Roston Chase

Batting first, West Indies A faced early setbacks but rallied behind Andre Fletcher's resilient 43 and Captain Roston Chase's 23. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving the team in a precarious position at 115 for 7. When Fletcher departed, the onus fell on Motie to provide a late surge. With only 13 balls remaining, Motie unleashed a blitz, smashing two fours and four sixes to power his team to a competitive total of 160 for 7. Matthew Forde contributed with an unbeaten 11 as Sagar Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel each picked up crucial wickets for Nepal.

In response, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a magnificent 71 off 48 balls, keeping his team in contention. However, Nepal's batting struggled against the West Indies A bowling attack, with only Gulsan Jha offering notable support with 26 runs. Motie continued to make an impact with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for 244 runs alongside Obed McCoy, who showed signs of returning to form with his 2 for 24.

Despite Paudel's heroics, Nepal fell short in their chase, ultimately conceding victory to West Indies A by 10 runs. Motie's exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match award.

The third match in the series is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

After Zouks’ captain Daren Sammy put them in, the Patriots had yet to score when Nabi dismissed both Chris Lynn and Nick Kelly. Lynn continued his run of being dismissed by spinners, pushing a simple catch back to the bowler, and Kelly edged to the safe hands of Rakheem Cornwall at slip.

Nabi soon made it four. Denesh Ramdin sought to follow a Hero Maximum over long-on with one over square leg but top-edged to Najibullah Zadran, and next ball Patriots leading scorer of Hero CPL 2020, Evin Lewis, spooned a sweep to Roston Chase at square leg to leave the Patriots 11/4 off just 3 overs and Nabi on a hat-trick.

Chase’s introduction with the ball was not a surprise, and he went for just three off his first over. Jahmar Hamilton just about survived the hat-trick ball, but he and Ben Dunk managed no further boundaries as the Patriots reached the Powerplay at 22/4.

Another tight over came and went, this time from Zahir Khan. Dunk finally broke the drought as Chase overpitched, sending the off-spinner high over the sightscreen. Oddly, after eight overs the Patriots had hit two Hero Maximums but no fours.

That block-block-slog approach brought Hamilton’s downfall, as he prodded at a Zahir googly and edged behind. Cornwall closed out the first half of the innings well, and at drinks, the Patriots were 43/5 with a lot resting on Dunk once more.

Dunk hit Zahir straight for a third Hero Maximum but should have been stumped in the same over. After 13 overs, Dunk had 32 of the Patriots’ 59/5, and the pressure on him finally told as Cornwall’s extra bounce saw the Australian splice a pull to deep midwicket.

 Even a Mark Deyal full toss didn’t result in the match’s first four. After 15 overs the Patriots were 66/6, and it got worse as Nabi returned to complete his five-for - remarkably, the first of his 10-year and 264-game T20 career - as Tanvir scooped a sweep to Zahir at short fine-leg.

Kesrick Williams came on for the 18th, off which captain Rayad Emrit took for 14 including, at long last, a four. Emrit fell next over, Deyal taking a running catch at long-on, but Kuggeleijn dropped short off his last ball and Alzarri Joseph sent him into the stands. Imran Khan sacrificed himself to get Joseph on strike, and the Antiguan responded with a second Hero Maximum. 37 off the last 3 overs, all bowled by seam, only delayed the inevitable.

The Patriots surprisingly started with seamer Tanvir, who Cornwall hammered for two fours and two towering Hero Maximums. Emrit gave Jon-Russ Jaggesar an aggressive field, but Jaggesar’s first ball was poor and Fletcher cut it easily for four. Cornwall smashed Imran clean over the roof, and while he was bowled two balls later, the fact that he alone hit more fours and almost as many boundaries than the entire Patriots team told the story.

After a brief shower, the Zouks resumed needing just 81 at well under 5 an over, which made Deyal’s hoick the first ball all the stranger. Emrit took a good catch to leave Imran on a hat-trick, which the ever-calm Chase denied him comfortably.

With Cornwall having taken the pressure off, the Zouks found strike rotation easy, and that relaxed feel gave Fletcher confidence to smash Jaggesar into the top of the Carib stand to end the Powerplay at 47/2. The opener’s dismissal was a surprise when it came with a pull straight to midwicket, giving Imran a third wicket.

Najibullah reverse-swept two fours and good running meant Imran’s last over went for seven. Emrit brought himself on, but Chase and Najibullah took him four a boundary apiece, and the Zouks cruised to 79/3 at halfway.

A desperate Emrit turned to Dunk’s part-time off-spin - so part-time Dunk bowled in his sunhat - which Najibullah smashed for four as the over went for eight. Najibullah dished out further punishment in Dunk’s next over, lifting him for a Hero Maximum over long-off, but Dunk got a small measure of joy as the Afghan top-edged to deep midwicket.

