West Indies Women will welcome England Women to the Caribbean for an eight-match series next month. Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the match schedule today which consists of a three-match CG United One-Day International (ODI) Series and a five-match T20 International (T20I) Series from Sunday 4 December to Thursday 22 December.

The CG United ODIs will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua on 4, 6 and 9 December. The three ODIs form part of the ICC Women's Championship. The first T20I will also be at SVRS on 11 December. The tour then moves to Barbados for four T20Is at Kensington Oval on 14, 17, 18 and 22 December.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming home series as both teams will look use the series as part of their preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be played in South Africa early next year.

“We are really looking forward to this series against England. It will be hugely important for us. I’m hoping we can pick up some points in the ICC Women’s Championship as we take on a strong opposition at home. We also have our eyes on the ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa. It is always a big thing playing in a World Cup and this will be my first as captain so I will look to lead from the front. We will go in looking to play really good cricket and give it all we have,” she said.

The eighth edition of the marquee event will begin on 10 February 2023 with hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka. Cape Town, Paarl and Gqeberha will host the matches in the tournament with the knockout matches set to be played in Cape Town. The final will be held on 26 February.

The 10 teams will be drawn in two groups as follows, Group 1: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; with Group 2: England, India, West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland.

Sir Vivian Richards has questioned the commitment of the current crop of West Indies players and has expressed his disappointment at the team’s performance and early exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Rohit Sharma believes Suryakumar Yadav is getting better and better as the India captain hailed his team-mate's form as "remarkable".

Yadav scored an unbeaten 61 from just 25 deliveries on Sunday against Zimbabwe to help seal a 71-run victory, sealing India's progression to the T20 World Cup semi-finals as Group 2 winners.

India will now face England, who edged out Sri Lanka on Saturday to progress into the last four at the expense of hosts Australia, for a place in the final.

Yadav has been in fine form throughout the tournament. The 32-year-old has scored 225 runs across his five innings, while his knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday included 10 boundaries, with four of those beating the rope entirely. 

"What Suryakumar is doing for the team is remarkable, just coming out there, playing that way, taking the pressure off the others," Rohit said.

"We know his ability, and it allows the guy at the other end to take his time.

"The dugout can really be at ease when he bats, and he's shown a lot of composure when he's batted. We expected this from him, and he's gone from strength to strength."

Despite being pleased with India's display against Zimbabwe, Rohit is looking for a step up in their level against England in Adelaide.

"[It was] a very good all-round performance, [which was] something we were looking for," Rohit said.

"We had qualified, but we wanted to come out and play the way we wanted to play, which we achieved.

"We have played a game there, but we need to adjust quickly. England are a good team, and it will be a great contest.

"We should take pride in qualifying, firstly, and if we play that semi-final well, we have another big game as well."

Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten half-century saw India top Group 2 at the T20 World Cup as they set up a semi-final clash with England following a comfortable 71-run victory over Zimbabwe in Melbourne.

Heading into Sunday's game, Rohit Sharma's side knew their place in the last four was already secured after South Africa fell to a shock loss against the Netherlands earlier in the day.

But with top spot on the line after Pakistan comprehensively beat Bangladesh by five wickets, India knew they would need to post a similarly convincing win to overhaul their rivals.

They responded to the challenge with impressive power, guided by a freewheeling 61 not out off 25 balls for Yadav, ably supported by earlier knocks for KL Rahul (51) and Virat Kohli (26) to post a fearsome 186-5.

Sean Williams posted Zimbabwe's best bowling figures with 2-9, but could not help his side avoid leaking runs, and any prospect of a Zimbabwe chase appeared slim when Wesley Madhevere was caught first ball.

Sikandar Raza (34) and Ryan Burl (35) were valiant in pursuit, but India were out of sight thanks to a bowling attack led by Ravichandran Ashwin (3-22), to set up a showdown with England in Adelaide next week.

Yadav steadies fort after early wobbles

There was one nervy moment for India as they lost three wickets – Kohli, Rahul and Rishabh Pant – for 14 runs in a flash, slipping from 87-1 to 101-4.

But Yadav's emphatic turn ensured India put up a daunting total that proved well beyond Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe head home on a whimper

Having delivered one of the shocks of the tournament when they edged Pakistan by one run, a result that seemingly took the latter out of semi-final consideration at one point, this was a lacklustre final bow from Zimbabwe.

