Three dominant wins in the first three rounds have the Windward Islands Volcanoes holding a comfortable lead atop the points table of the 2024 West Indies Championship as the teams gear up for the season’s resumption after a week off.
The Volcanoes have racked up an impressive 62.2 points (36 match points and 26.2 bonus points) courtesy of a pair of nine-wicket wins over the Jamaica Scorpions and the Barbados Pride in the first two rounds followed by an eight-wicket win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges in round three.
The Leeward Islands Hurricanes sit second with 45.6 points (24 match points and 21.6 bonus points) after two wins and a draw in their first three outings.
The Barbados Pride are third with 43.6 points (24 match points and 19.8 bonus points) after also recording a pair of wins and a draw in their first three games.
The Jamaica Scorpions, who finished at the foot of the table last season, have a win and two losses but sit fourth on the table with 29.6 points mainly due to getting 17.6 bonus points.
The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (27.6 points), defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles (26.4), West Indies Academy (24) and the Combined Campuses and Colleges (14.6) round out the rest of the table after three rounds.
Action resumes with the start of round four on Wednesday, March 13 with the Red Force taking on the Volcanoes at the Queen’s Park Oval, CCC facing the Leewards at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine, the Scorpions hosting West Indies Academy at Sabina Park and the Harpy Eagles facing the Pride at Coolidge.
Quick bowling and aggressive batting put Bangladesh in control over West Indies at stumps on day three
The pace bowling of young Nahid Rana as well as some brave, aggressive batting have put Bangladesh in a strong position at stumps on day three of the second Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park on Monday.
Sunny skies greeted the West Indian batsmen and Bangladeshi fielders on Monday as the hosts carried on their first innings from their overnight 70-1 off 37 overs, replying to Bangladesh’s 164 all out off 71.5 overs on day two.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Keacy Carty were the batsmen at the crease on 33 and 19, respectively, looking to kick on to put the West Indies in position to get a big lead on the tourists.
The pair put on a further 15 runs in five overs and three balls before Brathwaite became Rana’s first victim of the day and second of the innings for a 129-ball 39.
Fifteen balls later, Rana, who bowled at speeds north of 145 pm/h consistently throughout the West Indies innings, struck once again, this time getting Kavem Hodge to edge a ball through to wicket-keeper Litton Das for just three leaving the West Indies 94-3.
It was then time for Taskin Ahmed to get into the action, knocking over Alick Athanaze for just two with one ball left in the 48th over to leave the hosts 100-4.
Centurion from the first Test, Justin Greaves, was next to the crease hoping for a repeat of his exploits in the first innings of the first Test in Antigua last week.
Sadly for the West Indian supporters, that wasn’t the case, however, as Greaves played around a straight ball from Taijul Islam to be dismissed for the same score as Athanaze, leaving the West Indies 105-5 in the 51st over.
Joshua Da Silva’s poor run of form with the bat continued as he was next to go for just five in the 54th over with the wickets of Carty (40), Alzarri Joseph (7), and Shamar Joseph (6) falling soon after to leave the West Indies 136-9 in the 64th over.
It was then Rana’s chance to complete a maiden Test five-wicket haul bowling to elder statesman Kemar Roach.
After hitting him on the shoulder a couple times, leaving him unable to take up his usual role of bowling the new ball for the hosts, Rana got Roach trapped in front with a full, straight one to complete his milestone, finishing with 5-61 off 18 overs.
Hasan Mahmud took 2-19 off 11 overs in support of the speedster from Chapai Nawabgonj.
Leading by 18, Bangladesh second innings got off to the worst possible start when Jayden Seales dismissed Mahmudul Hasan Joy for a duck in the first over.
First innings half-centurion Shadman Islam and Shahadat Hossain attempted a repair job, putting on 47 for the second wicket before the latter went for a 26-ball 28, going for one big shot too many and ending up caught at mid off by Seales off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph.
The next partnership was the one that really had the West Indies nervous as Islam and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz put on 70 in just 11.5 overs for the third wicket.
That partnership ended when Shamar Joseph had Islam caught behind, four runs short of his second fifty of the contest while Miraz went soon after, also caught behind off Joseph for 42 off 39 balls to leave Bangladesh 132-4 in the 26th over.
