Jamaica, Barbados and the Windward Islands all got wins in round one of the 2023 CWI Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-over Championship in St. Vincent on Tuesday.
Jamaica were the most dominant team on the day, securing an eight-wicket win over Guyana at the Cumberland Playing Field.
In a game reduced to 30 overs-per side after a rain delay, the Guyanese were first skittled out for just 78 in 23.4 overs.
Michael Clarke led the Jamaicans with the ball with 3-13 from four overs while Reon Edwards took 3-18 from 4.4 overs. Deshawn James and Tamarie Redwood also took a pair of wickets, each.
Jamaica, then, needed just 14.5 overs to reach their target. Jordan Johnson finished 28* while Adrian Weir earlier made 19.
At the Sion Hill playing field, a match reduced to 39-overs per side saw defending champions Barbados beat Trinidad & Tobago by 37 runs.
Barbados posted 152 all out from their 39 overs batting first thanks to a top score of 35 from Nathan Sealy and solid contributions from Isaiah Folkes (25*) and Joshua Dorne (24).
Andrew Rambaran took 3-20 from his eight overs for T&T while Jacen Agard took 3-41 from seven.
Barbados then produced an excellent bowling display to reduce their opponents to 115 all out from 34 overs.
Rajeev Ramnath made a fighting 35 for T&T as pacers Renecio Smith and Dre Springer took seven wickets from 10 overs between them. Smith took 4-24 while Springer took 3-36.
The Windward Islands secured a 42-run win over the Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale in the day’s other game.
The Windwards posted 200-8 from their 50 overs batting first thanks to 35 from Tarrique Edward and 32 from Ackeem Auguste. Kimani Nisbett took 3-27 from six overs for the Leewards.
Then, despite contributions from Michael Palmer (31), Jewel Andrew (31) and Michael Greaves (28), the Leewards were dismissed for 158 in 45.4 overs.
Tarrique Edward completed a fine all-round effort with 3-23 from 10 overs for the Windwards.
West Indies Men will tour England in the summer of 2024 where they will play three Test matches. The series will bowl off at Lord’s on 10-14 July, followed by the second Test at Trent Bridge on 18-22 July and final contest at Edgbaston on 26-30 July.
The tour will mark the second occasion that the two teams will compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy – named in honor of cricket icons Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. West Indies are the current holders having won the inaugural series which was played in the Caribbean in March 2022. The series will also form part of the ICC’s World Test Championship 2023 to 2025.
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies said: “West Indies and England have had many enthralling duels on the field over the last 95 years and we expect another great series in 2024– which will mark the 40th anniversary of the famous tour of 1984, when West Indies won 5-0. This series next year will see us defending the Richards-Botham Trophy, as we continue to celebrate the relationship of the teams and honor the legacy of two of the game’s greatest players.”
West Indies played their first Test matches against England at Lord’s in June 1928. Since them the two teams have met on 163 occasions – West Indies won 59, England won 51 with 53 drawn.
MATCH SCHEDULE
10-14 July: 1st Test at Lord’s, London
18-22 July: 2nd Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
26-30: July 3rd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham
Joe Root is confident Jonny Bairstow “has the bit between his teeth” following his controversial stumping at Lord’s and expects him to be in the mood in front of a home crowd at Headingley this week.
Bairstow found himself at the eye of the storm during England’s unsuccessful run chase on Sunday, dismissed by fellow wicketkeeper Alex Carey after he believed the ball to be dead at the end of a Cameron Green over.
The incident sparked furious scenes at the home of cricket, with boos raining down on the tourists and three MCC members suspended for abusing Australia as they passed through the Long Room, and the row has barely died down since.
The furore has even broken into the political discourse, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese trading very different interpretations on the matter.
But there has been no word yet from the man England believe is the wronged party and he could be waiting to make it with bat in hand.
Bairstow has a long history of turning in memorable innings when he has had a point to prove – to pundits, selectors or opponents – and Root believes his fellow Yorkshireman is ready to produce another big performance.
“Jonny does thrive off things like this. You can bet your bottom dollar he will have the bit between his teeth,” he said.
“I don’t think he took it great, but I don’t think anyone would, would they? From his perspective he was not gaining any advantage. So, yeah, he felt a bit hard done by.
