Phil Salt is "grateful for the backing" he has received after starring for England in their eight-wicket victory over Pakistan.
Having struggled in his previous five innings in England's seven-match T20I series, when managing just 59 runs, Salt hit a blistering 88 not out from 41 deliveries on Friday.
Salt reached a half-century in 19 balls – the third-fastest by an England player in the format – as the tourists levelled up the series at 3-3 in Lahore.
That set up a decider on Sunday, when Salt will have another chance to underline his credentials to retain his spot at the top of the order at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"I'm very grateful for the backing I've got from my team-mates and the management. It's very clear the way they want me to play," the 26-year-old said.
"The way I play is aggressive and I want to win as many games as possible while I'm in an England shirt.
"The first few games haven't gone to plan – I've been finding ways to get out, hitting fielders or whatever – but it's nice to come up with a performance like that in a big game.
“It's always a challenge at the top of the order when you feel like you're playing well but you're picking out fielders and finding ways to get out.
"It was definitely [my best T20 innings] and it was nice to do it with the series in the balance."
With Jos Buttler due to return from injury in time for the World Cup, Salt is realistically in competition with Alex Hales over partnering the white-ball skipper.
"You need competition. The best sides in the world have competition and you can't get away from that – it's the same in any sport," Salt added.
"Everyone is trying to put their best foot forwards and show the coaching team and the team-mates how good they are.
"I'm not looking too far into the future; I'm just focused on the next game in a couple of days' time."
Salt's destruction of the Pakistan attack came after home captain Babar Azam had hit an unbeaten 87 to set England a target of 170 for victory.
Babar became the first Pakistan batter to reach 3,000 T20I runs during his half-century, doing so in the absence of the rested Mohammad Rizwan.
He is the fifth men's player to reach that milestone in the format and the joint-quickest to do so alongside India great Virat Kohli.
Reflecting on what was ultimately a disappointing day for his side, however, Babar said: "After losing a couple of early wickets, we thought 170 was a good score.
"Maybe we were 10 runs or so short, but the way Salt batted in the first four or five overs, they took the game away from us.
"The way they used the powerplay was the turnaround today. I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility."
Phil Salt hit a blistering 88 as England beat Pakistan by eight wickets on Friday to level up their seven-match T20I series at 3-3 in Lahore.
Pakistan recovered from a slow start that saw them 15-2 at one point to post 169-6 at the Gaddafi Stadium, thanks in large to the brilliant Babar Azam (87 not out).
But England made easy work of the chase as they reached 100 from seven overs to set up a decider on Sunday.
Without in-form Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan initially struggled as Mohammad Haris (7) and Shan Masood (0) fell early on, leaving Babar to do much of the leg work.
Haider Ali (18), Iftikhar Ahmed (31) and Asif Ali took their side to 136-4, but the latter upper cut to Reece Topley for nine runs and Mohammad Nawaz (12) followed soon after.
Babar's 87 did at least give England something to think about, but Salt and Alex Hales put on an opening partnership of 55 off 23 balls, before the latter was removed for 27.
Salt reached his half-century off just 19 balls en route to an unbeaten 88, including the decisive shot as England posted 170-2 to level things up.
Babar brilliance not enough
Pakistan were without run machine Rizwan but Babar stepped up with 87 runs off 59 balls, which included three sixes and seven fours.
Babar surpassed a milestone 3,000 T20I runs in the process, yet it was not enough to steer the hosts to an unassailable series lead.
England ease to victory
The tourists were set 170 to avoid a third successive T20I defeat to Pakistan for the first time ever and had no trouble in reaching that target.
Only once before – against New Zealand in November 2019 (6.4 overs in a game reduced by rain to 11 overs) – have England previously reached 100 from seven overs.
Salt played a key part in that as he underlined his credentials to partner Jos Buttler at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Johnson Charles of the St Lucia Kings and Kyle Mayers of the Barbados Royals were among the 12-man 2022 Hero CPL Team of the Tournament released on Friday. Noticeably absent, however, is Brandon King of the Jamaica Tallawahs, who is the second highest run-scorer in the tournament and one of only three men who have scored hundreds in this year’s tournament.