It was Dunk’s first Hero CPL wicket, just the third of his T20 career, but it was scant consolation as the Zouks sealed the victory with 32 balls to spare without even needing Nabi to bat.

Summary: (St Lucia Zouks 111/4 (Najibullah 33, Chase 27*, Cornwall 26; Imran 3/23, Dunk 1/29) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 110/9 (Dunk 33, Joseph 21*, Emrit 16; Nabi 5/15, Cornwall 1/14, Zahir 1/18) by 6 wickets)

 Upcoming Fixture: Thursday 27 August - Match 16: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders (5:30 pm), 4:30 pm Jamaica time  at the Queen’s Park Oval

Chasing a modest 137 for victory, West Indies overcame a shaky start to secure a nervy five-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea on Sunday. It took Roston Chase with an unbeaten 42 and Andre Russell with a nine-ball 15 to get West Indies across the line.

The sub-par performance left Sammy peeved, as he rued the fact that they not only got to the target with one over to spare, but also lost five wickets in the process. As such, he insists that the Caribbean side tightens up, as he warned against complacency, which was at the root of past World Cup failures.

The Rovman Powell-led West Indies outfit will next face newcomers Uganda on Saturday at Providence Stadium in Guyana.

“These (games against perceived lesser opponents) are the games that cost us in previous tournaments,” Sammy declared.

“Winning with just an over to spare is a bit too close for comfort, but I won’t let this overshadow the positive strides we’ve made throughout the year,” he added.

Sammy’s concern is very much understandable, as after Uganda, West Indies will have more formidable foes Afghanistan and New Zealand to contend with. Hence, Sammy knows there’s no room for slip-ups.

“Every game is crucial,” he stressed.

“We need to focus on the present, one match at a time, and avoid complacency. We didn’t exhibit our usual aggressive batting style; the brand we’ve established over the past year. We allowed them [Papua New Guinea] to stay in the contest for too long,” Sammy argued.

Should West Indies produce a more dominant performance against Uganda, it would put them in good stead heading to Trinidad and Tobago, where they will lock horns with New Zealand on June 13, and Afghanistan on June 18.

Afghanistan heads Group C on two points, same as West Indies and Uganda, but with a superior net run-rate. Only the top two teams from the group will progress to the Super Eight.

West Indies will be eager to avoid a repeat of the last T20 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the first round.

Ahead of the start of the New Zealand tour, the Windies batting struggles have been well documented.  In their previous series against England, the team’s batting average teetered at around 27.86 and that was one of the team’s best in recent years.

The team’s highest batting average in a Test series consisting of at least two matches since 2017 is 34.66 and that was against Zimbabwe in 2017.

While they have struggled at the crease, however, the team has developed a strong bowling line-up, a four-pronged attack that consists of captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph.

“What I would like to see improve overall is the batting of the team.  I think that our bowlers have been doing brilliantly for us, but we have not been getting big enough scores for them to bowl at,” Chase told members of the media from the team’s training camp in New Zealand.

“Mainly in the first innings, the first innings sets up the game for the whole Test match.  Once you put the team under pressure with a good first innings total, they’ll always be chasing the game and that is a good thing to have the opposition doing in Test cricket…as a batting unit we need to give the bowlers more to work with.”

In a rematch of the 2016 T20 World Cup final when the West Indies emerged victoriously, England bowled the defending champions out for 55 with Chris Gayle top-scoring with 13. England’s spinners took six of the 10 wickets to fall before their batters achieved the winning target in 8.2 overs.

The West Indies were unable to build partnerships and were missing the role of an anchor that Chase demonstrated while scoring an unbeaten 54 in the West Indies’ final warm-up match against Afghanistan. Playing anchor was something demonstrated he could do well during the 2021 Hero CPL season when he was the top scorer with 446 runs at an incredible average of 49.55.

When England batted, Akeal Hosein, the only spinner selected, was the best of the bowlers with 2-24.

Chase, a more than useful bowler, would have also given the West Indies another bowling option as a spinner in the match where spinners took eight of the 14 wickets to fall, the best of them being England’s Adil Rashid, who boasted ridiculous figures of four wickets for two runs from his four overs.

Still, Coach Simmons speaking with the media on Sunday, insisted that the team they selected was the right one for the conditions.

“I don’t think we misread the pitch. Yes, the spinners got some wickets but as you go along you have seen that the pitch was a good pitch,” he said during a media conference from Dubai on Sunday where the West Indies are preparing to face South Africa on Tuesday.

“You have to try and make the most of the first six or seven overs and then you have to fight until you get to the latter part. I think when you assess the pitch, you assess the squad we thought that the 11 that went into the game was the right squad.