“I think it is set up nicely for him. He’s playing at his home ground and I’m sure he will want to entertain the local crowd. You’ll be able to spot it a mile off.
“You want to be watching every ball this week. There is always something in these big series and this is it, I guess. And it would have to involve Jonny.”
There have been countless instances of Bairstow taking his grievances out on opposition bowlers, including during the 2019 World Cup when he responded to a Twitter spat with Michael Vaughan by reeling off back-to-back hundreds that powered England to the final.
But Root most readily recalls last summer’s record fourth-innings chase of 378 against India, when he and his Yorkshire team-mate both hit unbeaten centuries following some needle in the middle.
“He’s done it previously. Go back to Edgbaston last year, someone said something to him – I think it was Virat Kohli – and brought the best out of him,” he said.
“Let’s hope it happens again.”
Root knows all about leadership in the heat of Ashes cricket, having overseen three campaigns against the old enemy during his five-and-a-half years in charge. He echoed the post-match verdict of his successor, Ben Stokes, confirming he would have withdrawn the appeal in matching circumstances.
And while Stokes invited Australia to think about “the spirit of cricket”, Root warned that the moment may harm their future standing in the game.
“As a team, we want to play our cricket in a certain way and leave a certain legacy,” he said.
“If I try to put myself in that situation, I think I would have dealt with it very differently. I care about England cricket and this team and what we’re about as a team. We all know how we want to play our cricket and we’ll continue to do it that way.
“There’s always going to be respect there. You’re allowed to disagree on certain things and see the game differently and clearly that is the case on this topic.”
Yorkshire have said they will be paying particular attention to security arrangements for the match following the angry scenes at Lord’s, working alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board and West Yorkshire Police, and while the famously lively atmosphere in the Western Terrace is likely to be in evidence, Root called for supporters to stay on the right side of the line.
“Support England, that’s the most important thing. You come to support your nations and it doesn’t need to go beyond that,” he said.
“It should never go beyond that. Everyone should be here to enjoy the cricket on the field. It shouldn’t be about anything other than that. Come here and support your team to the best of your ability, we’ll play to the best of ours.”
Spinner Sophie Ecclestone says England remain confident they can regain the Ashes despite falling six points behind in the series following defeat in Saturday’s first T20 international at Edgbaston.
The four-wicket loss in Birmingham means England must win all five remaining games if they are to wrest the title back from Australia, beginning with Wednesday’s meeting at the Oval.
Ecclestone took 10 wickets as the hosts lost June’s Test at Trent Bridge and followed up with 2-24 in the T20 opener, but neither were enough to prevent the tourists opening up a six-point series lead.
Lose at the Oval and that gap will become unassailable with four games still to play for Heather Knight’s side, but Ecclestone insisted that, despite the odds, there remains the belief inside the camp of winning a first Ashes series since 2019.
“We’ve seen weirder things happen than that in cricket,” she said. “We’re up for the challenge, we know exactly what we need to do. We’re really not far away from them and that makes us confident going into the rest of the series.
“It’s obviously going to be a really hard task to beat the Aussies, five out of five as we go along, but we’re really confident going into tomorrow. We had the crowd behind us I think on Saturday.
“We’ve had conversations and a few meetings about how we want to go about our cricket tomorrow. We’re really confident going into it and hopefully we can pull it off.”
Around 20,000 were in attendance to see Australia pip England at Edgbaston on Saturday, following a women’s Test record crowd of 23,117 for day five at Trent Bridge.
The ECB has promised a Women’s Test will be held at Lord’s for the first time in 2026, while on Tuesday it was announced that England will face New Zealand at the home of cricket in a T20 international next July.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” said Ecclestone. “It’s so exciting to play in front of all these crowds. Playing at the grounds we are at the minute on Saturday nights, I think it’s amazing to look ahead to what we’ve got going on.
“It makes me really excited to play cricket. Having these crowds at these grounds, I think we’re just really excited to get there and entertain them and hopefully inspire the next generation to play cricket.”
Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner echoed the same spirit that hosting women’s fixtures at major Test venues marks a welcome step forward.
“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I’ve never played an Ashes game at either of those grounds (the Oval and Lord’s), so we haven’t played at top-tier venues.
“It’s something we all love to do. It’s something I’m looking forward to, hopefully we can come away with a win.”