The team that was picked by the Hero CPL commentary team – Ian Bishop, Samuel Badree, Daren Ganga, Simon Doull and Danny Morrison, also includes South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis, who captained the Kings and Tallawahs’ captain Rovman Powell.
In fact, players from the Kings and Tallawahs dominated the selection with only Sunil Narine of four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders among the selectees while other than Mayers, only Jason Holder was selected among the 11 from the Barbados Royals.
However, the selection panel picked the Royals’ Ramon Simmonds as the 12th man as a result of his impressive performances throughout the tournament.
Simmonds is one of the 12 emerging players in the Hero CPL squads and has been an important part of the Barbados Royals team in 2022.
The 2022 Hero CPL Team of the Tournament: Johnson Charles (Saint Lucia Kings), Kyle Mayers (Barbados Royals), Faf Du Plessis (Saint Lucia Kings), Rovman Powell (Jamaica Tallawahs), Raymon Reifer (Jamaica Tallawahs), Imad Wasim (Jamaica Tallawahs), Jason Holder (Barbados Royals), David Wiese (Saint Lucia Kings), Alzarri Joseph (Saint Lucia Kings), Mohammad Amir (Jamaica Tallawahs) Sunil Narine (Trinbago Knight Riders) and 12th man – Ramon Simmonds (Barbados Royals).
Legendary Guyanese World Cup-winning captain Sir Clive Lloyd has praised the level of cricket in the ongoing 2022 Caribbean Premier League.
Lloyd, who led the West Indies to consecutive World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, worked as a mentor for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who lost to the Jamaica Tallawahs in qualifier 2 on Wednesday, throughout the season.
“It’s a mentoring role and I’m quite happy. I get to have a lot of chats with the young guys and so on,” said Lloyd on the Mason & Guest radio show on Tuesday.
From an individual perspective, “not many new names” was Lloyd’s response when asked about any standouts from this year’s edition. “The people that are making runs and taking wickets are established players,” he added before praising the overall level of cricket on display as well as the curators for the quality of the pitches being used.
“I think it has been quite good. We had quite a few good games in Guyana. I must commend the curators for the work they’ve put in on the pitches, they’ve played very well. The wickets have been good for stroke-play and the crowds have enjoyed it as well.”
“It’s been quite exciting and I’m sure that, in the future, it will continue to be that way,” he added.
Finally, when asked about advice he’d give to current West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, Lloyd was brief saying “I'm hoping that this captaincy thing is not restricting his play with the bat because he’s a real talent. Hopefully, he'll come good on those harder pitches.”
Twenty-two (22) of the best Under-19 women’s players from across the West Indies have been shortlisted as a provisional pool from which the West Indies squad for the ICC Women’s U19 Cricket World Cup, South Africa 2023 will be selected.
All six Regional Under-19 teams returned to competition in the West Indies Rising Stars Women’s U19 Championship held in Trinidad in July, following two years without any regional age-group cricket due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following the tournament, fifteen (15) of the twenty-two (22) players identified, played a historic five-match U19 T20 International (T20I) series against the USA at the Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida in August.
The CWI Selection Panel had the opportunity to see the team at play for the first time and despite the 4-1 loss to the USA, were pleased with the opportunity for West Indies Women’s Under 19 players to get international match experience and for the Panel to better understand the talent within the group. This team is historical, as it is the first ever West Indies Under-19 Women's team.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket, Ann Browne-John said: “The Rising Stars Under 19 tournament saw a welcome return to competition for young women in the region. Following the tournament, these twenty-two (22) players have been shortlisted to prepare for the World Cup in January in South Africa, as well as some additional preparation matches. After the long pandemic disruption, it was refreshing for the selectors to see some new talent which augers well for future development. This pool, apart from World Cup participation, can also serve as a feeder for the senior team. It contains a great mix of players both right and left-handed and a variety of up-and-coming bowlers.”
The Rising Stars age-group tournaments within CWI’s Future Stars programme play a crucial role in the growth and development of the next generation of cricketers in the region. These tournaments are a key component in the system for identifying the West Indies U19 Men’s and Women’s teams. This provides the best opportunity for our most talented players to thrive and develop further with the goal of ultimately feeding into the West Indies Senior Men’s and Women’s teams.
