Uae

Dutchwoman Steere Kalis (58), New Zealand captain Sophie Devine (48) and Taylor (31 not out) combined to help Tornadoes post 152-3 off their 20 overs after Warriors won the toss and elected to field first.

West Indies vice-captain Hayley Matthews was the pick of the Warriors bowlers with 2-33 from her four overs.

The Warriors chase was very top-heavy as openers Georgia Redmayne from Australia (48), Matthews (21) and captain Sindhu Sriharsha from the USA (35) were the only significant contributors as they eventually stumbled to 139-6 off their 20 overs, losing by 13 runs.

Malaysian captain Winifried Durasingam bowled beautifully to pick up a crucial 3-24 from her four overs while captain Taylor chipped in with 1-18 off three overs.

The hosts, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, got off to an excellent start, reaching 142-2 inside 23 overs before the West Indies took control of proceedings.

The UAE lost their final eight wickets for 42 runs to eventually be dismissed for 184 in just 36.1 overs. The bulk of the scoring was done by Vriitya Aravind who got a 75-ball 70 including eight fours and one six. Captain Muhammad Waseem also contributed 43.

Kevin Sinclair was excellent in his 7.1 overs, taking a career-best 4-24 while Yannic Cariah took 2-34 from eight overs.

The West Indies then lost six wickets on their way to 185 in 35.1 overs.

The successful chase was led by debutant, Alick Athanaze, and Shamarh Brooks.

Athanaze hit nine fours and three sixes on his way to a rapid 45-ball 65 at the top of the innings while Brooks made a composed 58-ball 39.

The Dominican's fifty came off just 26 balls, tying the record for fastest ODI fifty by a debutant, equaling India's Krunal Pandya against England in 2021.

Things got a bit tricky for the tourists when Karthik Meiyappan dismissed Keacy Carty (20) and Kavem Hodge (0) off consecutive balls in the 26th over to leave them 145-5.

Stand-in captain, Roston Chase, who ended 27*, as well as Raymon Reifer (15) and Keemo Paul (2*) ensured the Windies avoided a historic collapse.

Aayan Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah and Karthik Meiyappan all took a pair of wickets, each.

The hard-hitting West Indian’s innings came off just 59 balls and included 12 fours and two sixes.

Dottin, alongside England captain Heather Knight (20) and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (17), helped Barmy Army Women get to 152-3 off their 20 overs.

The Falcons then needed only 17.3 overs to get to 156-2 thanks to 76 not out off 49 balls from captain Danni Wyatt.

Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu and West Indian Britney Cooper were the next best scorers with 41 and 32 not out, respectively.

The 2022 FairBreak Invitational is taking place in Dubai and is an ICC-sanctioned tournament. The inaugural edition of the competition organized by Cricket Hong Kong will comprise six teams that will have players from across the globe.

The first match was played on May 4 while May 9 and May 13 will be rest days. Both the semi-finals are slated to be played on May 14, while the third-place playoff and the final will be held on May 15.

There will be six teams that will be taking part in the inaugural season and there will be ninety players from 36 countries who will feature in the competition. Among these, 40 come from ICC full members and 50 from associate members.

Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Britney Cooper, Shemaine Campbelle, and Shamilia Connell are the West Indians participating.

It was not an easy win for the Caribbean men who would have suffered jitters when medium pacer Junaid Siddique took career-best figures of 5-13 to restrict West Indies to 152-9 from their 20 overs.

The West Indies owed their eventual match-winning score to a 95-run fourth wicket partnership between King and Captain Nicholas Pooran that spared the Caribbean men blushes after UAE won the toss and decided to bowl.

It seemed the right decision as the West Indies were struggling at 22-3 inside the Powerplay.

The dismissal of Evin Lewis (2), Johnson Charles (1) and Sharmarh Brooks (4) brought King and Pooran together in the fifth over and together they dragged the West Indies into a position of relative strength.

The West Indies captain hit five fours in his 31-ball 46 before he was bowled by Zahoor Khan, who had earlier dismissed Brooks. It was then 117-4 in the 15^th over.

