Cwi

Both boards have been in discussions since the start of the month intent on charting a pathway to the West Indies travelling to England for three Tests in July.

Initially scheduled for June, the tour was been postponed because of fears over player safety caused by the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19.

However, late last week, CWI notified 30 players that they should be prepared to travel and play in England in July if it is decided that the tour would go ahead. It was also revealed that further discussions were set to take place on Monday.

CWI CEO Johnny Grave confirmed to Sportsmax.TV Tuesday that those Monday talks went well.

“The ECB is confident that they can deliver a safe plan for bio-secure behind closed doors cricket that will meet the UK Government guidelines and will therefore likely secure their board's approval,” Grave told Sportsmax.TV today.

“We will have further meetings and discussions this week with the ECB as we try and plan for the Test Tour taking place this summer in an environment where the number-one priority is the health and safety of all players and staff."

During an interview on Sportsnation Live on Nationwide Radio in Jamaica on Saturday, Grave reiterated that safety was the primary concern of the CWI.

“We would have to be absolutely certain that our players and support staff would be in a safe environment in order for us to play cricket,” he said while explaining the conditions under which the team would travel and play in the UK.

“What it means at this stage is that we would use charter flights to first collect players in the Caribbean and then to make our way across the Atlantic. We wouldn’t be on aircraft with any other passengers. There would be private charters for our players and team.

“Then once we land in the UK we would undergo a two-week quarantine period, which would be at a cricket facility, so the players would have the opportunity to play and train. They would be the only ones in that secure environment.”

Grave said the hotel staff, ground staff and other personnel would be tested regularly and would have to remain on-site for the duration. “Once they enter that bio-secure environment no one would be allowed to come or go, so they’d be in lockdown within a cricket venue with a hotel on-site,” he said.

According to Grave, the CWI medical and support staff have determined that the Windies would need at least four weeks to get the players into the condition that they need to be to face England in the Test matches.

According to Mason, Barthley has already obtained a new job in Bermuda.

Sportsmax.TV has independently confirmed both resignations.

The news of the resignations comes as a shock with the ICC Cricket World Cup set to begin on June 1, 2024.

Sportsmax.TV will have further updates on this developing story.

The ceremony celebrated the remarkable contributions of CWI Directors, Enoch Lewis, President of Leeward Island Cricket Board, and Conde Riley, President of Barbados Cricket Association.

Lewis has dedicated over 18 years to CWI, while Riley has committed more than 15 years to the organization. Both men have played pivotal roles in the development and success of West Indies cricket. The awards were presented by CWI president Dr. Kishore Shallow and vice president Azim Bassarath.

Shallow was full of praise for the awardees.

"Mr. Lewis and Mr. Riley have shown unwavering dedication and leadership within Cricket West Indies. Their contributions have been instrumental across regional cricket from junior to senior levels, and we are honored to recognize their service,” Shallow said.

“The task of service in public life is not an easy one; it requires immense commitment, sacrifices, integrity, and a passion for making a difference. Directors Lewis and Riley have embodied these qualities throughout their tenure,” he added.

The event was graced by the presence of distinguished guests, including the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Gaston Browne, and Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Greg Barclay, Chairman of the International Cricket Council, was also in attendance.

CWI’s media partnership with ESPN will bring West Indies cricket to millions of households and viewers across the United States through the ESPN+ sports streaming service.

The ESPN+ partnership will feature live broadcast of every international West Indies home series covering all T20 Internationals, One-Day Internationals and Test matches within the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP). Commencing with the all-format Tour of the Caribbean by Sri Lanka in March, ESPN+ first year will feature series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in 2021 building to five home series in 2022 including tours by England and India.

“This is CWI’s largest-ever media rights agreement in the USA and is the first of several new multi-year agreements which we will confirm in the coming weeks. Broadcast media rights income is crucial to the future financial sustainability of CWI, and this five-year rights agreement is just the start of good things to come,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt.

The new agreement also includes CWI’s marquee regional 50-over tournament, the CG Insurance Super50 Cup, which is also aired exclusively in the Caribbean by ESPN.

The CG Insurance Super50 Cup will be the first live cricket from the West Indies in the partnership, as the biggest regional rivalries and world-class players take the stage from February 7 to 27 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua http://www.windiescricket.com).

“ESPN is THE sports channel for American households and sports fans and we’re delighted that West Indies cricket will now be enjoyed in the homes and on the devices of millions of Americans. We have an ambitious strategic plan to grow our brand and content in North America, and ESPN is the perfect partner to help us achieve our goals,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.