“Yes, Chase got some runs in the game before but when were at the ground we assessed and we thought it was the right combination.”

The three players tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Pakistan last week and have been ruled out of the tour that involves three T20 internationals and three ODI’s from December 13 to 22. 

While describing the situation as being ‘unfortunate’, the Trinidadian, who is leading the team in the absence of the injured Kieron Pollard, said that while the unavailability of the three players will disrupt their initial plans, he believes it presents a chance for others to take advantage.

“(The) selectors and coaches had original plans on what the 11 would look like, who was going to play, who wasn’t going to play,” Pooran told members of the media Sunday.

“When saying that, other guys are going to get the opportunity to showcase their talent and abilities, so we are looking forward to seeing those guys take their opportunity.”

The three players out with Covid is expected to have a major impact on the team that is already without several of its senior players including Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis.

In their absence players like Odean Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Dominic Drakes, Justin Greaves and Shamarh Brooks, are among those aiming to cement a place in the team that has begun a process of rebuilding following a disastrous ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates where the West Indies was eliminated in the group stage after winning only one of their five matches.

Pooran said he is excited to see what the new players will bring to the team.

“It’s obviously a new rebuilding stage for us now. It is unfortunate that we don’t have other senior players here but when saying that I am very excited to see this new crop of players get onto that cricket field,” he said.

“I believe that there are a lot of talented players here, a lot of special players, especially when it comes to the shorter form of the game so I am very excited to see what’s going to happen on the cricket field. I am looking forward to seeing us play together, sticking to our plans as much as possible and being hungry for success.”

Powell hit four fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 68 from 36 balls and Pooran 62 that included five fours and three sixes from 42 balls in a partnership of 101 runs that ended midway the 19^th over when Pooran was dismissed going for a bit hit with the West Indies still 27 runs from their target.

The pair came together after coming together with the score at 59-2 with Brandon King (22) and Kyle Mayers (9) back in the hutch after 8.3 overs.

Needing 25 from the last over, Powell gave the West Indies hope with consecutive sixes off Harshal Patel to leave the West Indies needing 11 from the final two deliveries. However, those deliveries yielded just two runs and the West Indies were short of their target.

The West Indies won the toss and sent India to bat. Their bowlers restricted India to 72-3 inside in the 10^th over. Sheldon Cottrell dismissed Ishan Kishan for 2 before Roston Chase removed Rohit Sharma for 19, Suryakumar Yadav for eight and the dangerous Virat Kohli for 52 as India rushed to 106-4.

A 76-run partnership between Player of the Match Risbah Pant, 52 not out from 28 balls and Venkatesh Iyer (33) then powered India to their total of 186-5.

Chase finished with figures of 3-25 but the other bowlers let the West Indies down. Jason Holder conceded 45 from his four overs, including 14 from his last over, while Sheldon Cottrell who had only given up five runs from his first two overs, conceded 15 in his third and final over for figures of 1-20.

Pollard’s only over yielded 14 runs.

The Hurricanes started day three 98-1 off 32.1 overs after being asked to follow-on by the Bajans and eventually made 311 all out off 101.2 overs.

Mikyle Louis got his second half century of the match with a 194-ball 80 including eight fours and two sixes while Keacy Carty, who scored 127 in the first innings, followed that up with 69 off 112 balls including five fours and a six.

Hayden Walsh Jr also contributed well with 60 from 92 balls including four fours and three sixes.

Roston Chase, who got a hundred with the bat, completed an excellent all-round performance with 7-67 off 33.2 overs to finish with a match haul of 10-104.

Needing just 58 to win, Barbados lost only one wicket on the way to their target. They finished 58-1 off 10.4 overs with skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, who hit 189 in the first innings, finishing 30*.

Full Scores: Barbados Pride 542-9 declared off 143 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 189, Roston Chase 127, Zachary McCaskie 101, Rakheem Cornwall 5-132) & 58-1 off 10.4 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 30*)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes 288 all out off 93.2 overs (Keacy Carty 127, Jewel Andrew 53, Mikyle Louis 52, Roston Chase 3-47, Shaquille Cumberbatch 3-48) & 311 all out off 101.2 overs (Mikyle Louis 80, Keacy Carty 69, Hayden Walsh Jr 60, Kieran Powell 52, Roston Chase 7-67).

The Trinidad & Tobago Red Force also completed a 123-run win over the Combined Campuses & Colleges on day four at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground.

CCC started the day 67-1 off 21 overs, needing a further 382 runs for victory.

Despite fighting knocks from Damel Evelyn (73), Demario Richards (66), Shamarh Brooks (62) and Romario Greaves (47), the target proved to be too much as they were eventually dismissed for 325 in 108.3 overs.

Bryan Charles and Khary Pierre did the bulk of the damage for the Red Force with 4-46 from 23.3 overs and 3-90 from 40 overs, respectively.

Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 591-7 declared off 123 overs (Amir Jangoo 218, Jason Mohammed 157, Joshua Da Silva 79, Amari Goodridge 5-92) & 95-2 off 17 overs (Jason Mohammed 41*, Amir Jangoo 34*)

Combined Campuses & Colleges 238 all out off 77 overs (Yannick Ottley 56*, Kamil Pooran 40, Anderson Phillip 5-71, Bryan Charles 2-30, Terrance Hinds 2-43) & 325 all out off 108.3 overs (Damel Evelyn 73, Demario Richards 66, Shamarh Brooks 62, Romario Greaves 47, Bryan Charles 4-46, Khary Pierre 3-90).

Chris Gayle has also been named in the 15-man squad announced today but there is no place for Odean Smith or Sherfane Rutherford, two of the top performers in the 2021 Hero CPL this year.

West Indies are the defending world champions and only two-time winners of the ICC T20 World Cup, winning in 2012 against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa in Colombo then four years later in 2016 against England in Kolkata.  The West Indies now have the opportunity to create further history by becoming the first team to win a hat-trick of ICC T20 World Cup victories. 

“The squad is one with good depth and strength in all departments. There is tremendous T20 experience along with World Cup-winning experience which should stand the team in good stead,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper.

“This squad is made up of many world-beating players, who once knitted into a world-beating team, will be extremely difficult to beat. I expect the team to do very well and with the ‘rub of the green’ I think the team has a good chance of defending the title.”

Harper said Rampaul will add quality to the squad.

“Ravi Rampaul is a highly experienced bowler, who performed well in the last CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the current Hero CPL to date.  He will boost the team's wicket-taking options in the power-play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs,” Harper said.

“Roston Chase has shown that he is a very capable T20 player. He performed well in the CPL in 2020 and has been outstanding in the 2021 edition so far. He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for the explosive players in the team.”

The full squad comprises Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr.

The travelling reserves include Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein.

West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 and will play five group games against England, South Africa and Australia along with the winner of  Round 1 Group A (Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia) and the runner-up from Round 1 Group B (Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman).

 West Indies’ first group game will be against England in Dubai on October 23.

Batting all-rounder Roston Chase, 28, has so far played 35 Test matches, scoring five centuries and collecting three five-wicket hauls with his off-spin bowling. Wicket-keeper/batsman Pooran, 25, is among the leading white-ball players with two half-centuries in 19 T20I innings and also averaging close to 50 in One Day Internationals.

 “Roston Chase has been appointed vice captain of the West Indies Test Team for this tour of New Zealand. He is an experienced player who is tactically aware and very purposeful in his approach to the game. He is readily willing to offer advice and discuss ideas with his fellow players and the coaches and I think will offer good leadership support to captain Jason Holder both on and off the field,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper.

“Nicholas Pooran continues in the role of vice-captain of the T20I Team for the tour of New Zealand. He was first named vice-captain for this format for the series against Afghanistan in 2019.”

Chase, meantime, was delighted with the appointment.

“I have been making strides in Test cricket since my debut back in 2016 and I see this new role as vice-captain as an honour,” he said.

“It is just for me to try and carry on and try to achieve great things for West Indies. It is all about offering support to the captain, coach and other players as we try to plan strategy and put more wins on the board.”

Nicholas Pooran expressed that this appointment presents a chance to develop further.

“I see this as another opportunity to learn and grow in the game. I was vice- captain for the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, so this is continuation of that work,” he said.

“It’s always good to share your knowledge as we look to continue the winning mentality. We were successful in Sri Lanka and this is series we believe we can get more success against New Zealand.”

FULL SQUADS

T20I Squad: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kesrick Williams

Test Squad: Jason Holder (captain), Roston Chase (vice-captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach

Test Reserves: Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua DaSilva, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Jayden Seales.

Match Schedule:

November 27: 1st T20I at Eden Park, Auckland

November 29:  2nd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

November 30: 3rd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

December 3-7: 1st Test at Seddon Park, Hamilton

December 11-15: 2nd Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington

Then in 2016, the outspoken Jamaican scored an unbeaten 85 from 66 balls to help the West Indies pull off a remarkable victory chasing down England’s 155 for 9.

Carlos Brathwaite stole the show at the end with his unbeaten 34 from just 10 balls and which included four consecutive sixes in the final over bowled by Ben Stokes, but it was Samuels who kept the West Indies in the game after they had stumbled to 107-6 and needing 49 from just 27 balls.

Samuels has since retired, but the West Indies might already have a replacement in their camp in the form of Roston Chase.

The lanky Barbadian believes he is the man to take over that very important role as the West Indies go in search of a third consecutive title.