Scotland bolstered their chances of reaching the Cricket World Cup with a 31-run victory over Zimbabwe.
Scotland looked in control of proceedings with Christopher McBride and Matthew Cross at the crease but a flurry of wickets slowed Scotland down and they looked well short of a par score before a late Michael Leask burst got them to 234.
Home side Zimbabwe got their chase off to a terrible start, losing four wickets in their opening powerplay, but a stabilising partnership between Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl ensured a total collapse was not about to happen.
But Scotland began to take regular wickets and Zimbabwe fell short, ending their qualification hopes.
Scotland lost the toss and were thrown in to bat first – and a solid 50 partnership between McBride and Cross was put on the board before the former had his stumps rearranged by Tendai Chatara.
But Scotland went again with another partnership when Brandon McMullen came to the crease as they passed 100 with the loss of just one wicket but Sean Williams produced a stunning three wickets in six overs to remove Cross and McMullen before Richie Berrington spooned one to Innocent Kaia at long off as they slumped to 118 for four.
The visitors’ run rate seemingly came to a standstill as the Zimbabwean attack ate further into the wickets column. Firstly Tomas Mackintosh was caught out of his crease when Blessing Muzarabani deflected George Munsey’s effort onto the stumps before he was bowled by Richard Ngarava and a mix-up in the middle led to Chris Greaves being run out.
Scotland looked like they would fall short but Leask’s burst of 48 from 34 balls ushered them to a respectable total of 234.
After the changeover, Joylord Gumbie edged Chris Sole with the very first ball of the innings to instantly put them on the backfoot and the Scottish seamer had his tail up when he castled both Craig Ervine and the in-form Williams with just 29 on the board.
Kaia was next to fall when he was caught leg before wicket and after Raza was dropped by Greaves, he made amends when he got his wicket with the hosts 140 runs away from the total.
Wesley Madhevere was next to fall and Zimbabwe’s only hope rested on the shoulders of Burl but he hit one big shot too many off Leask and their dreams of reaching the World Cup in India came crashing down.
England batter Joe Root suggested the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in last week’s Lord’s Test could harm Australia’s “legacy” in the game.
The fallout from Alex Carey’s dismissal of his fellow wicketkeeper at Lord’s is showing no signs of slowing down and the issue has even reached Prime Ministerial level with both Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese wading into the debate.
England captain Ben Stokes made it clear at the end of the game that he would not have pursued the appeal, with Bairstow clearly treating the ball as dead after he ducked the final ball of a Cameron Green over, and his predecessor has backed up those words.
Root, who captained his country for five and a half years and knows plenty about the heat of the Ashes moment, expressed surprise at how much oxygen the issue was getting but made his own position clear ahead of Thursday’s third Test.
“There has been a lot said… I can’t believe how much has been covered on it. But if I try to put myself in that situation, I think I would have dealt with it very differently,” he said.
“I think Ben spoke very well on it. As a team we want to play our cricket in a certain way and leave a certain legacy. Clearly, it has been very different how we have gone about Test cricket in the past 18 months in terms of how we play our cricket physically, if you like. I also think we play our cricket in a slightly different way in that respect as well.”
Asked if Australia’s conduct had tarnished their attempts to rebuild reputations following the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal five years ago, Root added: “I don’t think it’s really for me to say to be honest. I care about England cricket and this team and what we’re about as a team. We all know how we want to play our cricket and we’ll continue to do it that way.
“There’s always going to be respect there. You’re allowed to disagree on certain things and see the game differently and clearly that is the case on this topic.”
Yorkshire have said they will be paying particular attention to security arrangements for the match following angry scenes at Lord’s, both in the stands and in the MCC Long Room. Three members were suspended pending an investigation and Root called for his hometown ground to keep their support on the right side of the line.
“Support England, that’s the most important thing. You come to support your nations and it doesn’t need to go beyond that,” he said.
“It should never go beyond that. Everyone should be here to enjoy the cricket on the field. It shouldn’t be about anything other than that. Come here and support your team to the best of your ability, we’ll play to the best of ours.”
England vice-captain Ollie Pope has been ruled out for the rest of the summer with a dislocated shoulder in another blow to his side’s Ashes hopes.
Pope suffered the injury while fielding early in the second Test at Lord’s, and later aggravated the problem after a miscommunication with match officials led England to believe they were not permitted to use a substitute fielder in the second innings.
