The West Indies are on the brink of victory after Saturday's day three of the first Test against Bangladesh thanks to an excellent spell of bowling from Kemar Roach at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua.

Bangladesh carried on from their overnight 50-2 to reach 245 all out off 90.5 overs thanks to Captain Shakib Al Hasan who got his second fifty in the match with 63 and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan who got 64. Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy earlier got 42.

Roach, who now has 249 Test wickets, was brilliant for the hosts with 5-53 off 24.5 overs while Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers supported well with 3-55 from 19 overs and 2-30 from 13 overs, respectively.

The hosts, needing 84 to win, got off to a terrible start and were 9-3 after four overs, losing captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Nkrumah Bonner, and Raymon Reifer in quick succession.

Opener John Campbell (28 not out) and vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood (17 not out) then combined to ensure the hosts lost no more wickets, ending the day 49-3 off 15 overs, needing a further 35 runs for a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Khaled Ahmed took all three wickets for Bangladesh.

The first Test between the West Indies and Bangladesh is evenly poised after Friday’s day two at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua.

The hosts carried on from their overnight 95-2 to be bowled out for 265 after 112.5 overs.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite carried on from his 42 on day one to eventually be dismissed for a marathon 94 off 268 balls including nine fours.

Vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood also showed good form with a 139-ball 63, also including nine boundaries.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the way with the ball, with 4-59 off 22.5 overs, while pacers Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed ended with figures of 2-65 off 28 overs and 2-59 off 22 overs, respectively.

Bangladesh then struggled to 50-2 off 20 overs, trailing the Windies by 112 runs at the close, with Mahmudul Hasan Joy (18) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (8) at the crease. Alzarri Joseph took both wickets for the West Indies.

An excellent bowling display left the West Indies in a commanding position against Bangladesh after day one of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first, a decision which proved to be correct as the tourists were, at one point, struggling mightily at 45-6 after 15 overs of play with three top-order batsmen being removed without scoring. 

They eventually recorded six ducks in total as a fighting 51 from captain Shakib Al Hasan and 29 from opener Tamim Iqbal helped the Bangladeshis stumble to 103 all out after just 32.5 overs.

Jayden Seales (3-33 from 10 overs), Alzarri Joseph (3-33 from 8.5 overs), Kemar Roach (2-21 from eight overs) and Kyle Mayers (2-10 from five overs) were the wicket-takers for the hosts.

In their reply, the Windies ended the day 95-2 off 48 overs, trailing Bangladesh by just eight runs. Captain Kraigg Brathwaite (42) and Nkrumah Bonner (12) are the batsmen at the crease while John Campbell (24) and Raymon Reifer (11) are the batsmen dismissed so far.

Pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Ebadot Hossain took the wickets.

Three uncapped players have been named in a 12-man West Indies squad selected to play the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua from June 16-20.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Devon Thomas, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and fast bowler Anderson Phillip are the players set to make their West Indies senior Test debuts.

Meanwhile, experienced fast bowler Kemar Roach is to undergo a fitness assessment as he recovers from an injury sustained in the English County Championship with Surrey. If he is passed fit, he will be included as the 13th player in the Test squad.

Allrounder Jason Holder is unavailable for selection as CWI has granted his request for a period of rest and recovery. He will therefore miss Bangladesh’s all-format tour of the West Indies. Batter Tagenarine Chanderpaul and fast bowler Shermon Lewis have been selected as reserves.

Thomas has played 21 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and four T20 Internationals (T20Is) while Motie has so far played one T20I and was a reserve for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Phillip was in the squad throughout the recent Apex Test Series victory against England but has not made his debut to date. He has featured in three ODIs, including last week’s 3-0 Series win against the Netherlands and is in the ODI squad for the ongoing ODI series in Pakistan. The Test squad also includes left-handed allrounder Raymon Reifer, who has one match on his record.

“Devon Thomas has been knocking on the door for quite some time. He has done extremely well in our franchise cricket system and we view this as a good opportunity to give him a go,” said lead selector Sir Desmond Haynes.

“You would notice that Raymon Reifer is also in the squad. He is another person that has done impressively well in the four-day competition and against England. So again, we are giving opportunities to guys who are performing.

“We think Gudakesh Motie is one of those guys who is also bowling well and we think it will be a good opportunity for him to be involved. We are looking to pick up World Test Championship points against Bangladesh which will be very important. It would be good for us to use our home advantage to win both Test matches and collect those points.”

The Selection Panel also named the CWI President’s XI to face the visitors in a three-day warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua from Friday, June 10 to Sunday, June 12. The team will be captained by all-rounder Yannic Cariah.

“Yannic Cariah has captained Trinidad & Tobago at youth level and he was also the captain of the West Indies Emerging Players team which won the CG United Super50 Cup in 2019,” Haynes said.

 ‘We are looking at future leaders. We need to start identifying these persons as early as possible. While we will need some assistance from the territories as well, we want to make sure there are leaders we can identify and begin grooming for the future of West Indies cricket.”

Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Jayden Seales and Devon Thomas.

Reserves: Tagernarine Chanderpaul, Shermon Lewis

CWI President’s XI: Yannic Cariah (Captain), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Bryan Charles, Roston Chase, Tevin Imlach, Jeremiah Louis, Preston McSween, Marquino Mindley, Jeremy Solozano and Jomel Warrican.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has launched a search for someone to replace Ramnaresh Sarwan who has resigned as West Indies Senior Men’s and Youth Selector citing personal reasons.

The former Guyanese middle order batsman was appointed a selector for the West Indies Men’s Youth and Selection Panels on January 6, 2022. CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams thanked Sarwan for his contributions during the short time he served in the role.

“Given the depth of his experience in the game, we are disappointed that Ramnaresh is unable to continue in the role of a selector, but we fully understand and accept his reasons,” Adams said.

“We are grateful for his contribution during the period he was involved and hope that he will be able to contribute to West Indies Cricket in some capacity in the future.”

Resulting from the resignation, CWI will initiate a recruitment process as soon as possible through a competitive process, based on established criteria.

The aim, CWI said, will be to complete this process in the shortest possible time so that a suitable candidate can complete the selection panel in carrying out its duties. Robert Haynes, who is the current Lead Selector of the Men’s Youth Selection Panel and former interim Chairman of Selectors, will act as Sarwan’s replacement until a suitable full-time candidate is appointed.

Haynes will work alongside Senior Men’s Team Lead Selector the Most Honorable Dr Desmond Haynes and Head Coach Phil Simmons.

The West Indies Men’s team is currently touring the Netherlands for the first-ever ODI Series between the Netherlands and West Indies as part of the ICC ODI Super League.

Former West Indies Under-19 representative Nyeem Young is taking a lot of confidence from his selection for the ongoing West Indies white-ball skills camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Young was among two relative newcomers selected for the camp that began on March 31 and ends on Wednesday, April 13. Young, an all-rounder and Kaecy Carty joined the more seasoned players like Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo and Nkrumah Bonner in the camp aimed at making the regional players more efficient at the shortest forms of the game. Young said what he has learned so far has made him a more confident player.

“It brings a lot of confidence in myself to be selected to come to a camp like this,” said the 21-year-old Barbadian all-rounder.

“I haven’t played any List-A cricket either, so for the selectors and coaches to have me in mind for a camp like this is very boosting for me.”

Young represented the West Indies at two Under-19 World Cups, 2018 in New Zealand and 2020 in South Africa. He is well aware of the players who, in recent times, have made the transition from youth cricket to the senior ranks across the region.

“I know there are a few youngsters that have come through like Alzarri Joseph, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Jayden Seales, most recently. They all came through at a young age and did pretty well at the international level so I’m just happy to be following in that suit and hopefully it continues,” said Young, who also spoke of his desire to get into the senior team for global tournaments like the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia starting in October and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.

“Yes, definitely there’s some stuff coming up. Some World Cups are coming up this year and next year. I’m mostly working on my skills and letting the coaches figure me out as a player and look at my strengths and weaknesses and figuring out what I need to work on whether it’s batting, bowling or fielding and take that forward,” he said.

West Indies Women all-rounder Hayley Matthews has been named on the Most Valuable Team of the just-concluded ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.

Cricketers in the countries that hosted the recent 2022 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup are set to benefit from a donation of 15 bowling machines purchased by Cricket West Indies (CWI).

CWI has donated four bowling machines each to Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, with three donated to Antigua and Barbuda.

The bowling machines have been distributed among territorial cricket boards and cricket clubs, in accordance with CWI’s pre-tournament objective of enhancing cricketing infrastructure in the host nations for the ICC U19showpiece.

The 2022 ICC U19 World Cup was held from January 14 to February 5, 2022, and concluded with India beating England in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

“We talked about the valuable legacy for the West Indies in hosting the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and this is a tangible example of how our regional cricket will be impacted positively,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt while presenting the four bowling machines in St. Kitts to President of the St. Kitts Cricket Association, Dennis Phillip.

“Our young cricketers, as well as club players and those in high-performance development programmes, will have the opportunity to fine-tune their batting skills with these high-calibre machines. Cricket West Indies has a vested interest in helping to improve the standard of cricket in all our member territories, and thereby the standard of West Indies cricket. This donation further underlines CWI’s commitment to one of our most important stakeholders – our players.”

The CWI president that it is important that the board responds to the needs of the respective territories.

“We want to ensure our cricket boards and clubs are in a better position to respond to players’ needs by having the appropriate facilities and equipment to propel cricket development, especially among youth,” Skerritt said.

“It is also a gesture of appreciation for the priceless support which CWI received from the host governments, as well as from local cricket authorities and clubs. It’s been a wonderful partnership.”

President Skerritt also stressed the importance for local cricket clubs “to maintain certain minimum standards and a state of readiness to host matches, in case opportunities arise to be involved in more global tournaments”.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the formation of a new Emerging Players Academy, aimed at supporting the development of world-class players from the Caribbean.

The Academy, which will run annually, will utilize the facilities at the Coolidge Cricket Ground – the new Home of West Indies Cricket - where the best young male and female cricketers will come to Antigua throughout the year for several High-Performance training and development camps.

 “For some time, CWI has been looking at ways of bridging that critical gap between our junior and professional levels and this Academy initiative provides us with a great start towards achieving this,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.

“The programme will also play an important role in building regional capacity within High-Performance player support – technical, physical, mental, and personal development. The programme will also set a template for our Territories to mirror as they build out their individual High-Performance pathway programmes.”

The first intake for the CWI Emerging Players Academy will start in July 2022 and run for a year. Up to 30 players will be selected from both the Men’s and Women’s talent pool, aged between 19 and 25. The aim is to bridge the gap after the West Indies Under-19 level and assist their progression into one of the six Territorial Board Franchise squads, with the intention that they will graduate to earn one of the fifteen (15) retainer contracts available in each team.

Players selected for the CWI Emerging Players Academy will be first expected to meet the CWI minimum fitness requirements before they will be exposed to high-quality training programmes and camps in Antigua.

The programme will focus on developing the players holistically and include specific aspects of the game away from the pitch such as media engagements, financial management, personal development, and leadership.

Players will also enjoy playing opportunities through the CPL Emerging Players partnership with CWI and the Emerging Players team that participated in the annual CG Insurance Super50 Cup.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Board (KNCB) announced the match schedule for the West Indies Men’s first-ever One Day International (ODI) tour of the Netherlands in 2022.

India are champions of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup for a fifth time after a four-wicket win over England in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.

Despite a near flawless 95 off 116 balls including 12 fours from James Rew, England had a disappointing outing with the bat, being bowled out for 189 off just 44.5 overs.

James Sales was the next highest scorer for the English with 34 not out off 65 balls.

All-rounder Raj Bawa led the way for India with the ball with 5-31 off 9.5 overs, the best figures in the history of U-19 World Cup finals.

Bawa was supported well by Ravi Kumar who narrowly missed out on a five-wicket haul of his own, taking 4-34 off his nine overs.

After an indifferent start to the reply, an unbeaten 50 off 54 balls from Nishant Sindhu helped guide India to their target, finishing 195-6 off 47.4 overs.

Vice-captain Shaik Rasheed earlier got an even 50 off 84 balls for the Indians while Bawa also contributed 35.

Joshua Boyden, Tom Aspinwall and James Sales all took two wickets each for England.

Bawa was voted player of the match while South Africa's Dewald Brevis was voted player of the tournament after scoring 506 runs in six innings, the most runs in an Under-19 World Cup.

Australia secured a two-wicket win over Afghanistan at the Coolidge Cricket Ground to finish third at the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup Friday.

Afghanistan won the toss, chose to bat first and posted a relatively modest 201 all out off 49.2 overs.

Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai was the chief run-getter for Afghanistan with 81 off 79 balls including five fours and five sixes.

He was supported by captain Suliman Safi (37) and Mohammad Ishaq (34).

Nivethan Radhakrishnan was the pick of the Australian bowlers with 3-31 from 10 overs while William Salzmann supported well with 3-43 from his 10 overs.

Radhakrishnan completed a fine all-round performance with a top score of 66 off 96 balls including seven fours to lead Australia in their chase.

Campbell Kellaway also got a half-century (51) in the Australian reply.

After seeming to have it all under control at 118-3 in the 29^th over, timely wickets made the journey a lot harder than the Aussies would have liked.

Some tight bowling and unsure batting led to Afghanistan being on the cusp of an unlikely comeback victory with Australia reeling at 196-8 with two overs remaining before Joshua Garner and Jack Sinfield held their nerves to get Australia over the line, reaching 202-8 off 49.1 overs to secure the win.