“I see myself playing a similar role,” Chase said while speaking with the media from the West Indies training base in Dubai on Thursday.

“I played for the St Lucia franchise for the past two years where I come in mostly after the Powerplay and knock it around and pick up the ones and twos and the occasional boundary when the ball is in my area to score so it’s an easy role for me.

“I like that role and with the power-hitting guys that we have, my role is just to give them the strike and let them do their thing but if the ball is in my area I will put it away.”

Chase demonstrated as much during the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League in the summer when, after a slow start to the season, he was among the league's leading run-scorers with 446 runs. Those runs came at a remarkable average of 49.55 and strike rate of 144.33.

That success, he revealed, came as the result of an adjustment he made to the way he was playing.

“Early on in this year’s CPL, the pitches were a bit difficult. They had a lot of grass but the grass was kind of spongy. It wasn’t like even grass for the ball to slide on. The ball was bouncing a bit; that was a bit hard so I just thought that after the first couple of matches I was trying to go at the ball a bit too hard. It was a wicket that you needed time to get in first and then it became easier,” he explained.

“So that is what I told myself after the first couple of games, just give myself a bit of time at the crease and then let my stroke play take over from there.”

He might have to make another adjustment for the pitch in Dubai where the West Indies will open the defence of their title on October 23 against England.

“We’ve had three training sessions so far and basically, the pitches have been coming on pretty good. The only issue I see with the pitches is that they’re keeping low, so you probably have to stay low when you’re executing your shots and that should work but the pitches are coming on a lot nicer than the ones we usually get in the CPL, so it should be a bit easier to get some runs,” he said.

Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to put Saint Lucia Kings in to bat, Chase lighting up the innings with 85 runs to take his side to 149/7.

The Warriors faltered in their chase, bowled out for 98 despite the best efforts of captain Pooran, as the Saint Lucia Kings put in a clinical bowling performance.

Saint Lucia Kings lost the big early wickets of Andre Fletcher and Faf du Plessis before Chase came in and raced to his half-century from just 27 balls. He was supported by Mark Deyal and then Tim David before a flurry of late wickets restricted the team’s total, as Guyana Amazon Warriors utilised eight different bowlers across the innings. Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith were the pick of the bowlers, as they both took three wickets each with economy rates under six.

Amazon Warrior’s response was stifled from the beginning, losing four wickets in the Powerplay overs as Alzarri Joseph and Obed McCoy caused havoc with their pace. A blistering knock from Pooran, 41 from 26 balls, was not enough, even with Odean Smith blasting four sixes towards the end of the innings. Jeavor Royal and Kesrick Williams were superb as the innings progressed and continually picked up wickets.

Saint Lucia Kings now have four points and are firmly in contention for a playoff spot as the tournament league stage nears the halfway mark.

Saint Lucia Kings 149-7 (Chase 85, Deyal 20; Shepherd 3-21, Smith 3-22) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 98 all out (Pooran 41, Smith 31*; Royal 3-19, Williams 2-7) by 51 runs.

Led by the experienced Roston Chase as Captain and supported by Alick Athanaze as Vice-Captain, the West Indies Men’s A Team will engage in a series of five (5) Twenty20 matches against the Nepal Senior Men’s Team. This tour holds significant importance as it serves as another phase in preparation leading up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The series also marks a historic occasion as it is West Indies' first-ever tour to Nepal.

Roston Chase will take on the responsibility of captain for the first time at this level. Commenting on Chase’s selection as Captain, Dr. The Most Honorable Desmond Haynes, CWI’s Lead Selector, emphasized Chase’s consistent display of diligence and leadership skills. Dr. Haynes remarked, “Chase has exhibited over the past few years an impressive work ethic and proven leadership qualities” He further noted, “No doubt since Chase made his T20I debut in October 2021, for the West Indies against Bangladesh he has continued to make considerable strides.”

Brandon King sustained an injury during the West Indies Championship and is rehabilitating. Meanwhile, Evin Lewis advised that he was unavailable for selection.

Dr. Haynes further emphasized the significance of this squad stating “I am confident this Nepal tour marks a crucial step forward in our preparatory phase for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. It presents an invaluable opportunity to get our players who are not in the IPL back on the park playing competitive T20 cricket as well as provides the chance for us to expose a few emerging prospects.”

In preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, White Ball Head Coach, Daren Sammy said “From a coaching perspective, the Nepal tour couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. It offers us a chance to refine our World Cup squad, defining roles and personnel more clearly. Additionally, with nine players in the IPL, we can truly gauge and push the limits of our T20 team’s depth.”

The tour’s opening T20 fixture will bowl off at Tribhuvan University on April 27th, 2024.