The loss of Pooran’s wicket saw the West Indies slip to 122-7 as Siddique, who had earlier removed Charles, scythed through the middle order with three wickets in four balls claiming Reifer for one, King for 64 and Akeal Hosein without scoring.

King's runs came from 45 balls and included seven fours and two sixes.

Siddique picked up his fifth wicket in the 18^th over when he bowled Odean Smith for five.

Alzarri Joseph helped the West Indies past 150 with 15 well-needed runs from 11 balls before being the last man out, leaving Rovman Powell unbeaten on seven and Obed McCoy on four at the end.

Khan ended with 2-24.

Needing 153 for victory, UAE were 19-1 at the end of three when McCoy dismissed Chirag Suri for nine.

Muhammad Waseem and Vriityia Avarind took the score to 50 in the eighth when Reifer dismissed the latter for nine and CP Rizwan for one in the space of four balls as UAE slipped to 52-3 in the ninth.

The UAE ran into further trouble three balls later when Evin Lewis ran out Aayan Afzal Khan for a duck.

Waseem and Basil Hameed inched the score along to 66 by the 13^th over when Reifer claimed his third after dismissing Hameed for five. It was soon 82 for 6 in the 16^th when Odean Smith dismissed Kashif Daud for seven.

With nothing to lose UAE went for broke smashing 53 from the final 26 balls.

Waseem brought up his 50 with a six from the last ball of the 17^th over bowled by McCoy that yielded 16 runs. The pair also took 15 from the 19^th bowled by Alzarri Joseph, whose last ball was smashed for six by Zawar Farid, who ended unbeaten on 29 from the 14 balls he faced.

Waseem’s heroic unbeaten 69 came from 52 balls and included four fours and three sixes as UAE closed on 135-6.

Reifer took 3-13 while Odean Smith had figures of 1-20 from his four overs. McCoy gave up 49 runs from his four overs.

The former West Indies T20 captain took 1-25 from his two overs with the ball to help restrict the Gladiators to 108-3 from their 10 overs after the Braves won the toss and bowled first. Englishmen Jason Roy (57) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (40) top-scored for the Gladiators.

With the bat, Brathwaite hammered 27 from just seven balls, including four sixes from an Andre Russell over, to help propel the Braves to 109-4 from 9.3 overs.

Dan Lawrence (40) top-scored as the Braves got their second win of the season.

Bravo suffered the injury during CSK's match against the Delhi Capitals on October 17.

Recovery for the veteran all-rounder is expected to take two to three weeks and as such will be out for the remaining matches in the IPL.

 His loss will be a blow to CSK who often rely on his death bowling and explosive batting. Bravo has taken 147 IPL wickets, 110 of which he took playing for the Super Kings.

The 37-year-old Trinidadian shared the sad news with his fans on CSK’s Twitter account.

“It’s sad news,” he said. “It’s sad for me to be leaving my team, team CSK. To all our CSK fans, I want you all to keep encouraging the team, keep supporting..”

Bravo’s injury could also have implications for the West Indies cricket team as he was selected as a member of the T20 squad that is to play three matches against New Zealand in New Zealand next month.

We can see first-hand what we, as the older girls in the group, have done for the younger girls coming in now, and we would just love to be able to inspire another generation of girls coming up.

Looking at the present, we’re coming to a World Cup, and we want to win, who doesn’t? I think a World Cup is one of those tournaments, especially T20 World Cups, where, if you have some good performances on a big day, it can get you through the stages.

This is, if not our best, definitely one of our best squads that we have had at a T20 World Cup. We have seen a lot of our senior players really improve, like Shemaine Campbelle who has been so much more consistent lately. And players like Aaliyah Alleyne, who has stepped up and improved her game and has played more important roles in matches.

The thing that has been really good, is the camaraderie in the group, it feels like a massive, safe space and somewhere where everyone feels super comfortable. Even the young ones who have come into the group have been able to settle and gel really well with the older ones, and there is tremendous mutual respect, which is really good for us.