Scans on Monday revealed that he would require surgery and he will now be out for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. In the short term England are likely to draft in Dan Lawrence, the spare batter in their 15-man squad, for Thursday’s third Test at Headingley.
He won the last of his 11 Test caps last March and has not played since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge of the side. England have decided not to call up any additional batting cover.
A statement from the ECB read: “England and Surrey batter Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the rest of the LV= Insurance men’s Ashes series after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last week.
“Scans in London on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury and he will miss the rest of the summer campaign and will require surgery. He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.”
The Australian prime minister has said he is “proud” of his country’s cricket team after Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal sparked controversy in the Ashes series against England.
Anthony Albanese, in a tongue-in-cheek swipe at his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, said Australia was “right behind” the men’s and the women’s cricket teams, who have both been successful in the opening games of their UK tour.
Australia’s leader tweeted: “Same old Aussies – always winning!”
It comes after Mr Sunak, who was at Lord’s on Saturday for the second men’s Test, accused the Australian team of breaking the spirit of the game with the dismissal of Bairstow.
The England batter was stumped in bizarre circumstances on a tense final day on Sunday.
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw down the stumps after Bairstow ducked the final ball of the over and set off to talk to partner Ben Stokes in the apparent belief the over had ended.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Sunak, a keen cricket fan, agreed with the views of England captain Stokes about the incident, confirming he “wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did”.
Asked whether Mr Sunak believed Australia’s actions were not in keeping with the spirit of cricket, his spokesman said: “Yes.”
But Mr Albanese made clear that Australian captain Pat Cummins and his team had Canberra’s backing.
“I’m proud of our men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two Ashes matches against England,” he posted on Twitter.
“Australia is right behind Alyssa Healy (and) Pat Cummins and their teams and look forward to welcoming them home victorious.”
Anger in the crowd at the manner of Bairstow’s exit spilled over in the usually restrained Long Room at Lord’s, where Australian players Usman Khawaja and David Warner were involved in heated exchanges with jeering members – three of whom were later suspended by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The row is expected to produce a lively atmosphere when the third Test of the men’s series gets under way at Headingley in Leeds on Thursday, as England look to halve the deficit against their rivals.
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said England should not expect “fair play” from Australia as he urged the players on in the next contest.
Mr Mercer told Sky News: “It wasn’t actually cheating this time. Previously they did the whole sandpaper thing and when they got caught they were crying all over the media.
“I don’t think you’re going to get any particular fair play out of these.
“I think you’ve just got to give them a good pasting when you get the chance, and I hope that happens at the next Test match.”
England will warm up for the defence of their men’s T20 World Cup crown with a four-match series against Pakistan in May next year.
The series will run concurrently with a women’s T20 series and three one-day internationals between the same two countries.
Jos Buttler’s side beat Pakistan to clinch the world title in Melbourne last November and will reprise the rivalry in matches from May 22-30 before flying out to the Caribbean and United States.
Heather Knight’s England will start their summer with T20 matches at Edgbaston, Northampton and Headingley from May 11-19, before the three one-day internationals which conclude on May 29.
England’s women will also play a three-match ODI series against New Zealand in June and July, followed by a five-match T20 series at a number of high-capacity venues.
Following the T20 World Cup, the men’s team will engage in back-to-back, three-match Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka in July and August/September respectively, followed by T20 and ODI series against Australia later in September.
Stuart Broad believes Australia captain Pat Cummins will regret his handling of the controversial stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s.
Alex Carey’s opportunistic stumping of his fellow wicketkeeper during the dramatic conclusion to the second Ashes Test sparked fury from fans and members at the home of cricket and the row has shown no signs of abating.
Broad replaced Bairstow in the middle following the incident, before Australia went on to win and take a 2-0 lead.
Broad insists “zero advantage” came from Bairstow straying from his crease and, after making his point to the Australian players throughout the duration of his stay, the England seamer feels Cummins will eventually think upholding the appeal was the wrong play.
“What amazed me, and what I told the Australians I could not believe as we left the field at lunch, was that not one senior player among them — and I very much understand in the emotion of the game that the bowler and wicketkeeper would have thought ‘that’s out’ — questioned what they had done,” Broad wrote in the Daily Mail.