Meanwhile, John Lasker, Vice President, ESPN Digital Media Programming said Cricket West Indies is among the best in the world and their ICC schedule over the next few years is second to none.

“Cricket has always been a priority for us with ESPNcrincinfo leading the way as the premier destination for cricket coverage and news. Adding a strong slate of CWI events to ESPN+ is just the latest example of our commitment to cricket and serving fans with the best, most comprehensive cricket content in the U.S,” he said.

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.​

Miles Bascombe, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, extended congratulations to the Guyanese player on receiving the prestigious award, stating, "On behalf of Cricket West Indies, I wish to congratulate Shamar on this award, may it be the first of many in what is hopefully a long career in maroon."

The recognition from the ICC reflects Joseph's significant contributions to West Indies cricket and marks a memorable moment in his promising career

In the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, Joseph showcased his prowess with both bat and ball. He contributed a valuable 36 runs off 41 balls, including three fours and a six, facing the formidable Australian pace attack. Moreover, he impressed with a remarkable five-wicket haul, making a stunning debut in Test cricket. Notably, Joseph dismissed Steve Smith with his very first delivery and went on to claim the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon.

Undeterred by challenges, Joseph continued to make an impact in the second Test at the Gabba, Brisbane. Despite facing an injury setback, being hit flush in the toe by a yorker from Mitchell Starc, Joseph displayed resilience. In the first innings, he secured one wicket and retired hurt at the end of Day 3.

However, Day 4 saw a historic performance from Joseph. Despite entering the field late due to a uniform issue, he bowled an incredible spell of 11.5 overs, taking seven wickets. Joseph's stellar performance led West Indies to their first Test match victory in Australia in 27 years, ultimately tying the series.

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 outstanding allrounder reached the milestone on Wednesday in her 103rd innings during the second T20 International against England at the Incora County Ground in Derby.

She scored 28 and now has 3,020 runs at an average of 36 runs per innings. She is also the leading West Indies woman in One-Day Internationals with 4,724 runs at an average at over 44.

 CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams lauded Taylor for her brilliance over a career that started back in 2008 against Ireland in Dublin.

He said the 29-year-old has again etched her name in history’s pages and continues to be a role model and leader in West Indies cricket.

“Congratulations to Stafanie from all at CWI, and indeed the wider Caribbean, on achieving this outstanding milestone in what is truly a remarkable cricket career,” said Adams who was speaking on behalf of CWI.

“She has set the benchmark for women’s cricket and continues to demonstrate why she is rated as one of the greats of the game.

“She continues to be an ambassador for women’s sports and for the game of cricket in the West Indies. Given her youth and undoubted ability, we continue to wish her all the success possible in the years ahead.”

Four promising Under-25 players — Jannillea Glasgow, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shawnisha Hector, and Kate Wilmott — are currently honing their skills in the region’s premier cricket competition, marking a significant step forward in women’s cricket development.

The program, conceived by West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz and Assistant Coach Damien Wright, has been integrating young talents into Tasmania’s premier first-grade cricket competition.

Glasgow and Wilmott represent New Town Cricket Club, while Fraser and Hector represent Clarence Cricket Club. Fraser also appeared for Clarence in the men’s third-grade competition, while Wilmott took a wicket for New Town in a match against North Hobart.

In New Town’s seven-run win over Clarence in a women’s T20 game, Glasgow scored an unbeaten 70, while Hector remained not out on 66 for Clarence.

The initiative also provides an opportunity for these emerging cricketers to train alongside professional athletes, including members of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) Hurricanes team.

“This is a wonderful initiative that combines high-performance training with valuable match experience. Our players are getting extensive batting time and taking on leadership roles, which is crucial for their development. They’re training four to five times a week, using world-class facilities and gaining exposure to different playing conditions,” said Assistant coach Wright, who is accompanying the players in Hobart.

“It’s been a great opportunity for the girls to open the batting and play in the high to middle order. They are being called upon to score runs, face the new ball, and perform with the ball as well. There are a lot of positives, and hopefully, it can continue,” he added.

The comprehensive program includes bi-weekly training sessions with the WBBL Hobart Hurricanes, regular gym work at premier facilities, including Ninja Stadium, formerly known as Bellerive Oval, and participation in both T20 and 50-over formats of the game.

This initiative is strategically timed, with players preparing for international commitments in India this December and a home series against Bangladesh in January.

Cricket Tasmania has played a pivotal role in facilitating the initiative, further demonstrating Cricket West Indies’ commitment to innovative player development and strengthening international cricket relationships.