Litton Das and Jaker Ali then provided some more valuable runs for the tourists, putting on 41 in 8.5 overs before Justin Greaves removed Das with a brilliant off cutter for 25 off 34 balls.
Ali (29*) and Taijul Islam (9*) were the batsmen at the crease at stumps as Bangladesh reached 193-5 off 41.4 overs, leading by 211 runs.
Full Scores:
Bangladesh 164 off 71.5 overs (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph 3-49, Kemar Roach 2-45) & 193-5 off 41.4 overs (Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42, Shamar Joseph 2-70)
West Indies 146 off 65 overs (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19).
Deccan Gladiators hammer Morrisville Samp Army by eight wickets to win third Abu Dhabi T10 title
The Deccan Gladiators completed a near perfect season in the Abu Dhabi T10 League with an eight-wicket win over the Morrisville Samp Army in the final on Monday.
The Gladiators got to the final after winning the first qualifier on Saturday against the same opposition while the Samp Army got a second crack at the Gladiators by winning the second qualifier earlier on Monday against the Delhi Bulls.
Deccan won the toss and elected to field first in the decider, posting a respectable 104-7 from their 10 overs thanks to 34 from Faf du Plessis and 21 from Andries Gous.
Man of the match Richard Gleeson took 2-16 for the Gladiators with his pace.
The Gladiators then needed only 6.5 overs to reach 110-2 and win their second title in three years.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the way with 56* off 21 balls, hitting four five fours and four sixes while captain Nicholas Pooran made 28 off 10 including three sixes.
Player of the tournament Jos Buttler made 12* for Gladiators who lost only once this season to the UP Nawabs in the league phase.
West Indies announce 15-man squad for CG United ODI series against Bangladesh
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveiled the 15-man squad for the upcoming CG United One Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh, set to take place from December 8–12, 2024 at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. The three-match series, dubbed the "West Indies Home for Christmas" series, promises to be an exciting contest as the West Indies aim to build on their recent success against England.
The squad features two changes from the unit that clinched a 2-1 series victory over England in "The Rivalry" series. All-rounder Justin Greaves and wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo have been called up to replace Hayden Walsh Jnr and Jewel Andrew.
Jewel Andrew, meanwhile, will join a batting camp at the Chennai Academy in India, focused on improving performance in spin-friendly conditions as part of Cricket West Indies' development initiative.
Justin Greaves makes his return to the ODI squad after an outstanding campaign in the CG United Super50 competition, where he smashed a record three consecutive List A centuries. His recent maiden Test century against Bangladesh further solidified his credentials. Head Coach Daren Sammy emphasized Greaves' ability to contribute both with the bat and the ball, describing him as a versatile option capable of batting anywhere in the top six.
Amir Jangoo also earned his spot following a stellar Super50 season, where he led the scoring charts with 446 runs at an average of 89.20. His inclusion brings depth and dynamism to the batting lineup, according to Sammy.
Head Coach Daren Sammy outlined the team's dual focus on short-term success and long-term preparation for the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup.
“We are looking to broaden the pool of players while also focusing on winning series at home and building momentum from our recent success against England,” Sammy said. He also highlighted the balance Greaves and Jangoo bring to the team, noting their ability to add flexibility and dimension to the batting and all-round units.
The team will be led by Shai Hope, with Brandon King serving as vice-captain. Key players like Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, and Romario Shepherd retain their spots, while emerging talents like Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie offer exciting options in the bowling department.
West Indies CG United ODI Squad:
Shai Hope (Captain)
Brandon King (Vice-Captain)
Keacy Carty
Roston Chase
Matthew Forde
Justin Greaves
Shimron Hetmyer
Amir Jangoo
Alzarri Joseph
Shamar Joseph
Evin Lewis
Gudakesh Motie
Sherfane Rutherford
Jayden Seales
Romario Shepherd
The series will begin on December 8, with subsequent matches on December 10 and December 12 at Warner Park. With the "West Indies Home for Christmas" series set to captivate fans, the team looks ready to continue their winning ways and fine-tune their squad ahead of next year’s global tournaments.
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