Spin tends to dominate World Cups, no matter where they're played. In women's cricket, especially, spinners frequently top the charts and rankings, so I believe spin will play a significant role. Fortunately, for us, we have got quite a few spinners in our arsenal, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Qiana Joseph, young Zaida James, and me.

We strongly believe that spin will play a major role, and the team has been selected with that in mind. Hopefully, as a spin unit, we can go out there and make a significant impact with the ball.

It’s hard to believe I’ve just reached 10 years in international cricket—it feels like the time has flown by, and in many ways, it still feels like I’m just starting out. I remember making my debut at Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, walking onto the field, nervous and trembling, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Looking back now, 10 years have passed, and I’m now the captain of the West Indies—so much has changed since that day.

One area I’ve struggled with early on is maintaining consistency, but I have been able to improve vastly over the last couple of years. I feel like if I can keep up with the consistency I have now and the performances I have now, I can hopefully finish this game as one of the best. I think I still have a long way to go, so I am just taking it one step at a time and trying to perform well every time I go out on the park, and whatever comes from it, will come from it.

The regional side will take on the UAE in three ODIs from June 4-9 before making the journey to Zimbabwe to take part in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers from June 18-July 9.

The squad for the UAE series will be missing some of the players who participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which ended last week, meaning several new players will get an opportunity to represent the region on the biggest stage.

“I just see it as another series,” said the 29-year-old in an interview on Saturday.

“Every time we step onto the park the aim is to perform for West Indies and it gives some new guys an opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage,” he added.

The squad will also include some players who have been selected for the qualifiers and Hope wants them to use this opportunity as preparation for the task at hand.

“For the members of the qualifiers squad, it gives us some prep leading into that important task,” said Hope before he reiterated the importance of development.

“Just want to see the guys continue to grow. The main thing for me is development. Over time, we’re going to get better and hopefully that one percent can be shown here in UAE,” he added.

Hope, the 12^th ranked ODI batsman in the world according to the latest ICC rankings, also described working with new head coach, Daren Sammy.

“I can definitely commend the communication. I see everyone being clear and frank; that’s one of the main principles here. We haven’t had many training sessions to focus on more physical stuff. It’s been, more so, based around the mental side of the game. We know that Sammy loves his stats and his planning so we’re all on the same page where we’re looking to move West Indies cricket forward,” Hope said.

The event, scheduled to take place from October 3–20, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah.

The venue was changed following the countrywide anti-government agitations in Bangladesh through July and early August, which ended when Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, resigned and fled to India. An interim government has been put in place by the army since, but widespread incidents of vandalism and looting, as well as acts of violence, have been reported from Bangladesh.

As a result, Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland) had issued travel advisories to their citizens to not travel to Bangladesh.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice confirmed the move in a press release on Tuesday.

“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event. I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights," Allardice said.

"We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future. I’d also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026," he added.

ICC Chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022.

Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by August 27, 2024, and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on December 1, 2024.

Though being played in the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh will still serve as host of the tournament, which will see 23 matches contested over 18 days in Dubai and Sharjah to crown a 2024 champion.

Along with Williams, who will be standing in a fourth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the experienced group of umpires comprises seasoned officials, including Claire Polosak, who will be umpiring in her fifth, while Kim Cotton is also set to make a fourth Women’s T20 World Cup appearance.

Both Williams and Cotton took charge of the final in Cape Town between hosts South Africa and eventual champions Australia last February.

Sue Redfern, who was the TV umpire for that final, is also back for her fourth appearance in the tournament. At the other end of the spectrum, Sarah Dambanevana of Zimbabwe, will make her debut appearance.

The match referees’ team features GS Lakshmi, who refereed her first T20I back in 2012 and oversaw the final in 2023. She is joined by Shandre Fritz and Michell Pereira, who will both be officiating in their second ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

ICC's Senior Manager of Umpires and Referees, Sean Easey, beamed with pride about the quality of the officiating team.

“The ICC is proud to be contributing to the advancement of women in our sport. To be announcing this all-female lineup of match officials for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is wonderful. This group, selected as the most deserving umpires for this event following their recent form in bilateral and other cricket, are some of the very best from around the world.

