match to propel the West Indies to victory.
"I prepare for everything, including bowling in the Powerplay. I just backed myself and executed,” Allen said afterwards. The pitch is very slow, so I just needed to execute my plans.”
He said he backed his team to win despite their struggles against the Sri Lankan spinners, who once again, troubled the West Indies batsman getting five of the seven West Indies wickets to fall.
However, admitting his own struggles, he revealed the plan concocted between Jason Holder and himself that helped the West Indies over the line. Like the other batsmen before him, Allen had trouble reading Hasaranga de Silva’s spin, especially the googly that he uses quite liberally.
Recognizing that weakness, he hatched a plot with the West Indies Test captain.
“I told Jason Holder that I'm not comfortable batting against Hasaranga, so I told him to bat him out and I'll be finishing. I just backed myself in the end. It was a good performance overall."
Not only did Holder bat out the over, but he also took advantage of a rare no-ball from the Sri Lanka spinner, smashing his ‘free-hit’ delivery for six which reduced the West Indies’ task of 27 from 18 balls, to 20 from 12.
In the next over bowled by Akila Dananjaya, Allen took care of the rest.
Brathwaite, who took over as captain of the team from Jason Holder in February, had his worst performance at the top of the order for some time, albeit against a rampant South Africa.
In two matches, the 28-year-old batsman could only manage a high score of 15 and in total scored 28 runs, which included an early duck in the first innings of the second match. Prior to heading into the series, Brathwaite had averaged 33.43, including scores of 126 and 85 against Sri Lanka in the previous series.
The batsman has, however, rejected notions of added responsibility for the team impacting his performance at the crease.
“I’m not feeling any pressure. I enjoy captaining. I didn’t get any runs as the opening batsman, I just didn’t get any runs full stop,” Brathwaite told members of the media.
The player has targeted looking at a few technical issues and better mental preparation ahead of the next series.
“Opening the batting isn’t easy, but it’s a very crucial job because it basically sets up the game to make it easier for guys that follow and we didn’t do that and it put us on the backfoot for most of the time,” he added.
Brathwaite, who officially took over from Jason Holder at the start of the Sri Lanka series, made a total of 26 at the top of the order for the first Test, for an average of just 13. The batsman did, however, manage to occupy the crease, his score of 23 in the second innings coming from 124 balls. While not showing up on the scoreboard, the player believes it was a vital contribution.
“I’m not concerned. In the second innings I managed to spend over two hours at the crease, which was important for us as a batting unit,” Brathwaite told members of the media via a Zoom press conference.
“As I said before, I always enjoy leading and I know what I have to do, I know my role as a batsman and also as the captain. So, I’m not concerned.”
In the previous series against Bangladesh, as the stand-in captain for Holder, Brathwaite scored 149 runs over the two matches, for an average of 37.25. The West Indies unexpectedly won the series 2-0, which played a crucial role in Brathwaite securing the leadership post.
Russell smashed an unbeaten 54 from 22 balls, which included seven sixes and two fours as the team successfully recovered from 80-4 in the 14th over to reach 164-8 with four balls remaining. The total saw them claim a dramatic two-wicket win over Chattogram, who had been powered by Gayle’s blistering 60 off 24 balls.
"The plan was just to stay there until the end. I wasn't worried about the falling wickets but as more wickets fell, it put pressure on me,” Russell told Espncricinfo.
“I just wanted one person from one end, and then let me do my thing at the other end. [Abu Jayed] Rahi stood up with me. Well done to him. I think every run was really important. These scores can be very tricky at times,” he added.
"I love playing in these situations, when it is 12, 13 or 14 runs [needed] per over," Russell said. "Sometimes I love when its like even 15 or 16. I like these challenges. I am strong and I know if I stay as still as possible, I will always have an open mindset and I don't premeditate.”
Rajshahi will face Khulna Tigers in the final on Friday.
Powell made a total of 116 appearances for the West Indies between 1999 and 2006 and is widely considered to be one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball. Looking back at his introduction to the West Indies team as a 21-year-old in 1999, he freely admits that he had failed to grasp certain key elements needed for success during his development as a junior player.
“I remember growing up as a young player never understanding what discipline was in terms of the sport of cricket and how that was applied to cricket,” Powell told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“I always thought that this guy is indiscipline, he isn’t disciplined, not knowing that they were talking about the application to the actual game itself and not necessarily your behavior on and off the field,” he added.