Though Craig Ervine's side were always likely to face an uphill battle to chase down India, their poor choices combined with a lethal opposition bowling attack left them with their lowest full-innings total at this year's T20 World Cup.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma says he will not make an "emotional" decision over his future as skipper after his side's shock exit from the T20 World Cup.

The Proteas fumbled their final game against an impressive Netherlands side, coming up short in a 13-run loss that allowed Pakistan to capitalise and leapfrog them into the top two.

That sends the latter and India through to join New Zealand and England in the knockout stages of this year's tournament, leaving South Africa out in the cold after just two wins.

Having missed out on qualification to the semi-finals a year ago following an inferior net run rate, it marks the second successive T20 World Cup in which they have underperformed, but Bavuma is in no rush to decide his next steps.

"It's been a tricky time," he stated. "To be considering that now, a lot of it will be emotional, in terms of my role as captain within the team. It's something I will think about. I will speak to the relevant people.

"We have to see who comes in as a coach. Generally when you have changes like that, they might come in with a different style.

"They might find a different leader to execute whatever vision or style of play that they have. It will be emotional now if I think about all of that."

Bavuma admitted the burden of captaincy amid frustrating tournaments for his side had been near the front of his thoughts, adding: "Mentally, it does eat at you as a player.

"You try to manage your mental space as much as you can. You try to control what gets to you but with social media, whatever is being said out there always gets to you.

"I always try to keep a level head, through all the good and the bad times. I try to be as close to myself as possible. Not just for myself but for this group. We are going to take a lot of flack as a group and rightly so."

Pakistan capitalised on South Africa's shock loss and completed a remarkable turnaround to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals after a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.

Heading into the final group-stage games, South Africa seemed certain to advance from Group 2 but slumped to a 13-run loss to the Netherlands, meaning the winner of the Pakistan-Bangladesh game at the Adelaide Oval would reach the final four.

Shaheen Shah Afridi starred with the ball with 4-22 for Pakistan, who lost their opening two World Cup games, as they restricted Bangladesh 127-8 before chasing down the target with 11 balls to spare.

Mohammad Rizwan (32 from 32), Mohammad Haris (31 from 18) and Shan Masood (24* from 14) contributed to the successful chase, which was far from seamless.

Bangladesh were left frustrated after a controversial decision by third umpire Langton Rusere who gave out captain Shakib Al Hasan LBW for a golden duck despite appearing to hit the ball.

Shakib's wicket was one of two to fall in Shadab Khan's over after Bangladesh had been 70-1 at the 10-over mark, appearing destined for a far-greater score. Opener Najmul Hossain Shanton top scored for the Tigers with 54 from 48 balls but Bangladesh lost their way after his dismissal at 91-4 in the 14th over.

Shakib reluctant to walk after dubious call

Shakib's dismissal was a key moment, and it was controversial, with the Bangladesh skipper reluctant to walk despite being given out by both the on-field umpire and the third umpire.

Bangladesh were set to launch for a total of 150-plus at the halfway mark, before losing Soumya Sarkar and Shakib in successive deliveries. After being given out LBW, Shakib quickly reviewed the decision. The replay showed a mark on Ultra Edge coinciding with the ball's path past the bat, yet Langton deemed that no bat was involved, believing Shakib instead had hit the ground with his bat.

Pakistan advance against all odds

Pakistan's World Cup seemed over after losing two final-over thrillers to rivals India and lowly Zimbabwe to open their tournament, yet they have responded to progress to the semi-finals. That hardly seemed possible after South Africa toppled India last Sunday but the 2009 champions remain in the hunt for a second title.

That's all the more staggering given gun batsman Babar Azam failed again, scoring 25 off 33 balls, having managed only 39 runs at 7.80 in five games.

The Netherlands have produced a stunning upset to knock South Africa out of the T20 World Cup after a 13-run victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

The Proteas simply needed to beat the associate nation to secure their spot in the semi-finals but allowed the Netherlands to score 158-4, including 45 off the final four overs, before falling apart in the chase, to be 145-8

South Africa's slip-up means the winner of the Pakistan-Bangladesh game at the same venue in fine conditions will finish second in Group 2 and take on Group 1 winners New Zealand in the semis at the SCG on Wednesday. The Proteas' loss also means India go through and top Group 2.