“We are confident that they will do a great job at this event. I wish them the best of luck as they oversee the world’s top women’s cricketers in what will be an exciting tournament for all involved,” Easey said.

The ICC supports the ongoing development of all international umpires via a clear high performance officiating programme, through the appointment of ICC Umpire Coaches, by working with Full Member Board officiating managers and coaches to align practices, by employing two full-time data and digital video specialists to help review decisions, and by conducting regular performance reviews either online or in Dubai as the officials pass through on assignment.

Panel of Match Referees: Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, Michell Pereira.

Panel of Umpires: Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Sarah Dambanevana, Anna Harris, Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Sue Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, and Jacquiline Williams.

Paul, an all-rounder and left-arm spinner Motie last played in ODIs last July against India in Trinidad. Meanwhile, four uncapped players – left-handed batter Alick Athanaze, as well as allrounders Kavem Hodge, Dominic Drakes, and Akeem Jordan – have been selected for the series in the UAE.

The West Indies will play that One Day International (ODI) Series against UAE in Sharjah on June 5, 7 and 9 and form part of the preparations for the qualifiers.

CWI has given permission to players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to return to the Caribbean for a short break before arriving in Zimbabwe for the qualification tournament.

 “Paul is a three-dimensional player, who can bowl the new ball effectively, he’s dynamic in the outfield and he can also make vital runs. He is now fully recovered from injury and with his skill-set we see him as a potential match-winner for us,” said Lead Selector Dr Desmond Haynes.

“Motie was excellent in the Test matches in the Zimbabwe earlier this year, where he took 19 wickets, and we anticipate similar conditions for the qualifiers. We believe he will again relish the chance to bowl in those conditions. He is also a capable batsman and good in the outfield. The team played well in South Africa earlier this year, when we drew the ODI Series 1-1 under the new captain. We were encouraged by that display and we expect them to continue to grow and create that synergy.”

Haynes reiterated that the qualifiers in Zimbabwe are crucial to the West Indies, who once again, did not get an automatic berth into the ICC World Cup in India.

“We see this as a crucial tournament as we look to secure one of the two places left in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Therefore, we have selected a balanced team which we believe is well equipped to get the job done in the conditions we anticipate in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“It will be a challenging tournament, it will be intense and competitive, there is no doubt about that. In speaking to the players, they are fully aware of the job at hand. We are happy with the preparations and the mindset of the players, and everyone is clear about their roles in the squad.

“For the matches against the UAE in Sharjah, this presents a chance for some other players who are not in the squad for the qualifiers, to get an opportunity at the international level as we look to expose more players.”

FULL SQUADS

West Indies Squad v United Arab Emirates: Shai Hope (captain), Brandon King (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith and Devon Thomas.

Squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers: Shai Hope (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd.

The day started brilliantly for the West Indies as the opening pair of King and Charles put on 129 for the first wicket after West Indian captain Shai Hope won the toss and chose to bat first.

In the process, Charles brought up his fifth ODI half-century before being dismissed for a rapid 47-ball 63. The St. Lucian hit eight fours and three sixes in his knock.

King, who brought up a maiden ODI hundred on the way to a man of the match performance in the first encounter, continued his good form with 64 off 70 balls including four fours and as many sixes.

The tourists then got solid contributions from Odean Smith (37), Keacy Carty (32), Kavem Hodge (26) as they were eventually bowled out for 306 with one ball to spare.

Zahoor Khan led the way with the ball for the UAE with 3-44 from 9.5 overs while Aayan Khan (2-45), Ali Naseer (2-69) and Sanchit Sharma (2-69) also provided good contributions.

The UAE reply looked to be coming to an end quickly at 95-5 in the 24^th over before a fighting 80-run partnership between Basil Hameed and Ali Naseer brought some respectability to proceedings.

Hameed batted valiantly, facing 84 balls before he fell for 49. He hit a boundary and three sixes in his knock.

Meanwhile, Naseer, who struck a fifty in the series opener, got his second straight half-century with a 53-ball 57 including six fours and three sixes.