In order to mitigate against such deficiencies affecting future generations of West Indies players, Powell believes the region must make a serious investment in mentorship programs.
“Mentorship should be a big thing in West Indies cricket right now because we are living in a different time and everyone wants to be successful overnight because of what T20 has brought to the game,” Powell said.
"I think a lot of mentorship needs to be taking place with workshops for younger players on and off the field. The workshops also have to be relatable, with people like myself who have played the game and understand what it is to come from certain walks of life and make it to the top and understand what it takes to get there and how you are going to stay there.”
King was named as part of the Windies T20 squad who will play against England in the upcoming five-match series. The batsman looked in solid form after returning to the team against Pakistan last month, after more than a year away from the team. He scored 111 runs in three matches, with an average of 37 and a high score of 67.
On the back of another controlled showing against a BCA President's XI in a warm-up match at Kensington Oval, on Tuesday, King will be looking to provide solidity against the English for a Windies team that has struggled as of late.
“For me mentally, I play my best cricket when I am keeping things simple out there while I am batting. I just try and play the situation as it is and that has really helped me to do better out there,” King said of his form since returning to the team.
Despite the World Cup coming up later this year, however, and the West Indies in rebuilding mode, he insists he is not looking too far ahead in terms of regular selection.
“I try to focus on the things that I can control. For me, that is just every game that presents itself I just try and do my best and perform. Selection and those other aspects I don’t have any control over it but I just try and put myself in a position to be in the conversation.”
On Wednesday, Smith was one of the few bright sparks as the West Indies crumbled in pursuit of a modest 237, set by India, in the second One Day International match between the teams. The player put on a solid 24 runs from 20 deliveries at the tail of the innings, a figure made more impressive considering it was the third-highest score for the team on the day.
Prior to that, during India's turn at the crease, Smith had bowled with plenty of pace and hostility in claiming 2 for 29, removing both dangerous batsmen Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli. His figures were the best for a West Indies bowler on the day. The player, however, insists he remains determined to better both his approach to the game and performances.
“I have a lot of work to do in both departments, bowling, and batting, so going forward I’m going to have to do a lot more work,” Smith said following the match.
“I was saying the batsmen should have tried more to bat time. I should probably have done the same thing. We needed 44 from four overs, it’s not a lot and if we had taken it to two overs it would have been a different game, instead of trying to get it (runs) as quick as possible,” he added.
“So, I have a lot of work to do, but everything comes with time. It’s around my fifth ODI game, so, I think I have a lot of time to continue learning.”
The 31-year-old new ball bowler put in an impressive shift in the first T20 International against England on Monday. The experienced seamster secured figures of 3-26 from her four overs– the second-best figures of her career – following 3-24 against New Zealand, at Invercargill, in 2014.
With a career spanning 12 years, Selman pointed to an improvement in her patience and working extra hard on mental skills as factors that have led to a recent resurgence.
“I think I’m actually peaking now at this later stage. Funny enough, I think I have always bowled well but I never had the wickets that would quite justify that or really suggest that," Selman said in a recent interview with Windies Cricket.
"But, I’m very happy with the returns (At this stage). I think the hard work is finally paying off and I’m happy with where I am."
Additionally, she noted that increasing her discipline in exercise regimes, and maintaining appropriate nutrition have played a very important part in her continued success. She also paid tribute to the coaches she has worked with over the years.
The 28-year-old returned to the regional squad with a bang on Wednesday, blasting the first T20I century of his career, and third for a West Indian player, with 107 in a 20-runs win against England. The crucial innings, along with 70 from vice-captain Nicholas Pooran anchored the team’s effort in taking a 2-1 series lead.
In the batsman’s previous appearance, against Pakistan, he averaged 16.5 in three games where he had real issues navigating wrist spinner Shadab Khan.
“I think it’s been overall improvement, I can strike the ball well but I also have a little problem with wrist spin. Every time I start my innings they come and bowl wrist spin.
I went away and for the last six, seven months and I’ve been working on wrist spin and trying to open up the offside and I think that showed today," Powell said after the game.
Powell played a watchful innings in seeing off dangerous England spinner Adil Rashid, who claimed 2 for 24 in the previous match of the series.