Player of the Match Colin Ackermann was heroic for the Dutch with an unbeaten 41 from 26 balls, helping their late charge, before Brandon Glover (3-9) and Fred Klaassen (2-20) starred with the ball.

South Africa's pursuit never got going after the loss of openers Quinton de Kock (13) and Temba Bavuma (20), but they seemed in a winning position at 90-3 in the 13th over, needing 68 off 46.

Yet it all fell apart for the Proteas with wickets tumbling, as Klaassen had Aiden Markram caught by Stephan Myburgh before Glover grabbed two quick wickets to dismiss potential game-winner David Miller for 17 and Wayne Parnell for a duck. From there, South Africa's tail could not get them near the target.

Van der Merwe delivers the key moment

Roelof van der Merwe's brilliant catch running backwards to dismiss danger man Miller was arguably the moment of the match. South Africa had six wickets left, needing 47 off 29 balls, when Miller mis-timed a hook shot, which was lofted towards fine leg but the 37-year-old never took his eyes off the ball and pulled off a diving effort to re-claim any momentum the Proteas had at that stage.

Another South African World Cup disaster

South Africa's loss and subsequent elimination will be tough to swallow. The Proteas, who have never made a T20 World Cup final and have an inglorious past in the 50-over version, appeared destined for the last four for the first time since 2014. Instead, they suffered their first-ever loss to the Netherlands across any format.

The West Indies Academy pulled off a stunning 12-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions in their CG Insurance Super50 encounter at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.

The Scorpions restricted the Academy to 182 all out after winning the toss and deciding to bowl first.

Kevin Wickham (46), Kevlon Anderson (33) and Leonardo Julien (32) were the main scorers for the Academy as left-arm wrist spinner Dennis Bulli led the way for Jamaica with 4-32 from 8.5 overs. Jeavor Royal and Jamie Merchant both bowled full 10 over spells and provided good support with 3-39 and 2-33, respectively.

The Academy then pulled off an amazing comeback to successfully defend what seemed like a losing total, with the Scorpions cruising at one stage at 124-4 at the halfway stage.

Jamaica then, inexplicably, lost their last six wickets for just 44 runs to finish 170 all out after just 39.5 overs.

Captain Rovman Powell top-scored for the Scorpions with 42 while Brandon King and Andre McCarthy both made 28 against match-winning efforts from Joshua James (3-19 off seven overs) and Ashmead Nedd (3-33 from seven overs).

The Trinidad & Tobago Red Force rebounded from a loss against the Guyana Harpy Eagles with a seven-wicket win over the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their CG Insurance Super50 Cup fixture at the Queens Park Oval on Saturday.

The Volcanoes were restricted to 189 all out in 47 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat.

Kavem Hodge followed up his hundred against the CCC with a top-score of 39 while Tevyn Walcott made 36 against Yannic Cariah’s 3-34 from 10 overs. Shannon Gabriel and Terrance Hinds took two wickets each in support.

The Red Force chase was a simple one thanks to an excellent 88-ball 66 from Joshua Da Silva including six fours and one six. Opener Kjorn Ottley continued his good form this season with 36 while captain Nicholas Pooran and Darren Bravo finished not out on 36 and 27, respectively as the Red Force ended 195-3 off 43 overs.

Wayne Parnell explained the motivation he takes from Cristiano Ronaldo as the bowler looked towards South Africa's T20 World Cup clash with the Netherlands.

Ronaldo has altered his goal celebration as of late, replacing his famous "Siu" with a "peace of mind" gesture, seemingly in response to his trouble at Manchester United this season.

It is a celebration that has been copied at the T20 World Cup by South Africa paceman Parnell, standing with his eyes closed, fingers crossed in front of his chest and his head rolled back.

Parnell has taken five wickets so far in Australia, helping South Africa to two victories in Group 2. Ahead of their final match of the pool stage against the Netherlands on Sunday, the Proteas sit in second place, and a victory over the Dutch would guarantee their place in the last four.

And in his pre-match press conference, Parnell explained how he takes inspiration from one of the world's finest footballers.

He said: "It's the Ronaldo celebration. He has always been one of my favourite footballers, and I've obviously followed his career quite closely.

"And I think I've kind of taken on some stuff that he has been going through, you know, as a professional athlete and someone that's very competitive and passionate about doing well.

"That's something that I've always wanted to do as well is contribute to the team's success."

It is not all about emulating an idol, though. For Parnell, it is also about enjoying playing in front of crowds again following the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's just about having fun as well," Parnell added, "I think, you know, we're very lucky to be playing this sport and to be able to do it on this world stage.

"Obviously, there's no COVID, so we have fans back, and it's just about entertaining everyone."

Looking ahead to South Africa's must-win game on Sunday, Parnell said: "I think now it's just really simple. If you actually look at it, tomorrow is basically a quarter-final. Then obviously if we win that, we go to a semi-final. If we win that, we go to the final.

"In a way it's actually worked out well where we are under a certain amount of pressure to obviously get through, but I always like to look at it from a positive point of view where it's basically a quarter-final. It's just about winning it really."

Jos Buttler believes Ben Stokes will "grow and grow" as England aim for T20 World Cup glory in Australia.

Stokes' unbeaten 42 helped guide England to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, ensuring they progressed from Group 1 alongside New Zealand, last year's runners up.

It means the reigning champions and hosts Australia failed to reach the last four, with England set to face the winner of Group 2 in Adelaide for a place in the final.

England appeared to be cruising towards victory when, having limited Sri Lanka to 141-8, Buttler and opening partner Alex Hales plundered their way to 75 without loss.

Yet the loss of five wickets for 36 runs in the space of seven overs resulted in a nervy finish for England, and Stokes had to step up late on to set the stage for Chris Woakes to strike the winning boundary with two balls to spare.

"Not a great watch, to be honest – didn't enjoy that much," Buttler said at the post-match presentation.

"We knew, coming here, we had to find a way to win the game, thankfully we did that."

Asked if Stokes was the ideal player for the scenario, Buttler replied: "Absolutely, it's the kind of situation he's made for, I'm delighted for him and when he's at the crease, that gives you a sense of calm.

"He can play a lot of roles, he effects the game in all facets, he's a proper competitor and it's getting to the stage of the competition where you'll just see him grow and grow."

Stokes missed last year's T20 World Cup, and only returned to action in the format in a warm-up series against Australia ahead of this edition of the tournament, with his score on Saturday his best since he managed 46 against India in March 2021.

Another key player for England against Sri Lanka was Adil Rashid, whose figures of 1-16 saw him named the Player of the Match.

When asked if he was worried by the fast start Sri Lanka made with the bat, Buttler said: "Yeah, a little bit, they got off to a really good start and having lost the toss we knew the wicket would probably slow up as we went along.

"I thought it was a fantastic over from Adil Rashid at the back end of the powerplay to change the momentum. He's been someone we've always turned to and I was really pleased with his performance.

"I think a lot of people always look at the end column, maybe he hasn't picked up the wickets he usually does. I don't think he's bowled with much luck, to be honest. He's had a few chances that were missed, I think he's still bowling well, and on surfaces like this he's a really tough bowler to face."

Rashid took the wicket of opener Pathum Nissanka, whose 67 had anchored Sri Lanka's innings. 

Pathum has now accumulated over 1,000 T20I runs, becoming the 10th player from his nation to reach the milestone.

Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes held their nerve to guide England to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka and into the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

Boasting a better net run-rate than hosts Australia in Group 1, England knew victory would be enough at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday to see them progress alongside New Zealand at the expense of the reigning champions.

Matters looked bleak for Jos Buttler's team, however, when a sloppy opening seven overs bowlers allowed Sri Lanka to advance for 65-1, yet spearheaded by Mark Wood's 3-26 and Adil Rashid's 1-16 – his wicket being the dismissal of the excellent Pathum Nissanka (67) – England took seven wickets for just 76 runs for the remainder of the innings, limiting their opponents to 141-8.

England looked to be strolling to victory at 75-0 from the opening 43 deliveries, with Alex Hales and Buttler excelling in the power play before the latter succumbed to Wanindu Hasaranga.

Hales, whose 47 included eight boundaries, was caught and bowled by Hasaranga two overs later, with Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali falling in quick succession as England wobbled.

Sam Curran picked out Kasun Rajitha at fine leg to pile the pressure on, yet Stokes (42) – so many times a hero – provided the composure, chipping away to leave England needing five runs from the final over.

It was Woakes who provided the final flourish, whipping a cut away to the boundary to ensure victory with two balls to spare.

England's redemption shot

Under Eoin Morgan, England reached the semi-finals of last year's T20 World Cup, only to fall short against New Zealand, who themselves were beaten by Australia in the final.