Vriitya Aravind also contributed 36 and Aayan Khan 23* as the UAE eventually made 227-7 off their 50 overs.

Kavem Hodge (2-46 from 8) and Roston Chase (2-49 from 10) were the day’s best bowlers for the West Indies while debutant, Akeem Jordan, Odean Smith and Yannic Cariah were the other wicket-takers.

Matthews first struck a well-played 52 off 35 balls to help the Warriors post 156-6 off their 20 overs after the Barmy Army won the toss and elected to field first.

She wasn’t the star of the day with the bat, however, as South African Mignon Du Preez shone with an excellent 75 not out off 54 balls including six fours and three sixes.

Dottin took 1-11 off two overs for the Barmy Army before leaving the field with a slight injury.

Matthews then returned to pick up 2-3 off three overs to combine with Sri Lanka’s Udeshika Prabodhani (2-17 off two overs) and restrict Barmy Army Women to 102-8 off their 20 overs.

Pakistanis Fatima Sana (34) and Rumana Ahmed (26 not out) were the top scorers for the Barmy Army Women.

Warriors Women finish their tournament with one win from five games, while the Barmy Army Women will now move on to the semi-finals alongside Spirit Women, Tornadoes Women and Falcons Women.

The 38-year-old Bravo announced his retirement from international cricket last Thursday after the West Indies lost to Sri Lanka by 20 runs effectively ending their world cup campaign.

"I think the time has come," Bravo said. "I've had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I'm very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long.”

Gayle, meanwhile, is holding off talk of retirement for the time being as he has hopes of donning West Indies colours at least once more before he calls time on his record-breaking career.

"It's been a phenomenal career. I didn't announce any retirement but they actually give me one game in Jamaica to go in front of my home crowd, then I can say 'hey guys, thank you so much. Let's see. If not, I'll announce it a long time and then I'll be joining DJ Bravo in the backend and say thanks to each and everyone but I can't say that as yet," Gayle said prior to the West Indies’ eight-wicket loss to Australia on Saturday.

Notwithstanding Gayle’s comments, there can be no doubting the fact that his days in international cricket are numbered, a reality that prompted Pooran to pay tribute to both players, who have inspired him.

“Personally, I've witnessed (ed) two gentlemen who have left it all out on the cricket field, from being super excited to reach home fast from school to see @chrisgayle333 smash it all over the park and then see @djbravo47 defend basically less to nothing in a last over and then do his dance celebrations, to then playing with them in their last world cup game, that was something special,” Pooran posted in Instagram on Saturday.

“Seeing you guys walk away today put tears to my eyes but very pleasing at the same time knowing you guys have achieved so much in your careers. So from me to you guys, thank you for my childhood and all the best in whatever you do in the future!”

Meanwhile, Lewis, who opened with Gayle for the West Indies on several occasions, wished the two departing well.

“Words can’t describe. I’m a person of few words but it’s been an honour watching you guys on TV then sharing the same dressing room. Go well champs @djbravo47 @chrisgayle333,” said the power-hitting Trinidadian.

Pooran, perhaps the man to lead the West Indies into a new era, apologized for the team’s poor performances in the world cup and promised that even as two of the game’s greats ride into the sunset of their careers, the West Indies has the talent bounce back stronger than before.

“To our fans all over the world and back home, we know we have disappointed you guys, but let's not forget what we have accomplished in the last nine years winning two titles. It has been a wonderful era, but we will rise again,” he said.

Paul Stirling’s century earned Ireland their solitary win in the Cricket World Cup qualifiers with a dominant 138-run victory against the United Arab Emirates.

The opener’s impressive knock of 162 was complemented by half-centuries from Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector, with the UAE unable to find valuable partnerships to chase a victory target of 350.

It was a bittersweet ending for Ireland, whose hopes of reaching the final six had already been dashed by defeats in their three previous matches, meaning they finished second-bottom in Group B.

After being put in to bat, Ireland lost Andy McBrine for 24 after he was lbw to Sanchit Sharma, but Stirling and captain Balbirnie ran riot as the pair put on 184 for the second wicket.

