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• Windies captain Shai Hope stresses need for efficient execution to clinch series decider against England

  West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope has once again stressed the importance of executing efficiently in order to clinch the series decider against England in a crucial contest at the iconic Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.

  Scheduled for a 1:00 pm start, the day-night match has stirred excitement among fans, with Hope rallying his side to draw from their recent performances and focus on building momentum for a strong finish in the three-match series.

  The series is currently locked at 1-1 after the West Indies won the opening contest by eight wickets, before England topped the second by five wickets.

  “It’s the biggest game of the series because we unfortunately conceded the last game, but this is a great occasion for us; we understand that we have a lot in front of us and we understand that we have to play good cricket to get over the England team,” Hope said in a pre-game interview.

  Reflecting on the second ODI, where he led by example with a brilliant 117, Hope underscored the significance of consistency in both batting and bowling.

  His century, along with half-centuries from Sherfane Rutherford (54) and Keacy Carty (71), were standout moments in a match that tested the resilience and skill of the West Indies lineup. However, the bowling department failed to deliver as England’s captain, Liam Livingstone, struck an unbeaten 124 to get his team across the line.

  “I’ll continue to preach that we need consistency in order for us to consider ourselves an elite team. We have to string performances together; it can’t always be one game or two games in a series; we have to seal it,” Hope said.

  “We have to play good cricket all the way through, and it is important that we understand the condition, the times of the game that we are supposed to be pressing and supposed to be relaxed. So, we have to be more consistent disciplined with our skills and make sure when we get to those crucial points of the game we press on,” he stressed.

  That said, Hope believes that his team is mentally primed for the challenge.

  “We are always mentally ready; I think that these most recent months we have been playing some really good cricket. We’ve had our ups and downs yes, but we can definitely see some improvements in the different stages in the game. For us, we have to ensure that we always have that positive mindset regardless of what we do in the field,” the Barbadian said.

  “We have to believe in our skills both inside and outside to ensure we have all the capable assets to go out there and perform for the West Indies. But the feeling is always good; the guys are raring and ready to go; we understand what is at stake, and this is basically a final for us,” Hope added, emphasizing that while the rivalry adds an edge to the contest, they are not letting it overshadow their approach.

  West Indies are currently 3-2 ahead in the head-to-head of the last five ODI meetings between the two teams dating back to December 2023.

  “You have an understanding of the history, but the past is the past because you have to go out there and play what is in front of you. You have to stay in the present, but we know what we are playing for. We know the amount of history that there is in our rivalry, so it is something that we have in the back of our minds, but not something we let get the better of us,” Hope ended.

• Hope says Windies women's return to Test cricket a step in the right direction; Graves hopes Hayley Matthews gets to play format at home

  With West Indies women set to make a return to Test cricket after a 20-year hiatus from the sport’s longest format, men’s ODI captain Shai Hope welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

  Hope’s comments came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced its line-up for the Blockbuster Women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025-2029.

  The Maroon women reignite the region’s Test status when they play host to Australia for one match in 2026, 50 years after the Caribbean team made its Test debut against the Australians in 1976.

  England women play against the West Indies in 2027, and this will be the first meeting between the two teams in this format since 1979. It was also confirmed that the West Indies women will travel to South Africa for an away Test in 2028.

  

  Shai Hope.

  WI women have not played a Test match since 2004. Their short record from four Test series stands at three draws and one loss to England.

  The Maroon team played Australia (0-0) in 1976, India in 1977 (1-1), lost to England (2-0) in 1979, and drew against Pakistan (0-0) in 2004. The 1976 match against Australia was the last time West Indies played a Test match at home.

  “It is always a step in the right direction. Anytime you get opportunities to excel and improve,” Hope said on Tuesday ahead of his team’s decisive ODI clash against England in Barbados.

  “I think it is going to be great for the women’s game because anytime you’re playing the longer format, it tests your skills in a different way, and you can always use what you learnt from that format into the other formats. So I think it is a step in the right direction, and I wish them all the best,” he added.

  

  Johnny Grave, whose tenure as Cricket West Indies CEO ended last week, raised the prospect of the Windies playing a Test at the iconic Kensington Oval, Barbados.

  “When you have an iconic player who will go down in history of our game, in Hayley Mathews (Barbados), it seems right she will have the opportunity to wear a maroon Test cap and lead her team out, hopefully at her home ground of the Kensington Oval at some point in a Test,” Graves told the Stumped podcast.

  “Our philosophy has been that red-ball cricket is where you can build your technique, hone your defence and look to score all around the wicket. If that is what we believe for the men, then it has to be the case for the women,” he added.

• Dottin among nominees for ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October

  West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin has been named among the three nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for the month of October.

  Dottin made her comeback for the national side at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, and was a driving force as the islanders reached their first semi-final at the event since 2018.

  She was instrumental in victories over Scotland and Bangladesh, but saved her most valuable contributions for the latter stages, where she shone with the bat, ball and in the field in their group stage win over England, before producing a memorable individual display with 33 runs and four wickets in the thrilling semi-final defeat to eventual champions New Zealand.

  Dottin will be going up against New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt for the award.

  The nominees for the Men’s award are New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, Pakistan’s Noman Ali and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada.