West Indies Women players Stafanie Taylor and Afy Fletcher have expressed their delight at being involved in two T10 matches that will be played at the Briana Cricket Academy on October 10 and 12.
The matches will form part of the attraction for the elimination stages of the 2019 Hero CPL.
Taylor will captain the NLCB Revellers while Fletcher leads the Courts Gladiators who will clash on October 10 and 12.
Sher believes the matches could be a prelude to the dawn of a women’s T20 league in the Caribbean.
“It is very pleasing to have an initiative such as this that the CPL has done for Women’s cricket in the Caribbean,” said the Jamaican whose team will be comprised of players from Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Leeward Islands.
“It’s a long time coming to potentially have a women’s T20 franchise tournament here in the West Indies, bringing international players here to our conditions and pitches, just as we go to their leagues. No doubt this will aid Cricket West Indies in growing women’s cricket in the region.”
Fletcher, who will captain players from Barbados, Guyana and Windward Islands, is excited by the concept.
“I think that it’s a great idea. Women’s cricket is rapidly growing so kudos to the persons for taking the initiative to find different avenues to expose the talent of the ladies of the Caribbean,” she said.
“Knowing that we have a small pool of female cricketers, I strongly believe that this is a stepping stone to move forward and also a way of attracting the eyes of the young girls across the region.”
The games were made possible thanks to the support of the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Courts and the National Lottery Control Board (NLCB). Hero CPL said expressed their gratitude to these partners for making these games possible.
The NLCB Revellers: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed, Chinelle Henry, Natasha McLean, Chedean Nation, Jodian Morgan, Stacy-Ann King, Reniece Boyce, Britney Cooper, Felicia Walters, Karishma Ramharack, Caneisha Isaac, and Shawnisha Hector.
Courts Gladiators: Afy Fletcher (Capt), Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Aaliyah Alleyne, Qiana Joseph, Akeira Peters, Erva Giddings, Shabika Gajnabi, Kaysia Schultz, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, and Shakera Selman.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Australia skittle South Africa again to clinch T20 series in style
Australia clinched the Twenty20 series against South Africa in emphatic fashion at Newlands on Wednesday, thrashing the home side by 97 runs in the winner-takes-all showdown.
In a lopsided encounter remarkably similar to the first of the three games between the teams, the tourists posted a challenging total before skittling their opponents.
Opening duo David Warner and Aaron Finch both made half-centuries as they powered Australia to 193-5 after being put into bat.
The Proteas – who managed just 89 when chasing 197 last Friday – lost captain Quinton de Kock early and never threatened in a reply that lasted just 15.3 overs.
Mitchell Starc claimed the key early breakthrough, bowling left-hander De Kock with the fourth ball of the innings, and also removed Faf du Plessis cheaply during the powerplay. The paceman finished with figures of 3-23, wrapping up the win by trapping Kagiso Rabada in front.
Ashton Agar also claimed three wickets, with the spinner coming close to recording a second hat-trick in the series after seeing off Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi with successive deliveries in the 15th over.
Tabraiz Shamsi survived to deny Agar another treble but South Africa did not last too much longer, bowled out for 96 – the lowest total posted in a T20I at the Cape Town venue.
They appeared set to be chasing well in excess of 200 when Warner (57) and Finch (55) were in full flow, the pair putting on 120 in 11.3 overs.
Australia rather lost their way after the well-set pair departed in quick succession, yet Steve Smith – who surprisingly came in down at number five in the order – benefited from a repreive when bowled by a Rabada no ball to make an unbeaten 30 in a hurry.
Starc's double strike had South Africa teetering and while Rassie van der Dussen (24) and Heinrich Klaasen (22) tried to repair the damage, the slow-bowling combination of Agar (3-16) and Adam Zampa (2-10) turned the screw. Fittingly, the impressive Starc landed the knockout blow.
The two teams now turn their focus to 50-over cricket with a three-match ODI series rounding out Australia's trip. The first match takes place in Paarl on Saturday.
Pollard takes Windies thrashing on the chin, wants to save face in final encounter
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said that while he could pinpoint a great many things his side got wrong during a one-sided affair against Sri Lanka at Hambantota on Wednesday, he would not go into the business of scapegoating but would talk to his team about what transpired.
Sri Lanka won the game by 161 runs but more importantly, the hosts now hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match ODI series.
The hosts benefitted from centuries of 127 and 119 from opener Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis respectively, the pair helping them to a mammoth 345-8 from their 50 overs. The West Indies did not get close, as only Shai Hope, 51, and Roston Chase, 31, offered any resistance.
The visitors would end on 184 all out against the bowling of Wanindu Hasaranga, 3-30, Lakshan Sandakan, 3-57, and Nuwan Pradeep, 2-37. There was also a wicket for Angelo Matthews, 1-20.
But Pollard did point out that things could have been different had he not dropped Mendis early in the innings and maybe, the series would now be different.
"It was the start we were looking forward to, getting two wickets early. But I put the catch of Kusal Mendis down, otherwise they would have been three down,” said Pollard.
In addition, Pollard believes his side did not have faith in the plans they made.
“We didn't stick to our plans long enough. I don't think we were up to the international standard today. Well bowled to them and well played to them,” he said.
Pollard will now look toward the final game of the series to see if the West Indies can win one.
“We weren't there in all three departments today. We can pinpoint a lot of things but I don't want to go into a lot of details. We'll do that as a team. I cop this one on the chin and we move on to Kandy."
Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis crush Windies to clinch ODI series win
Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis combined for a 239-run third-wicket stand to set Sri Lanka on course to thrash West Indies on Wednesday and clinch their three-match ODI series.
Sri Lanka were in complete control of the second one-dayer after opener Fernando (127) and Mendis (119) produced a dominant early showing, teeing up a 161-run triumph in Hambantota.
The hosts did not hit a single six but posted 345-8, the biggest total in men's ODI history not to include a maximum.
And the Windies never looked capable of causing Sri Lanka serious trouble with the bat, opener Shai Hope's knock of 51 their best effort as they were bowled out for an underwhelming 184 with 65 balls remaining.
The tourists' day had started in positive enough fashion, with Kieron Pollard winning the toss, choosing to bowl and then seeing Sheldon Cottrell (4-67) remove home captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera from consecutive deliveries in only the third over.
But that was just about as good as it got, with Fernando and Mendis subsequently combining for their devastating, match-turning partnership.
They stood together for 228 balls until Alzarri Joseph (3-57) finally made a breakthrough in the 41st over, as Mendis, who survived an early drop from Pollard, top-edged for a comfortable Hope take.
Although Joseph took out both Fernando and Angelo Mathews in his next over, the scoreboard had long since got away from the Windies, and scoring remained steady throughout the remainder of the innings.
The reply was initially solid enough, but Hope left partner Sunil Ambris (17) high and dry for a run out.
Mathews got Hope, and then Wanindu Hasaranga (3-30) came to the fore, his haul including a golden duck for Windies skipper Pollard.
Only brief floodlight failure after the eighth wicket delayed Sri Lanka's progress, with the final two dismissals arriving within four balls of the restart courtesy of Nuwan Pradeep (2-37) and Lakshan Sandakan (3-57).
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content
of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative,
passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