England – who have now won each of their last eight men's T20Is against Sri Lanka – will now face the winner of Group 2 for a place in the showpiece match this time around.

Pathum reaches Sri Lanka milestone

His knock might ultimately have proved fruitless, but it saw Pathum become the 10th Sri Lanka batter to accumulate 1,000 T20I runs, while he is the second-fastest to achieve the feat in terms of innings (after Kusal Perera).

Hasaranga also had a fine match with the ball, finishing with 2-23. It means he ends the tournament with 15 wickets, one short of his tally from the 2021 edition (16), which is the highest on record in the competition's history.

Young Windies fast bowler Jayden Seales is expected to join English cricket club Sussex for the start of the 2023 season.

The 21-year-old, who last played for the West Indies in July is expected to represent the English club for the first three months of the 2023 season, which is scheduled to get underway in April.

During the period the player will have the opportunity to take part in both the team’s Championship and T20 games.  The young bowler, who became the youngest player to take five wickets for the West Indies in Tests, last year against Pakistan, was understandably excited for the opportunity.

“As a young fast bowler, I like to find myself facing as many different situations and challenges as possible,” Seales said.

“I can’t wait to test myself in England and hopefully contribute to a winning start for Sussex in both Championship and T20 cricket.”

West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards has been named as brand ambassador for the upcoming Lankan Premier League (LPL).

The tournament, which will take place from December 6-23 will be its third edition, having bowled off in 2020.  As such it remains one of the newest and smaller leagues in world cricket and hopes the high profile of the former swashbuckling West Indies, one of the most respected in the sport, will help elevate its profile.

“We are pleased to announce one of the finest batters of all time, Vivian Richards as Brand Ambassadors for the 2022 LPL. Having someone like Sir Vivian Richards will boost the league and attract more followers from the whole world, and help in our quest to make this tournament a global cricketing attraction. I am really excited to see great Sri Lankan talents on display in the league,” Anil Mohan, Chairman of IPG Group and founder of LPL.

The LPL will also have West Indies presence on the pitch with big-hitter Evin Lewis and Carlos Brathwaite expected to feature.

The Cricket West Indies Selection Panel on Friday named the West Indies Women’s U19 squad for the upcoming tour of India. The players for the T20 matches were selected after trial matches in Trinidad.

Ashmini Munisar has been named as captain of the 15-member squad with Trishan Holder as vice captain. They will be under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Liburd. Munisar is an allrounder who led the team when West Indies Women's U19 played against USA Women’s U19 in Fort Lauderdale in August. Holder is a top-order batter who was a member of the Barbados team at the Commonwealth Games playing matches against Pakistan, Australia and India.

The upcoming tour will feature matches against India ‘A’ Women U19, India ‘B’ Women U19 and Sri Lanka Women U19 in Visakhapatnam at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy International Cricket Stadium. West Indies will then travel to Mumbai where they play against New Zealand Women U19 at the D.Y. Patil Stadium.

Matches start at: 9am local (11:30pm previous day Eastern Caribbean/10:30pm previous day Jamaica) and 1pm local time (3:30am same day Eastern Caribbean/2:30am Jamaica).

Lead Selector, Ann Browne-John said: “As part of the preparation for the tour the squad was involved in some practice matches during a seven-day training camp in Trinidad. The final team selected contained some of the players who participated in the series in the USA and there are some new players who the panel would like to have a look at before a final team is selected for the World Cup.”

She added: “The composition of the team is quite balanced with some strong batters and a good mix of spin and medium pacers. It will be their first experience against top international teams and these tour matches will give a better indication of where the team is at the moment.”

This series in the sub-continent will form a crucial part of the team’s preparations for the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. The global event will feature 41 matches be played from 14 to 29 January in South Africa. The official warm-up matches will be from 9 to 11 January. The 16 participating teams will play in four groups in the preliminary round. West Indies have been drawn in Group C alongside New Zealand, Ireland and Indonesia.

FULL SQUAD 

Ashmini Munisar (captain)

Trishan Holder (vice-captain)

Asabi Callendar

Kenika Cassar

Jahzara Claxton

Naijanni Cumberbatch

Jannillea Glasgow

Realeanna Grimmond

Zaida James

Djenaba Joseph

KDJazz Mitchell

Shalini Samaroo

Shunelle Sawh

Lena Scott

Kate Wilmott