“Especially given what their team has been through over recent years, with all their cultural change. Not one of them said ‘Hang on, lads. I’m not really sure about this’. Not one of them thought ‘He’s gaining no advantage. He’s not trying to get a run. It’s the end of the over. It’s a bit of a random dismissal. We should cancel that appeal’.
“Ultimately, Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think ‘I got that one wrong’, even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match.”
Ex-players, pundits and even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighed in on the debate, while anger in the crowd at the manner of Bairstow’s exit spilled over in the usually restrained Long Room at Lord’s, where Australian players Usman Khawaja and David Warner were involved in heated exchanges with jeering members – three of whom were later suspended by Marylebone Cricket Club.
Broad, too, admits the moment got the better of him as he joined captain Ben Stokes, watching from the other end as the skipper hit a remarkable 155 in a forlorn effort to level the series.
“The red mist came over me, too, when I arrived at the crease to replace Jonny, and some of what I said was picked up on the stump mics — which naively, given my experience, I didn’t really think about. I just said to Pat on repeat ‘All these boos are for you, for your decision’. And ‘What a great opportunity you had to think clearly’,” he added.
“Also, I needed to support Ben Stokes in any way, shape or form I could, and I am always better when I’m in a bit of a battle. I normally try and pick a fight with someone on the opposition but on this occasion I picked a fight with the whole team.
“To Alex Carey, I said ‘This is what you’ll be remembered for, and that’s such a shame’. It may have been a bit silly, but I also shouted ‘in’ every time I crossed the line. It annoyed the Australians for maybe half-an-hour, although after two-and-a-half hours, they were probably a bit bored of it.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel today announced the 14-member squad for the upcoming T20 International (T20I) Series against Ireland Women at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
The squad includes three Rising Stars Women's Under 19 players – Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar, and Djenaba Joseph. West Indies will enter the T20I Series on a high having clinched the CG United ODI Series 2-0, with one match being a no result due to rain.
CWI Lead selector Mrs. Ann Browne-John said
“The selection panel decided to retain the players who completed the ODI series. These players have shown form and performance which enabled the team to secure a series win, which the team has been striving for in recent times. As we continue the rebuilding, we believe we have found a competent balance in mix of senior players and the younger players selected. It is in keeping with our ethos of preparing the next batch of West Indies women’s players, by combining the experienced and the newly capped players.”
Match tickets are available online from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - Tickets.windiescricket.com - at a discounted price of US$6/EC$16 (USS3/EC$7.50 children and seniors) with tickets available on the day at the box office at a price of US$7.50/EC$20 (US$3.75/EC$10 for children and seniors).
For fans unable to get to the games in St. Lucia, the CG United ODI Series will be exclusively live on RUSH Sports in the Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK & Ireland. The matches will also be shown around the world on FanCode (India), ESPN+ (USA), Sky NZ (NZ), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa) and in all other countries on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
FULL SQUAD
T20 International Series:
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
England will continue to check on Ollie Pope’s injured shoulder as they look to keep their Ashes hopes alive at Headingley this week.
The vice-captain hurt his shoulder while fielding in the first innings of the 43-run defeat at Lord’s and went on to aggravate the problem when a misunderstanding with the match officials led England to believe they could not use a substitute fielder later in the game. He made 42 and three in the match, batting in his regular spot at three.
The 25-year-old has been retained in a 15-man squad for Thursday’s crucial third Test, which England need to win to stand a chance of overturning a 2-0 deficit, but it is not yet clear if he will be passed fit.
Essex batsman Dan Lawrence, who won the last of his 11 caps in the West Indies 16 months ago, is the spare batter in the squad and would be in line for a recall if Pope is forced to pull out.
Head coach Brendon McCullum said: “We will check Ollie and work it out. We will see how he is.
“I was so proud of Ollie, to do what he did (at Lord’s). He’s a tough kid to bat at number three and want to make an impact.
“That 40-odd in the first innings, he was suffering a lot of pain, but he was able to invest in the team and put that to one side and operate.
“He’s obviously our vice-captain as well and a fantastic leader in the group, albeit at a young age.”
England could look to freshen up their bowling attack after a brief three-day turnaround, with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson the likeliest to make way.