Nangeyalia Kharote took 3-35 off 9.1 overs while Shahidullah Hasani and Noor Ahmad took two wickets each for Afghanistan.

India secured a comprehensive 96-run win over Australia at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday to set up an encounter with England in the final of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Saturday.

After winning the toss and batting first on a batting-friendly pitch, the Indians made good use of their opportunity to post 290-5 off their 50 overs.

Captain Yash Dhull was the star with a stroke-filled 110 off 110 balls with 10 fours and a six while Shaik Rasheed supported his skipper well with a well-made 94 off 108 balls with eight fours and a six.

Australia’s bowling unit didn’t have much success with Jack Nisbet and William Salzmann being the only wicket-takers with 2-41 from nine overs and 2-57 from 10 overs, respectively.

Lachlan Shaw was Australia’s main run-scorer in a futile chase with 51 while Corey Miller got 38.

Campbell Kellaway was the only other Australian batsman to get to 30 as the Aussies were routed for 194 in just 41.2 overs.

Vicky Ostwal was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-42 from his 10 overs while Nishant Sandhi and Ravi Kumar took two wickets each.

The final between India and England will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday while Afghanistan and Australia will contest the 3^rd place playoff on Friday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

India are four-time winners of the event (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018) while England’s only title came in 1998.

England advanced to the final of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup with a nail-biting 15-run win over Afghanistan in their Super League semi-final at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds in Antigua today.

In the rain-affected 47-overs per side encounter, England set a score of 231-6 off their 47 overs.

George Bell with 56 not out off 67 balls and Alex Horton with 53 not out off 36 balls were the main contributors for the English.

Opener George Thomas also got a half-century for England, 50 off 69 balls.

Naveed Zadran and Noor Ahmad took two wickets each for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan looked comfortable for the majority of their chase, reaching 94-2 in the 24th over before a flurry of wickets put them in a spot of bother.

The Asian outfit continued to battle and found themselves needing 18 off two overs with four wickets in hand before England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed took three wickets in the penultimate and 46th over to pretty much end all hopes for the Afghans.

Eventually, Afghanistan ended 215-9 off their 47 overs.

Allah Noor with 60 and Mohammad Ishaq with 43 were the top scorers for Afghanistan against Ahmed’s 4-41 off six overs.

England will now face the winners of tomorrow’s second semi-final between Australia and India in the final to be played on February 5th.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Apex Group have announced an extended partnership which will see Apex Group become the title sponsor of the three-match Apex Test Series between West Indies and England in March 2022.

Apex Group, a global provider of financial, sustainability and environmental services, will feature prominently on the global television broadcast, as well as prime pitch and wicket branding placements, and the Apex logo will also appear on the breast of the West Indies Test kit for the duration of the Apex Test Series. Apex will be granted access to the West Indies team for marketing activation and content and will deliver several sustainability initiatives involving the participation of West Indies players.

CWI’s and Apex Sustainability Partnership commenced in October 2021, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with the Apex brand appearing on the West Indies’ ICC T20 World Cup shirt. Apex is providing sustainability and environmental advisory services over a three-year period as CWI’s Exclusive Sustainability Partner. By providing CWI with annual carbon footprint assessments, Apex will help lead the way in driving sustainability in cricket across the region by supporting CWI in creating an action plan to reduce and offset climate-altering outputs, including international travel.

The Apex Test Series will be played for the newly-minted Richards-Botham Trophy, named in honour of legends Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. The Apex Test Series opens appropriately at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua from March 8-12, followed by the second Apex Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados from March 16-20. The third and final contest will be at the idyllic Grenada National Stadium from March 24-28. All three Apex Test matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship with both West Indies and England vying for points to challenge for qualification for the World Test Championship final in 2023.

“We’re delighted to build on our growing relationship with Apex for the upcoming Apex Test Series, which continues to be the most anticipated and highest-profile international sports event in the Caribbean,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.

“With the West Indies versus England Test rivalry dating back nearly one hundred years, this deeper partnership with Apex enables CWI to make cricket more sustainable as we move towards a second century of West Indies cricket and build the next generation of cricketers across the Caribbean.”

Meanwhile, Peter Hughes, Founder and CEO of Apex Group said this is an important partnership for his company.

“Following a challenging two years for sport, we are pleased to be a part of the return of International Test Cricket hosted in the West Indies,” he said.

“This is an important partnership for us, as we look forward to further leveraging the combined global platform Apex Group and the West Indies represent, to raise awareness for driving greater environmental sustainability in the sport; for fans, players and future generations.”