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• Charles to replace Motie for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe

  Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced that Johnson Charles has been named as the replacement for Gudakesh Motie in the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament to be played in Zimbabwe, starting on Sunday 18 June.

  Left-arm spinner Motie has not recovered from a lower back injury. Charles recently made a return to the West Indies ODI team for the ongoing three match ODI series against United Arab Emirates in Sharjah. He scored 63 in the second match, his 50^th ODI appearance, and was named Player of the Match.

  Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “We want to wish Motie the best as he continues his rehabilitation. He is one of the players who we expect to feature in West Indies cricket going forward, so we want to see him recover fully so he can participate when called upon.”

  Haynes added: “When we discussed the replacement player, we looked at the possibility of another spinner in the squad. However, we felt it was better to go with Charles. He is experienced at the international level, he will add value to the team for what will be a very important tournament. He also has knowledge of the Zimbabwe conditions having played ODI matches there before, so we see him as the right man for the job at this stage.”

  West Indies will arrive in Harare on Saturday 10 June, where they will prepare for the 10-team tournament. They have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Zimbabwe, Nepal, Netherlands and the USA.

  West Indies face the USA in the opening Group A fixture on Sunday 18 June at Takashinga Cricket Club, followed by Nepal on Thursday 22 June at Harare Sports Club. West Indies meet Zimbabwe on Saturday 24 June at Harare Sports Club. The fourth preliminary match will be against the Netherlands on Monday 26 June.

  Each side will play the other teams in their group once with the top three from the groups progressing to the Super Six stage from Thursday 29 June to Friday 7 July. The teams each play three Super Six matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage.

  All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group. The final will be played at Harare Sports Club on Sunday 9 July. The two finalists will both progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

  FULL SQUAD

  Shai Hope (captain)

  Rovman Powell (vice-captain)

  Shamarh Brooks

  Yannic Cariah

  Keacy Carty

  Roston Chase

  Johnson Charles

  Jason Holder

  Akeal Hosein

  Alzarri Joseph

  Brandon King

  Kyle Mayers

  Keemo Paul

  Nicholas Pooran

  Romario Shepherd

  West Indies Match Schedule

  All matches start at 9am local time (3am Eastern Caribbean/2am Jamaica)

  Sunday 18 June: v USA at Takashinga Cricket Club

  Thursday 22 June: v Nepal at Harare Sports Club

  Saturday 24 June: v West Indies at Harare Sports Club

  Monday 26 June: v Netherlands at Takashinga Cricket Club

   

• Antiguan cyclist Andre Simon passes away

  Antiguan cyclist Andre Simon passed away at a medical facility in Houston, Texas on Thursday, his family confirmed.

  Simon’s death comes 13 months after he was left physically paralyzed after being hit by a car along with fellow cyclists Sean Weathered, Ghere Coates and Tiziano Rosignoli along the Sir George Walter Highway.

  Simon was airlifted to the US after the accident where he continued to receive treatment.

  He was 35-years-old.

  His family also thanked all who were involved in the valiant efforts made to assist him.

   

• Steve Smith looking forward to seeing how England fare against Australia attack

  Steve Smith invited England to try and make ‘Bazball’ pay off in the Ashes after Australia bowlers took control of the World Test Championship final against India, declaring: “they haven’t come up against us yet”.

  England have spent the last year establishing themselves as the most daring red-ball team around, scoring at a frantic rate against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan and notching 11 wins from 13 games under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.

  One by one they have lined up to take aim at England’s ultra-attacking approach, but Stokes and company have yet to take their foot off the throttle.

  Australia clearly fancy their chances of breaking the streak and Smith saw no reason to doubt his side’s attack after they put the squeeze on India on day two at the Oval.

  Seamers Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green each took a wicket, as did spinner Nathan Lyon, with India closing day two on 151 for five – 318 adrift.

  Asked if England’s preferred style would be a success against that bowling pack, Smith said: “I think I said it initially when ‘Bazball’ started that I’m intrigued to see how it goes against our bowlers. I’ve said that all along.

  “I think it’d be difficult on this kind of wicket – up and down and seaming around – it’s not easy to defend, let alone come out and swing.

  “They’ve obviously done well against some other attacks, but they haven’t come up against us yet. So, we’ll see.

  “It’s obviously been exciting to watch. I must say I’ve enjoyed watching the way they’ve played and the way that I guess they’ve turned things around in the last 12 months or so, but it’s yeah we’ll wait and see how it comes off against us.”

  Smith played a significant role of his own in putting Australia firmly in charge in London, taking his tally of Test centuries to 31. He spent just over five-and-a-half hours compiling 121, sharing a stand of 285 with the more expansive Travis Head (163).

  Smith has now scored seven hundreds in English conditions, amassing 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes at a staggering average of 110.57.

  “It was nice to spend a lot of time out there against some good bowlers on a challenging wicket after getting sent in. I’ll take a lot of confidence out of that and hopefully can keep building and have a successful summer here,” he said.

  “I think in terms of English wickets it’s probably as close to Australia as you get. I’ve enjoyed playing here and it was nice to score a few out here again.”