Former West Indies batting coach, Toby Radford, has suggested calls to replace all-rounder Jason Holder are an overreaction and would stick with the current captain, despite the success of Kraigg Brathwaite in Bangladesh.
Brathwaite was widely commended for his role in leading an understrength team to a 2-0 win away to Bangladesh earlier this month. Holder, on the other hand, was one of 12 players to pull out of the tour after citing health and safety concerns.
Holder had, however, also pointed to feeling some level of fatigue having had to deal with quarantine situations in both the West Indies prior tours of England and New Zealand. However, in addition, aspects of the team’s performance on those tours had also put Holder and his captaincy under the microscope.
While admitting that the team had performed exceptionally well in Bangladesh, Radford, however, sees no reason to replace Holder as the man in charge for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.
“I think they surprised everybody not least of all Bangladesh, probably their own supporters as well. They performed really well. But it’s very easy to get carried away, isn’t it? You have a couple of big wins like that and then suddenly we have done it because Kraigg Brathwaite is captain and Jason Holder wasn’t captain,” Radford told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Who’s to know if Jason was captain whether you would have had the two wins anyway,” he added.
“There were a lot of very good individual performances and because individuals play well and you win two matches, to me, that isn’t down to captaincy.”
In supporting his decision to stick with Holder, Radford pointed to the example of the incident with India captain Virat Kolhi, which occurred during the Asian team's big win over Australia.
“It was raised the other day, someone mentioned Virat Kohli. They (India) lost the game in Australia, he went home for the birth of his child. They went suddenly and won a couple of games. When they started the Test series against England, in India, nobody questioned whether Kohli should captain the team. He came back in because he was captain.”
CWI's VP Bassarath joins efforts to secure Narine's return for T20 World Cup
Cricket West Indies (CWI) vice president Azim Bassarath has declared his intentions to join the effort to possibly coerce spinner Sunil Narine to come out of international retirement for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
Bassarath's declaration follows that of West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell, who has led the charge of trying to get Narine back to the regional setup ahead of the June 1-29 global showpiece.
Narine, 35, confirmed his retirement from the international game last November. However, after a stellar 56-ball 109 for Kolkota Knight Riders (KKR) against Rajasthan Royals in an IPL tie on April 16, Powell said he’s been trying to coax Narine to rejoin the squad for the past year “but he’s blocked out everyone.”
At the same time, the Jamaican revealed that he sought the assistance of Nicholas Pooran and retired international stars Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo to convince their compatriot to return. Former maroon fast bowler Tony Gray also believes Narine would be a welcomed addition to Darren Sammy's side to challenge for a third T20 World Cup title.
West Indies won the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament.
After KKR's IPL win against the Lucknow Super Giants on April 14, Narine when asked about the possibility of returning to the West Indies team by former West Indies teammate Samuel Badree, pointed out that “I will be watching from home, Badree.”
However, Narine in another interview on Tuesday, appeared to soften his stance about making the proverbial U-turn, when he said, “It is what it is, but we'll have to see what the future holds.”
Bassarath explained that he has tried unsuccessfully to make contact with Narine, but he intends to keep at it.
“I haven’t spoken to him [Narine], and he hasn’t spoken to me. Everybody is asking for him to change his mind and come represent West Indies, at least for this last chance. It is my intention to give him a shout, and if I have to beg him to come back and make himself available to play in this tournament. Because this is what the people need," he said in a T&T Newsday article.
Bassarath, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Bassarath also revealed that he reached out to Queen’s Park Cricket Club president Nigel Camacho – Narine’s domestic club – for help.
“I have also spoken to the QPCC president, and he indicated to me that he will also reach out to Sunil to see if he can change his mind to come on board," he shared.
West Indies are set to open their T20 World Cup campaign against Papa New Guinea in Guyana, on June 2. Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Uganda are the other teams in the group.
T&T to host 2024 Women's CPL; to be contested before men's tourney for the first time
Organizers have confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago will host the third staging of the Women's Caribbean Premier League when the tournament bowls off in August.
The inaugural tournament in 2022 was played in St Kitts and Nevis, while last year's showpiece was played in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. This year's edition scheduled for August 21-29, will see Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) and reigning champions Barbados Royals battling for top spot, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba.
“We would like to thank Trinidad and Tobago for agreeing to host this tournament and we are excited to be having the Massy WCPL taking place before we get the men’s tournament underway,” said CPL chief executive, Pete Russell.
“The commitment that the Trinidad & Tobago government has shown to women’s sport has been phenomenal and we are looking forward to another superb exhibition of world class cricket over these seven matches from 21 to 29 August," he added.
The three teams will clash in six group games, with the top two teams featuring in the final.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Sport and Community Development, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, expressed joy that the twin island republic will be host to the women's tournament, which will for the first time be contested before the men's edition.
"We are delighted to host once again the Massy Women's CPL, where the extraordinary talent of women in sport from across the region will be showcased. This tournament highlights the incredible skills of our female cricketers and underscores Trinidad and Tobago's unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality and fostering inclusivity in sport," she said.
"The Ministry of Sport and Community Development takes pride in spearheading the advancement of women's cricket and sport tourism in TT and we look forward to welcoming players and fans alike to our shores for an electrifying display of cricketing excellence," Cudjoe-Lewis noted.
Hayley Matthews' heroics lead West Indies Women to resounding win over Pakistan in first ODI in Karachi
West Indies Women's captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day International (ODI) at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday.
Matthews played a pivotal role in setting up the win, first with the bat and then with the ball. She showcased her batting prowess by scoring an impressive unbeaten 140 runs, anchoring the West Indies' innings to a challenging total of 269-8 in their allotted 50 overs. Matthews' innings was decorated with 15 boundaries (fours) and a well-struck six.
After losing an early wicket, Matthews combined forces with Shemaine Campbell to forge a crucial partnership of 102 runs for the second wicket. Campbell contributed a valuable 45 runs to the cause before departing.
Chinelle Henry (23) and contributions from Chedean Nation and Aaliyah Henry, who scored 17 each, further solidified the West Indies' innings as Matthews led from the front, steering her team to a formidable total.
In response, Pakistan Women struggled to build partnerships against the disciplined West Indies bowling attack. Tuba Hassan top-scored with 25 runs, while Muneeba Ali and Nahida Alvi made contributions of 22 and 20 runs, respectively.
However, it was Matthews who turned the game decisively in her team's favor with the ball, claiming three crucial wickets for just 17 runs. Afy Fletcher and Zaida James also made significant contributions with the ball, picking up two wickets each to bundle out Pakistan Women for 156 runs in 35.5 overs.
Sadia Iqbal (2-38) and Tuba Hassan (2-48) were the standout bowlers for Pakistan, but they couldn't contain Matthews' brilliance.
With this commanding victory, West Indies Women have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Pakistan Women, setting the stage for an exciting contest in the upcoming matches.
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