Ali Naseer found the long-awaited breakthrough in the 39th over as Balbirnie was caught for 66 and Stirling scored another 29 runs before he was caught by Karthik Meiyappan off Sanchit Sharma.

Tector added 57 before Sanchit Sharma struck again in the penultimate over, Meiyappan with another catch, and Ireland finished on 349 for four thanks to a tidy partnership of 23 from Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell at the death.

The UAE got off to a decent start until captain Muhammad Waseem was run out for 45 and wicketkeeper Aryansh Sharma followed shortly after.

Josh Little struck in quick succession to dismiss Vriitya Aravind and Ethan D’Souza before McBrine struck twice in the 21st over to get rid of Naseer and Aayan Afzal Khan.

Basil Hameed put on a valuable 70-run partnership with Sanchit Sharma, the pair taking their side from 109 for six to 179 without further loss, but Hameed was dismissed by Dockrell for 39.

Curtis Campher then picked up two wickets in an over, Sanchit Sharma falling for 44 and Junaid Siddique for six, before Dockrell took the final wicket to hand Ireland the victory with 11 overs to spare.

Captain Shai Hope showered praised on his bowlers for the clinical execution in the lop-sided victory.

“There was no hurry. They all bowled well, I can't single out too many, and I was happy with the execution,” he said. “Nice to see Hodge play in West Indies colours now and hopefully we can continue. I don't think there were devils in the surface but credit needs to be given to the bowlers.”

He reserved special praise for the Player of the Match.

“King is an exceptional player and someone who I thought would've scored a lot more runs early in his career. But happy for him. He saw the opportunity to take the game forward and happy to see him get his first hundred today,” said Hope who collected the award for King, who was suffering from cramps.

Set a target of 203, King scored a run-a-ball 112 to guide the West Indies to 206-3 from 35.2 overs in the day/night encounter. He was the last man out with the West Indies 10 runs shy of their target.

King shared in an opening stand of 48 with Johnson Charles that ended when Charles bowled for 24 while going for a big shot off Zahoor Khan delivery that cut back to hit his off stump for 24.

 A 91-run second wicket partnership followed between King and Shamarh Brooks, who rode his luck before he was eventually trapped lbw by Aayan Azfal Khan for 44. King, who was dropped on 52, then took the match away from the hosts with a 54-run partnership with Keacy Carty before being last man out, caught behind off the bowling of Rohan Mustafa.

King’s knock included 12 fours and four sixes, three of which came in the 34^th over bowled by Karthik Meiyappan.  The second of those sixes took King from 96 to his first ODI century.

Captain Shai Hope replaced him and quickly ended proceedings with consecutive sixes off Karthik Meiyappan to end on 13 not out from just four balls. Carty was on seven from 19 balls when the match ended in the 36^th over.

UAE won the toss and chose to bat and were restricted to 202 all out in 47.1 overs. Ali Naseer scored a useful 58 from 52 balls and Vriitya Aravind, a contrasting 40 from 77 balls. Asif Khan also contributed 27 against the West Indies attack led by Keemo Paul, who took 3-34.

Dominic Drakes took 2-29, Yanic Cariah weighed in with 2-26 and Odean Smith 2-40.

Matthews, Dottin, and others hailed the move by the sport’s governing body, which came ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to get underway in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.

The tournament winners will receive US$2.34 million after the final on October 20, with the runners-up receiving US$1.17 million as part of a total prize pot of just over US$7.95 million.

That represents an increase of 225% from last year’s edition and makes cricket the only major team sport to have equal prize money for its men’s and women’s World Cup events.

The significant moment in cricket history has been met with acclaim from players ahead of the start of competition on Thursday, with Bangladesh set to take on Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

“It puts a lot of respect on the game. As women and as professional cricketers, we go out there and work super hard every day, just as hard as the men do,” Matthews said ahead of their opening match on Friday.

“We are all on the world stage the same way so to get equal prize money is a huge thing. Hopefully we can see more stuff like that being done and going across the board all the way,” she added.