Spinner Moeen Ali, who was not risked for the second Test due to a nasty wound on his right index finger, is in contention to return and Mark Wood will bring his express 90mph pace to the side if the medical staff are confident he can get through the match.
Wood has not played competitive red-ball cricket since December and could not guarantee he would be able to operate at top speed consistently at Lord’s. Chris Woakes is also available and brings a strong home record with the Dukes ball as well reliable lower-order batting.
Brendon McCullum believes the furore over Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lord’s could be the turning point for England’s Ashes campaign, and predicted Australia would come to regret their part in the controversy.
Alex Carey’s opportunistic stumping of his fellow wicketkeeper during a dramatic conclusion to the second Test sparked unprecedented fury from fans and members at the home of cricket and the row showed no signs of slowing down on Monday.
Ex-players and pundits from both countries weighed in on the incident and the matter even reached the door of Number 10 Downing Street, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declaring it a breach of the spirit of cricket via his official spokesperson.
But when it comes to the battle for the urn, which Australia lead 2-0 with three to play, how it affects the players in each dressing room is the only issue which really matters.
McCullum believes the flashpoint could stiffen England’s resolve to mount a fightback, with captain Ben Stokes providing the template when he responded to Bairstow’s untimely exit by unloading a brutal 155 in what felt like a personal revenge mission.
And for those involved in the dismissal, the England coach expects a sense of remorse may one day creep in despite current protestations to the contrary.
“I imagine it will affect things, it has to,” he said, as he cast an eye to Thursday’s third Test at Headingley.
“In the end, they made a play, they’ve got to live with that. We would have made a different play but that’s life. In time, we’ll see, but I get the feeling that it might have an effect on them.
“I don’t know if it’s anger, but our unit is galvanised. There are times as a coach where you’ve got to reduce emotion because it’s going to bubble over and you can make poor decisions, but there’s times when you allow emotion to go because it’s going to galvanise the unit.
“That’s what I felt this emotion did for the side. I looked around the group and the guys were a little upset. If that helps us to win those key moments in the next Test, then I’m all for it. (Winning) 3-2 has a nice ring to it.”
On Stokes, who said he would have withdrawn the appeal in the same position, McCullum was effusive: “Not just is he a tremendous cricketer, and what he did at Lord’s was out of this world, but his leadership is something that you just cannot over-estimate.
“Not just the moves he makes on the field, but the way he carries himself, the way he talks to the team, his conviction, his belief in all of the guys, his morals. Not just for the team but the game moving forward.
“We are so lucky to have him as our leader.”
McCullum’s initial reaction in the aftermath of Australia’s 43-run victory was to cast doubt on taking part in the traditional post-series drinks between the rival teams.
He was criticised for being hypocritical in some quarters, with instances from his own playing days held up as evidence.
McCullum’s run out of Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan as he celebrated a team-mate’s century in 2006 was cited by some, but the New Zealander says he long ago accepted that was poor judgement.
“I’ve made an apology to Murali in my Cowdrey Lecture (in 2016). When I was a younger man I didn’t quite understand the significance of what the game and the spirit of the game means,” he explained.
“It’s what the defining point of the game is compared to others, and it’s only with the benefit of time and experience that we’re able to learn that and cherish it.
“I think with the benefit of time and maturity as a player you understand how vital the spirit of the game is to this great game that we play, and you make decisions that you sometimes look back on and say did I get that right?”
The region’s best young cricketers will assemble in Trinidad and St Vincent for Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Women's Under-19 Championship and the Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 Championship.
The women’s event will be 30-over matches played from 4 to 12 July at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), UWI Sports & Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC), and Gilbert Park Cricket Ground (GPCG) in Trinidad. This is the second year of the tournament and players will be identified with a view developing talent and participating in international events such as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 to be played in Malaysia and Thailand.
The men’s event will be played in St Vincent from 4 July to 1 August. It will feature five rounds of 50-over white ball matches and four rounds of three-day red ball matches. These will be played at Arnos Vales, Sion Hill, Park Hill and Cumberland.
Following the tournaments, West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team will be selected for a tour of Sri Lanka where they are due to play a four-day match as well as 50-over matches. This will be part of preparations for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka early next year.
These tournaments serve as a pivotal platform for showcasing and identifying talent and facilitating their progression. CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources into developing the game at every level and these tournaments therefore play a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies players.