This initiative could pave the way for future development and expand opportunities for more Caribbean players to gain valuable experience in Australian conditions.

The West Indies Women’s Academy will feature an intake of 16 Women’s Rising Stars.

According to a statement from CWI, this marks a pivotal moment in the development of West Indies Women’s cricket in the region and a key step in the professional journey of the 16 players aspiring to becoming part of the next generation of West Indies Women’s senior players.

The squad of 16 players includes Asabi Callender, Jahzara Claxton, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Earnisha Fontaine, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Trishan Holder, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, KDJazz Mitchell, Ashmini Munisar, Samara Ramnath, Shalini Samaroo, Steffi Soogrim, Abini St Jean, Kate Wilmott.

The West Indies Women's Academy programme will provide a long-term development and coaching plan for these emerging players with the opportunity to learn and train alongside some of the best coaches and mentors in women's cricket. This first West Indies Women’s Academy camp will focus on refining their skills, enhancing their tactical acumen, and nurturing their mental resilience to prepare them for the challenges of international cricket.

“I feel very proud that the inaugural West Indies Women’s Academy has been launched with this first two-week camp in place to start the programme. It’s taken a lot of planning over the last 18 months, so to see it coming to fruition is a major step forward for the development of the next generation of West Indies Women’s cricketers. This first Academy camp is going to be different to previous High Performance camps, as it will be more holistic in developing players all-round game,” said CWI’s Talent Pathway Manager Steve Liburd.

“Most of the Academy intake are continuing from the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s team that participated in the inaugural ICC Women’s Under19 Cricket World Cup earlier this year. This is a major investment and development to support their careers with the aim of becoming senior international cricketers. Our mandate at the West Indies Women’s Academy is aid their progress into the senior West Indies Women’s team and to equip them to become top international cricketers.”

The West Indies Women’s Academy is part of CWI’s long term strategic plan to invest in and develop women’s cricket across the region and a key stage in the West Indies Player Pathway. By providing a nurturing environment and pathway in which these young players can grow and flourish, CWI aims to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for the West Indies Women’s team.

The West Indies Men’s Academy was launched in 2022 and will continue in 2023

Eighteen players were awarded contracts including newcomers to the Test side – Joshua Da Silva, Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers – but members of the public and at least one territorial body, who questioned why certain players were overlooked.

The Guyana Cricket Board write to CWI requesting the criteria used to select players awarded contracts after Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul were among the players left out.

The situation sparked a war of words between the GCB and Chief Selector Roger Harper.

However, according to Dr Kishore Shallow, there will be changes to the system now used by the time the next contract period comes around.

“I would say that we are looking at the system for awarding grades and so on for the contracts. I expect that for the next contractual period we will have an improved system in terms of how we award these contracts,” said Dr Shallow while speaking on Mason and Guest in Barbados on Tuesday.

He revealed that the idea of improving the system was already being discussed at the highest level of the CWI.

“The Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, myself and others have been involved in that process over the last few months and we have been working closely with WIPA (West Indies Players Association) as well, who want to ensure that we are all on a level playing field both from the CWI side and the player side,” he said.

Six players feature on both the Under-17 and Under-19 teams of the tournament. These are left-handed allrounder Nathan Edwards who led the Leewards to the Rising Stars Under-19 Championship title; openers Rampertab Ramnath and Stephan Pascal; as well as batters Jordan Johnson; Joshua Dorne, and Mavendra Dindyal.

Jordan and Edward were members of the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 team which played in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, hosted in the Caribbean by CWI earlier this year. Other members of that West Indies World Cup squad: batter Ackeem Auguste; allrounder Johann Layne; wicket-keeper Carlon Bowen-Tuckett; fast bowler Isai Thorne and off-spinner Onaje Amory were also named in the Rising Stars Under-19 Championship team of the tournament. 

Vice President of CWI, Dr Kishore Shallow, congratulated the players on their selection and also spoke of the importance of investment in the Rising Stars championships as part of CWI’s Future Stars cricket development programme across the region.

“On behalf of CWI, I want to congratulate all the players who have been named in the three Rising Stars Teams of the Tournament," Dr Shallow said.

"This is a project we have implemented to add an additional incentive to the players’ pursuit of excellence and to help grow their self-confidence. It rewards the leading performers who have emerged from what were three high-quality tournaments.

“At CWI, we have strengthened the development of young players, and we have increased investment in related programs. This year we welcomed the return of age-group red-ball and white-ball tournaments as part of our very busy Summer of Cricket.”