“We know Rashid is the most threatening of all the bowlers, so all we did is see if we can get 24 or 30 off him, that’s good, just to limit his wicket count and take our chances against the other bowlers for the other 16 overs.”
The selection of the veteran pair of Gayle and fast bowler Fidel Edwards sparked heated discussions around the region, with some insisting that the players should have been overlooked for younger talent. The 41-year-old Gayle was recalled to the regional squad for the first time in two years, along with the 39-year-old Edwards, who had not played for the team since 2012.
Neither player had a particularly strong series but have been playing in T20 leagues around the globe since last year, Gayle notably having a strong showing at the Indian Premier League (IPL), while Edwards showed up well for the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. For the Sri Lanka series, Gayle averaged 9 over three matches, with a high score of 16 in the second T20 match. Edwards, in the meantime, took one wicket over the first two games but did not play the third.
Hendriks, while expressing confidence in the regional selectors, admits he was somewhat taken aback by both selections.
“I was a little surprised that Chris was brought into the team at this stage,” said Hendriks, a former Jamaica Cricket Association president, told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I wondered what the reason was but of course he has been a tremendous player over the years but it’s just his age in life I was a little surprised,” he added.
“I don’t know what things went on in their minds. I don’t know. I certainly would’ve thought he was a little past it at this stage and having youngsters around, I would’ve gone for them. But of course, selectors are on the spot and they know what they’re doing. “[Edwards was] another question mark in my books. I would’ve thought that was a little stretch but again, the selectors must’ve had some good reason for that.”
Phillips – playing in just his 13th T20 game for his country – struck a 46-ball ton as the Black Caps amassed a huge 238-3 in a series-clinching victory over West Indies.
It was the 23-year-old's first international hundred, Phillips hitting eight sixes and 10 fours in total before suffering a recurrence of a freak knee injury he sustained in the first game in Auckland.
He battled on, but his innings came to an end on 108 from 51 balls when he was dismissed by Kieron Pollard.
Still, with crowds allowed back at sporting events in New Zealand, Phillips was thrilled to have put on a show in the 72-run win.
"That's just an incredible day. You don't get them very often, make the most of it," Phillips said.
"My whole thing is to try and be an entertainer for the crowd and, in that moment, having the crowds back, I wanted to give them something special, the whole team wanted to give them something special. It was amazing for me personally, (that) I could be part of it."
It has been a long slog for Phillips to establish himself in the New Zealand team in the shortest format, having made his T20 debut in February 2017.
"I had to go back, work on things, and took a step back to be able to move forward again," he added.
"Then I had the opportunities in the Caribbean [Premier League], which slowly worked my confidence back and I was able to have a couple of good performances, being able to come out against these boys has had a massive part of play in that.
"To be able to produce the kind of freedom in my performance was the biggest thing for me, and I was absolutely ecstatic. You don't get those very often, and I was going to enjoy it."
Phillips and New Zealand have one more T20 contest remaining at Mount Maunganui, followed by Test matches against West Indies in Hamilton and Wellington.
After a successful Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign, where he captained the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to the title, the West Indies skipper is currently preparing for a tenth IPL season with Mumbai Indians.
With 2755 runs and a healthy strike rate of 146.8, displays of Pollards awesome hitting powerful have been plentiful in the IPL. Hogg, however, got a firsthand demonstration, while playing for the Rajasthan Royal in 2012.
“It was game 12 in the IPL 2012 and we were playing the Mumbai Indians in the Wankhede Stadium. Rayudu and Pollard had been building a partnership and I had been brought into the attack. I was concerned about Pollard’s big muscles and the power with which he hits straight down the ground,” Hogg recalled on his Podcast.
“I didn’t want to overpitch because I wanted to preserve my body. So, I just wanted to bowl back of a length and use the wrong-un to beat the outside edge. Well, I was a little too short and he pulled me through midwicket for four,” he added.
So, I’m going, get those courage pills, go fuller with the wrong-un because you know he is susceptible to it. So, I did, came in a little fuller, a little overpitched, and Kieron Pollard absolutely loved it. He got on top of it and smashed it straight back down the ground head height down the wicket. Instead of coming to me, it went to his mate Rayudu who was backing up. He’s put his bat up to preserve his body. It’s come off the bat, I’m there backtracking because I’m afraid of the power of this shot. The ball just drops right in front of me, I could have caught it.”