West Indies, who won the tournament in 2016, welcomed back Deandra Dottin into the international fold after two years away, and the legendary all-rounder was pleased to see the ICC lead the way on tournament prize money.

“It is really good to see. Change is good, it just goes to show that women’s cricket is getting taken seriously, which is a great thing. This shows we are going forward in the right direction, and we are being more respected in that area,” Dottin noted.

Bangladesh seamer Jahanara Alam is among those hoping to be in action in the opener, and the 31-year-old believes the move to equal prize money will have a long-lasting impact on the sport.

"This is inspiring for us. I believe this will be motivating and inspiring for the next generation. It is good for us as we will get financial support,” Alam reasoned.

“Parents in Bangladesh who don't want to let their daughters take up sports and only want them to study for a job or business will be inspired by this and will be motivated to send their daughters to play cricket,” she opined.

Bangladesh’s captain, Nigar Sultana, believes the move represents the broader positive changes happening within women’s cricket.

"Money is always motivating. This is a good thing, and in women's cricket, we are seeing that a lot of changes are made. That is happening in Bangladesh as well. For the whole team, it looks like if we can do well, we can achieve good things in life. So from that point of view, it really makes us happy,” Sultana stated.

The tournament will see 10 teams vying for supremacy. Australia are defending champions, having won a year ago in South Africa.

South Africa were runners-up last year and begin their campaign against West Indies in Dubai on Friday.

The Windies posted a mammoth 374-9 off their 50 overs after winning the toss and batting first at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.

Vice-captain Powell hit eight fours and eight sixes in his knock while Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul got brisk half-centuries in support.

Pooran hit five fours and five sixes on his way to a 67-ball 74 while Paul hit four fours and four sixes to make 54 off 50 balls.

Kyle Mayer (33) and Johnson Charles (30) also got meaningful contributions against Muhammad Jawadullah’s 3-50 from eight overs and Karthik Meiyappan’s 2-51 off six overs.

Yannic Cariah and Jason Holder then led the way with the ball as the UAE finished their 50 overs 260-9.

Basil Hameed tried his best with an unbeaten 122 while Vriitya Aravind made 54 but it wasn’t enough as Cariah claimed his second straight four-wicket haul of the warm-ups with 4-55 from his 10 overs.

Holder provided good support with 2-26 from seven overs.

The West Indies will open their account in the World Cup Qualifiers against the USA on Sunday.

The Samp Army posted 119-2 from their 10 overs after losing the toss. Captain Moeen Ali hit six fours and six sixes on his way to a top score of 78 not out off just 29 balls while South African David Miller ended not out on 16.

Russell, who opened the batting alongside Tom Kohler-Cadmore, then set the stage for a successful chase with seven fours and four sixes on his way to 63. Captain Nicholas Pooran then added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 38 off just 12 balls as the Gladiators reached 121-2 in 9.4 overs.

Earlier on Saturday, they defeated Team Abu Dhabi by five runs in the eliminator.

Their opponents in Sunday’s final will be Kieron Pollard’s New York Strikers who beat the Samp Army by four wickets in Qualifier 1.

Orin Rutherford, 58, died Thursday, after testing positive for the Covid-19 virus on September 5. He was being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Liliendaal Hospital in Georgetown. He was reportedly unvaccinated.

"The SRH family conveys its heartfelt condolences to Sherfane Rutherford and his family on the passing away of his father. Sherfane will be leaving the IPL bio-bubble to be with his family in this difficult hour," SRH posted on Twitter.

Following a successful season with newly-crowned Caribbean Premier League champions St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Rutherford was looking forward to his maiden season with SRH.

It always feels good to come to a new franchise. It’s always good coming to something new. I look to learn, gather as much information as I can to work on my game and in the best way I can to help the team,” he said shortly after his arrival in India.

Rutherford, who almost inexplicably missed on being selected to represent the West Indies at next month’s ICC T20 World Cup, was called up by SRH to replace England’s Jonny Bairstow.

He last played in the IPL for Delhi Capitals in 2019.