FULL SQUAD:

Roston Chase (Captain)
Alick Athanaze (Vice-Captain)
Fabian Allen
Kadeem Alleyne
Joshua Bishop
Keacy Carty
Johnson Charles
Mark Deyal
Andre Fletcher
Matthew Forde
Obed McCoy
Gudakesh Motie
Keemo Paul
Oshane Thomas
Hayden Walsh

The coaching and support staff accompanying the squad are as follows:

Head Coach: Floyd Reifer

Assistant Coach: Rayon Griffith

Physiotherapist: Neil Barry

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Shayne Cooper

Team Manager & Analyst: Avenesh Seetaram

The deadline for submission of the West Indies World Cup squad is May 1, 2024. Prior to the World Cup, the West Indies team will host South Africa for a 3-match T20 series from May 22 - 26, 2024.

The team features nine Caribbean players and two overseas stars and selection rewards consistent performances across the 2021 tournament. The team heavily features young players from across the Caribbean who have been extremely impressive in this year’s Hero CPL. 

The team includes Ravi Rampaul who is the leading wicket-taker for this season and the World Cup-bound Evin Lewis who has been excellent throughout. The two overseas players who make the team are Faf du Plessis and Tim David, both from the Saint Lucia Kings. The performances of Rampaul and Roston Chase in the tournament has seen them gain selection for the West Indies squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. 

“The commentary panel, in selecting the team of the tournament would like to commend the teams and players for making the job a very challenging one,” said Ian Bishop, former West Indies fast bowler and member of the commentary panel.

“A few players stood head and shoulders above the crowd due to their high level of excellence, and their performance simply made their case impossible to ignore. With the remaining selections there was vigorous debate and sometimes splitting hairs due to the high levels of performance and competition for similar roles from experienced, mid-level and young players.  

 “The abundance of talent, enthusiasm and passion shown by so many players in 2021 was laudable and once again made the tournament extremely competitive and compelling viewing. We accept and welcome the view that fans will have varying opinions and debates on their favourite commend all the players for their distinguished efforts throughout the tournament.” 

 Hero CPL 2021 Team of the Tournament 
Evin Lewis (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Faf du Plessis (Saint Lucia Kings), Nicholas Pooran (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Roston Chase (Saint Lucia Kings), Kieron Pollard (Trinbago Knight Riders), Tim David (Saint Lucia Kings), Sunil Narine (Trinbago Knight Riders), Romario Shepherd (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Odean Smith (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Akeal Hosein (Trinbago Knight Riders) and Ravi Rampaul (Trinbago Knight Riders). 

T

Raymon Reifer scored 32 and Paul Palmer 23 in the triumphant effort.

WI Best B had resumed from their overnight score of 218 for four in pursuit of a victory target of 311. They were positioned for victory overnight thanks to a 175-ball 95 from Kieran Powell.

Rahkeem Cornwall was the best of the ‘A’ team bowlers with 3-99. Kyle Mayers took 2-36.

Scores in the match WIBest ‘A’ 264 (S.Hope 79, J.Blackwood 85) and 224 (S.Hope 106, K. Mayers 40) vs WI Best ‘B’ 178 (R.Reifer 60) and 313-7 (K. Powell 95, R. Chase 45 n.o.)

The win was largely due to a mature 42 from 27 deliveries by Player of the Match Roston Chase, along with notable contributions of 33 from Brandon King and 27 from Nicholas Pooran.

Powell was candid about his team's performance, giving credit to PNG for their strong showing. "Credit has to be given to PNG. I think their plans were simple and they played good cricket. I think PNG's score of 136 for 8 was a little, 10 or 15, too much. And as a bowling group, that's something we need to work on. They played smartly," he said.

He also praised Chase for his all-round contribution. "That was very good. Started from a bowling effort, I think he bowled pretty well. And coming at the end, when we were under pressure, coming there with composure, and to come out with a winning innings was great for us. I think we can be better in all three departments," Powell noted.

Chase, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 42, expressed satisfaction with his performance and the team's victory. "I'm very pleased. To start the tournament with a win is always good. I had to take it home for the team, and I did it," he said.

Reflecting on his strategy during the match, Chase said, "I knew from our first innings bowling, it was always hard for batsmen coming in to start. I gave myself time, backed myself. I've been putting in a lot of hard work so I just backed my preparation."

Chase also acknowledged the efforts of Papua New Guinea. "They're not an A-list team, but we don't want to take any team lightly in the World Cup. We came out with the mentality that we were playing Australia or India. We started slowly but we had a chat at the halfway stage and the guys just wanted to rally and put the best foot forward."

The West Indies will look to address the issues highlighted by their captain as they prepare for their next match. Powell's candid reflection on the team's performance indicates a commitment to improvement, with hopes of delivering a stronger showing in the upcoming games.