Pollard went on to make a half-century as Mumbai won the game.
The 42-year-old has been one of the tournament’s most successful and recognisable players since first appearing at the tournament in 2009. The batsman, however, struggled to find his way last season while representing the Punjab Kings, managing just 193 runs from 10 games.
In addition, the batsman also made the headline after being surprisingly dropped on his birthday and eventually left the tournament early. In the previous season, Gayle eventually scored an impressive 288 in 7 games but was left out of the team for the first 6 matches.
“For the last couple of years, the way the IPL went about, I felt like I wasn’t treated properly. So I thought ‘okay, you (Gayle) didn’t get the respect you deserved after you did so much for the sport and IPL,” Gayle told The Mirror UK.
“So, I said ‘okay, that’s it, I’m not going to bother to enter the draft,’ so I left it as it is. There is always going to be life after cricket so I’m just trying to adapt to normality,” he added.
Much like his international career, however, Gayle does not believe his tenure in the IPL is over and claims he could return next season.
“Next year I’m coming back, they need me! I’ve represented three teams in the IPL, Kolkata, RCB, and Punjab. Between RCB and Punjab, I would love to get a title, with one of those two teams. I had a great stint with RCB where I was more successful within the IPL and Punjab, they’ve been good. I love to explore and I love challenges so let’s see what happens,” the 42-year-old said.
Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram has recently recalled an incident in which iconic West Indies batsman Viv Richards scared him senseless, during a series that ended with a fiery Test match, in Barbados, in 1988.
West Indies captain Rovman Powell and Cricket West Indies vice-president Azim Bassarath were among those hoping to convince Narine to make himself available for one last hurrah at the June 1-29 global showpiece to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States. However, the decision that fans awaited with bated breaths came recently when Narine confirmed that "that door is now closed" despite his stellar form for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Narine, 35, is currently leading the tournament's MVP standings after a remarkable run of form, including a magnificent 56-ball unbeaten 109 against Rajasthan Royals last week, his maiden T20 century. He is also KKR's joint-leading wicket-taker, taking nine at 22.11 with his offspin, at an economy rate of 7.10.
That rich vein of form is what initially resulted in Powell's pursuit, as the Jamaican admitted that he had been "whispering in [Narine's] ears" over the previous 12 months, ahead of what will be West Indies' first home World Cup campaign since 2007.
Narine, who retired from international cricket in November 2023, having not played for West Indies since 2019, insisted he was not about to change his mind.
"I'm truly flattered and humbled that my performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for me to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup," Narine wrote in a statement issued by KKR,
"I have made peace with that decision and whilst I never wish to disappoint, that door is now closed, and I will be supporting the guys who take the field in June for West Indies. Guys who have worked hard for the past few months and deserve to show our wonderful fans that they are capable of winning another title - I wish you all the best," he added.
The Darren Sammy-led West Indies, who won the 2012 and 2016 edition, will be hunting a third title overall and first with Sammy at the helm as coach.
The legendary spinner, who turned 85-year-old last year, had a good laugh when asked to assess what measures could be taken to get the 23-year-old to consistently produce the type of performances his immense ability often seems to suggest he is capable of.
“I want a belt. I want a belt in my hand when I see him,” Lance quipped during an interview on the Mason and Guest radio show.
The former U-19 World Cup-winning captain has been both a source of both delight and frustration for West Indies fans in recent years. While he has often been revered for his effortless and beautiful stroke play, the player has also been guilty of a certain amount of recklessness, which often gifts his wicket to opponents. Hetmyer was dropped for a few games in February after failing a fitness test.
“You don’t just throw away your hand like that,” Gibbs added.
The spin bowling legend, however, believes that the attitude of some of the modern players is influenced by how much they participate in the shorter formats of the game, which have become the most lucrative.
“We play limited-overs cricket at a fair pace, you have 20 overs you have 50 overs. The 20 overs is a slug, our young players are not putting their heads down to bat for a period of time. We probably need more 50 overs. A youngster like Hetmyer, for example, goes out and always wants to hit the ball for sixes, you don’t bat that way.”
As means of a solution, Gibbs suggested the creation of a formal medium where past generations could be given the chance to meet and mentor the current crop.