During the tournaments LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of matches will be available on the www.windiescricket.com match centre.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Women’s 30-over in Trinidad
Tuesday 4 July
Windward Islands vs Guyana at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at UWI SPEC
Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados at NCC
Thursday 6 July
Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago – GPCG
Guyana vs Barbados – UWI SPEC
Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – NCC
Sunday 9 July
Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at GPCG
Jamaica vs Barbados at UWI SPEC
Guyana vs Leeward Islands at NCC
Tuesday 11 July
Jamaica vs Guyana at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago at UWI SPEC
Barbados vs Windward Islands at NCC
Thursday 13 July
Leeward Islands vs Barbados at GPCG
Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana at UWI SPEC
Jamaica vs Windward Islands at NCC
Saturday 15 July
5th and 6th play-off at GPCG
3rd and 4th play-off at NCC
FINAL at UWI SPEC
Men’s Under 19 50-over in St Vincent
Tuesday 4 July
Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale
Trinidad and Tobago v Barbados at Sion Hill
Jamaica v Guyana at Cumberland
Thursday 6 July
Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Arnos Vale
Leeward Islands v Guyana at Cumberland
Windward Islands v Barbados at Sion Hill
Saturday 8 July
Guyana v Barbados at Arnos Vale
Windwards v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Sion Hill
Monday 10 July
Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill
Windward Islands vs Jamaica at Sion Hill
Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Arnos Vale
Wednesday 12 July
Windward Islands v Guyana at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill
Barbados v Jamaica at Arnos Vale
Men’s Under 19 three-day in St Vincent
15-17 July
Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale
Barbados v Guyana at Park Hill
Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill
20-22 July
Barbados v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Cumberland
Windward Islands v Guyana at Arnos Vale
25-27 July
Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Sion Hill
Windward Islands v Jamaica at Arnos Vale
Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill
30 July to 1 August
FINAL at Arnos Vale
3rd and 4th play-off at Park Hill
5th and 6th play-off at Cumberland
Australia have been warned to expect a Headingley backlash as they attempt to complete an Ashes series victory in the wake of their controversial second Test win over England.
The old foes reconvene in Leeds on Thursday with the fall-out from Sunday’s dramatic success at Lord’s, which was due in part to Jonny Bairstow’s disputed second innings dismissal, still ongoing.
Chris Millard, managing director of the England supporters group the Barmy Army – which received no allocation at headquarters but will be in full voice at Headingley – is convinced the tourists will feel the full force of a home crowd still furious with the way in which they edged into a 2-0 lead.
Millard told the PA news agency: “The Headingley crowd is usually a louder, noisier crowd, to put it one way.
“There are still going to be quite a few upset people, I think, at Headingley and it will be a very lively atmosphere, and that potentially could play quite a pivotal part in the result, and I’m hoping that’s an English benefit.
“It’s a really strong ground for England. I was there, Ben Stokes, 2019 – that was one of the greatest days in my time of being with the Barmy Army, one of the greatest days I’ve ever had watching England cricket.
“You just get that real sense of togetherness at Headingley and community and they will get behind the team. It’s a very proud cricketing county, is Yorkshire. It’s gone through a lot of jeopardy recently and it needs a bit of positive energy going there.
“Hopefully the England team will provide a spectacular win and make it 2-1.”
Yorkshire’s Bairstow, batting at number seven as England chased an unlikely 371 for victory, was stumped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for 10 after leaving his crease at the end of the 52nd over believing the ball was dead.
The Australians’ appeals were rewarded amid anger on and off the pitch and skipper Pat Cummins opted not to recall the Englishman, whose side were reduced to 193 for six as a result.
Inspired skipper Ben Stokes then unleashed an all-out assault on his way to a remarkable 155, but was unable to prevent England from slipping to a 43-run defeat, although even his heroics were not the main talking point afterwards.
Millard said: “If you look at the rules of cricket, in the book it is out and there’s no questioning that, really. But what you can question is the spirit of cricket and the core values and competencies of cricket as a game is established on.
“Unfortunately, I think the spirit of cricket has to be questioned now, what that actually means and will we use the term, ‘It’s just not cricket’ ever again?
“The way the game is played is ultimate competition, but there’s always that element of conduct and the spirit of cricket that usually gets to the fairest and the right result.”
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