Despite the less than flawless victory, starting the tournament with a win provides a solid foundation for the West Indies. With key players like Chase demonstrating resilience and maturity, the team aims to build on this performance and strive for excellence as they progress through the World Cup.

Matthew Forde is selected for the T20I squad for the first time, having impressed with the new ball throughout the past two CPL seasons and this follows his recent selection for the West Indies ODI squad. Sherfane Rutherford is also selected and returns to the squad after last representing the regional side in January of 2020. Gudakesh Motie returns to the T20I squad after recovering from injury which caused him to miss selection for the India Series. 

The T20I squad also sees the return of all-rounder, Andre Russell, who last played for the Men in Maroon at the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.  Johnson Charles, Obed McCoy, Odean Smith and Oshane Thomas miss out on selection after featuring in the previous T20I squad.

Shai Hope becomes the vice-captain of the T20I team, to add to his role as captain of the West Indies ODI team. The Selection Panel has the opportunity for squad adjustments ahead of the final two matches of the Series to be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on from 19 to 21 December.

Speaking about the composition of the squad, CWI lead selector, the Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes said: “This will be the final home T20I series for the West Indies in 2023, as they prepare to be one of the two host teams for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June 2024. We have selected a squad that we think gives us the best chance of success in that tournament.  We will continue to assess in the lead up to the competition." 

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FULL SQUAD

1. Rovman Powell (Captain)
2. Shai Hope (Vice-Captain)
3. Roston Chase
4. Matthew Forde
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Jason Holder
7. Akeal Hosein
8. Alzarri Joseph
9. Brandon King
10. Kyle Mayers
11. Gudakesh Motie
12. Nicholas Pooran
13. Andre Russell
14. Sherfane Rutherford
15. Romario Shepherd

West Indies v England T20I Series Schedule (Match start time in brackets) 

1^st T20I – 12 December – Kensington Oval, Barbados (6.00pm local time/5.00pm Jamaica time)
2^nd T20I – 14 December – National Stadium, Grenada (1:30pm local time/12.30pm Jamaica time)
3^rd T20I – 16 December – National Stadium, Grenada (1:30pm local time/12.30pm Jamaica time)
4^th T20I – 19 December – Brian Lara Academy, Trinidad (4:00pm local time/3.00pm Jamaica time)
5^th T20I – 21 December – Brian Lara Academy, Trinidad (4:00pm local time/12.30pm Jamaica time)

Stadium gates open two hours before first ball is bowled. 

While Australia took the series 2-1, the consolation win and, by extension the performances of Russell and Rutherford in a 139-run stand, provides a solid platform on which West Indies at can continue to build in their charge towards the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup later this year.

With West Indies in trouble at 79-5, after Rovman Powell opted to bat first, Russell and Rutherford took Australia’s bowlers to task, as they combined for 12 sixes in the record stand that propelled the Caribbean side to a competitive 220-6 at Optus Stadium.

Russell was particularly destructive, as the Jamaican utilized only 29 balls for his 71, which included seven maximums and four fours, while Rutherford’s unbeaten 40-ball 67, included five maximums and five fours.

David Warner, who struck nine fours and three sixes in a 49-ball 81, briefly threatened to overhaul the total, but Australia suffered a mini collapse after his dismissal, as West Indies bowlers came up trumps on this occasion. Tim David with a quickfire 19-ball 41, was Australia's next best scorer. His unbeaten knock had two fours and four sixes. 

Scores: West Indies 220-6 (Russell 71, Rutherford 67 not out, Bartlett 2-37) beat Australia 183-5 (Warner 81, David 41 not out, Chase 2-19, Shepherd 2-31) by 37 runs

Having failed to chase down daunting totals when they lost the first two matches, West Indies captain Powell decided to switch strategies and bat first, but it almost seemed futile when the top-order failed to navigate the extra bounce. Johnson Charles (four), Kyle Mayers (11) and Nicholas Pooran (one), all fell cheaply, as West Indies slipped to 17-3 in the third over.

Powell and Chase restored some semblance of respectability to the innings with a 55-run fourth-wicket stand. But when Chase fell for 37 off 20 balls, including three fours and two sixes, Powell went soon after for a 14-ball 21 that had three boundaries, and West Indies were steering down the proverbial barrel at that point.

However, Russell and Rutherford were in defiant mood. The two slaughtered Australia’s bowlers and raised their half-centuries in 25 balls and 33 balls respectively, and inevitably pushed West Indies past the 200-run mark.

Much like he started his innings, Russell ended in explosive fashion, as he struck Adam Zampa for three-consecutive sixes in a penultimate over that yielded 28 runs, but later holed out in the last over and walked off the ground to a standing ovation from the over 17,000 crowd.

Xavier Bartlett was Australia’s most successful bowler with 2-37 from his four overs.

Knowing they required a solid start, Australia reshuffled their batting order, with captain Mitchell Marsh taking opening duties alongside Warner. But Marsh struggled for rhythm and was overshadowed by Warner, who overcame a rough start when a short delivery from Alzarri Joseph banged into the grill via his shoulder.

After Marsh fell for 17, wickets continued to tumble around Warner, who raced to a half-century off 25 balls. The left-hander seemed set for a second T20I century, but was overburdened in the middle overs, and eventually holed out to Russell off Chase.

From there, Australia’s innings fell apart, even with David's late burst, as Chase, who proved an inspired selection, ended with tidy figures of 2-19 from four overs. He was well supported by seamer Romario Shepherd, who had 2-31.

The hosts, after winning the toss and batting first, made an imposing 207-7 from their 20 overs on a much-improved Sabina Park pitch.

Stand-in Captain Brandon King, who stood out with a top score of 79 in the first T20I, got the ball rolling quickly on Saturday with a 13-run third over off the bowling of Anrich Nortje, who South Africa brought in for this game in place of Gerald Coetzee.

Johnson Charles, playing his 50^th T20I, once again failed to make any inroads with the bat as he was first to fall, caught in the deep off the bowling of Bjorn Fortuin for seven.

Kyle Mayers joined the skipper and the pair brought the score up to 51-1 at the end of the first powerplay with King 35* off 20 balls and looking set for another big one and Mayers on nine from seven balls.

Unfortunately for the hosts and the Sabina Park crowd, King’s knock didn’t last much longer as he became the first T20I wicket for debutant Nqaba Peter when he was caught at long on for 36 in the seventh over.

Peter got his second wicket not long after when Mayers, after hitting a six the ball before, became the third West Indies batsman to get out caught in the deep. He made a 16-ball 32 including two fours and three sixes. The score at the time of his wicket was 83-3 with one ball left in the ninth over.

At the halfway point, the hosts were 88-3 with Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher at the crease on 10 and three, respectively.

The pair then batted beautifully to put on a further 56 in short time before Fletcher fell for 29 to leave the West Indies 139-4 with five overs left.

Not long after, Chase brought up an excellent maiden T20I fifty with a flat six over mid-wicket off Lungi Ngidi in the 17^th over. His milestone came off 30 balls.

The 19^th over proved to be the most crucial for the West Indies as a trio of sixes from Romario Shepherd brought the score past the 200 mark before he fell off the last ball of that over for 26 off just 13 balls.

In the end, Chase finished 67* off just 38 balls including seven fours and two sixes.

Peter was the pick of the South African bowlers with 2-32 from his four overs while Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo took 2-41 and 2-51 from their respective four over spells.

The start from South Africa then had Sabina Park silent as openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton De Kock absolutely hammered the West Indian bowling around the park on the way to an opening partnership of 81 in the first five overs.

The last ball of that fifth over proved to be the start of the West Indian fightback as De Kock took one risk too many and was bowled by Akeal Hosein for 41 off just 17 balls including four fours and as many sixes.

Three balls later, one became two for the Windies as Reeza Hendricks, who made 87 in the first game on Thursday, was dismissed by Chase for 34 to leave the tourists 83-2 at the halfway point of the sixth over.

Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke then added a further 30 before the latter went for an ill-advised second run and was run out thanks to a brilliant throw from the deep mid-wicket boundary by Shamar Joseph for 12 off the penultimate ball of the 10^th over.

Rickelton was next to go, caught off the bowling of Romario Shepherd for 19 to leave the score at 124-4 off 12 overs.

Not long after, Andile Phehlukwayo fell to another brilliant piece of fielding from Joseph, this time a catch in the deep off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie for three to leave the South Africans reeling at 138-5 in the 15^th over.

Any chance South Africa had of pulling off the chase was dashed when Gudakesh Motie dismissed both Rassie Van Der Dussen (30) and Wiaan Mulder (9) in the 17^th over.

In the end, South Africa reached 191-7 from their 20 overs, 16 runs short of their target.

Motie ended with 3-22 from his four overs while Shepherd bowled a crucial spell with 1-21 from his four.

Chase, who was named man of the match, completed a fine all-round performance with 1-26 from his four overs.

Chase says the team has eyes on a series sweep.

“Obviously we’ve started the series well being 2-0 up but three is better than two. I just think it’s for us to look at some of the areas where we were weak today and plan to execute them better tomorrow and improve on the areas we did well in as well,” he said.

“The guys have been playing some good cricket, we just had a camp in Antigua and we’ve put in a lot of hard work so it’s just for us to come out and execute and mostly, enjoy the cricket. I think once you go out there to enjoy the cricket, it becomes a lot easier and takes a bit of pressure off of you so it’s just to go out there and have fun,” he added.

The third T20I is set for Sunday.