One of the players shortlisted is opening right-handed batter and captain of Trinidad and Tobago women’s U19 team, Shalini Samaroo. Samaroo was part of the squad to play in the five-match T20I Series in Florida and she emerged as the Player of the Series. Speaking to CWI Media, Samaroo said, “It was a dream come through to be selected to play for the West Indies, because it was one of my goals as a cricketer to be able to wear the Maroon colours.”
Samaroo added, “It was a learning experience for me, new coaches, new teammates, understanding different personalities and abilities. I am happy that we got to play in the Rising Stars tournament again after the delay due to COVID-19. We have all been working hard on our games waiting for this tournament to put our skills on show to the selectors and coaches and I am happy that I was one of the twenty-two to be selected as the best Under-19 women cricketers in the region.”
The West Indies Rising Stars Women’s Under 19 team are due to have a training camp and trial matches in Trinidad in October, before playing an away series against India in November as part of the preparation plans for the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup South Africa in January 2023.
PROVISIONAL WEST INDIES WOMEN’S U19 PLAYER POOL
Kyle Myers intends to come good with the bat to spur the Barbados Royals to their third title when the 2022 Hero CPL final gets underway at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday night.
Rovman Powell said it would mean the world to him should he lead the Jamaica Tallawahs to the 2022 Hero CPL title when they take on the Barbados Royals in the finals at Providence, Guyana on Friday night.
Jamaica Tallawahs batsman Shamarh Brooks has hailed the influence of his teammates after smashing a crucial, maiden, T20 century against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday.
In the must-win encounter, Brooks both treated and horrified home fans with some spectacular stroke-play, which underpinned the Jamaica franchise’s sizeable innings score of 226 for 4. Personally, the batsman piled on an unbeaten 109 off 52 balls his best-ever return for the format.
The total, which included 7 fours and 8 sixes was instrumental in the team’s win as they later managed to restrict the Warriors to 189, which sealed the Jamaica franchise's return to the final for the first time in four years.
“I had lunch with Brandon King and he was very upset with the way I got out in the last innings, on 47. So, he told me I needed to take it all the way down regardless of what I think, that’s what I did and it paid off,” Brooks said.
“Imad Wasim coming in at the end, the partnership with Ravi, Raymond as well, the guys just kept telling me to keep working it, just keep playing cricket shots and as we always say in the dressing room to keep making love to the cricket ball.”
The Tallawahs will face the Barbados Royals in Friday's final.
The Jamaica Tallawahs will contest the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final following a 37-run victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Qualifier 2 on Wednesday night.
The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and that seemed to be an excellent decision after they reduced the Tallawahs to 37-2 in the PowerPlay.
However, Shamarh Brooks produced one of the all-time great Hero CPL innings to guide the Tallawahs to a season-high 226-4. His unbeaten 109 came off 52 balls and along with Imad Wasim, the pair plundered 103 runs from the final five overs to take the game away from the Amazon Warriors.
The chase was always going to be hard for the Amazon Warriors, so it proved. Despite losing Mohammad Amir to injury the Tallawahs bowling unit produced a controlled performance that kept the Amazon Warriors in check throughout.
Although Keemo Paul produced a good innings of 54 from 37 balls, no one else was able to stay with him to pull off an unlikely heist.
Earlier, the Amazon Warriors had seemed to be in control of the game when Raymon Reifer was dismissed for 22 to leave the Tallawahs 123-4 with five overs to go. However, Brooks and Wasim launched an unbelievable assault at the back end.
Brooks hit a maiden T20 century whilst Wasim made an unbeaten 41 off 15 balls to secure the Tallawahs a place in the Hero CPL final.
If the Amazon Warriors were to chase the 227 to win, they needed a lightning start in the PowerPlay and they got that by putting up 62 runs. However, they lost three wickets in the process thereby handing the Tallawahs an advantage going forward.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as the Tallawahs bowlers put the squeeze on the Amazon Warriors. Imad Wasim was the star turn leading the bowling unit with 2-25 in the absence of Amir.
The Tallawahs victory means they will now contest their third Hero CPL final and both themselves and the Barbados Royals will be looking to secure their third Hero CPL title.
Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 226-4 (Brooks 109*, Wasim 41*; Shepherd 2-43, Tahir 1-34) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 189-8 (Paul 56, Hope 31; Wasim 2-25, Green 2-40) by 37 runs
West Indies Women secured a thrilling one-run victory over New Zealand Women in the first T20 International at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The Windies lost the toss and batted first, posting 115-9 off their 20 overs thanks to 49 from Aaliyah Alleyne. Amelia Kerr starred with 3-16 for New Zealand.
Then, despite a fighting 27 not out from Hannah Rowe, New Zealand fell agonizingly short of their target reaching 114-9 off their 20 overs. Chinelle Henry led the way with the ball with 3-26 from her four overs.
Player of the Match Chinelle Henry said, “The coaches told us to go out there and be fearless. We wanted more than 115 but that didn’t happen, so we went out there as a bowling unit to get the job done. Going into the second game, we’re obviously looking to improve in both batting and bowling. To see Aaliyah going out at number three and almost getting her maiden T20I half-century showed that we have a lot of depth in the squad, so it’s just for us to keep up that team performance.”
Both teams meet on the weekend for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is, Saturday October 1 at 10:00am and Sunday October 2 at 1:00pm.
Jamaica Tallawahs captain Ravmon Powell insists the team must continue to target improvement ahead of a crucial match-up against the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Wednesday.
Mohammad Nabi slammed a crucial 31 and then took 3 for 10 as the Tallawahs secured a 33-run win over the St Lucia Kings, despite getting off to a slow start.
On Wednesday, the Tallawahs will look to add to that achievement when they face off against the hosts for a place in the final. The two-time champions have not reached the final in four seasons but Powell believes that could be set to change.
“We are ready, we are expecting a full house but we won’t pay any attention to that,” Powell said after the team’s win on Wednesday.
“We are not focused on that, all the guys need to do is to keep on improving. We need to keep improving batting in the first ten overs and I think if we do that we will be on our way.”
England stand-in captain Moeen Ali described his team's batting performance as "disappointing" after their six-run defeat to Pakistan, who now lead the seven-match T20I series 3-2.
Mark Wood (3-20) removed half of Pakistan's top six as England bowled out the hosts for 145 runs in 19 overs in Lahore, a reasonably low score considering Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 63 off 46 balls.
However, England were unable to chase Pakistan's total down despite Moeen making a half-century off just 35 balls, not aided by finding themselves 31-3 after five overs.
And Moeen was frustrated with his team's display, telling reporters: "Of all the games so far, this was the most disappointing, the way we batted in particular.
"Obviously I'm disappointed we didn't chase those runs. I feel we're a better team than that. You have to see the situation of the game, and the conditions.
"All we needed was one partnership, a 60-70 run partnership would have won the game. We want to play this brand that is attacking but you also have to see the situation of the game and the conditions, things like that."
Moeen also spoke of his admiration of Rizwan while also reserving praise for Pakistan's debutant seamer Aamir Jamal, who bowled superbly in the last over to restrict England to seven runs when 15 would have won them the match.
"He's [Rizwan] a brilliant player, so hard to stop and so busy. He's somebody we can learn a lot off," Moeen added.
"He saw the situation and adapted today. He took the risks when he needed to and played properly when he needed to.
"[Jamal] was on debut, nervous, but he bowled really well.
"Two big hits and you’re done. I got one but unfortunately couldn't manage to get the other one. Sometimes you've just got to give it to him, it was a good last over."
Former West Indies fast bowler Tony Gray has questioned the selection of left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
“His involvement in T20 cricket has been non-existent,” Gray said of Cariah on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old Trinidadian made his One-Day International debut for the Windies in the recently concluded series against New Zealand in Barbados last month.
“With Cariah, I think the selectors are assessing him on the couple of games he played against New Zealand but those were 50-over games. Where are you going to bat Cariah? He’s a very intelligent player, hard-working. I had him at the Under-19 level and I had to stop him a few times because he would be the one that would over-train and put too much pressure on himself,” added Gray, who represented the region in five Tests and 25 ODIs from 1985-1991.
Cariah has played four T20 matches in his career, the last coming six years ago.
Regarding Cottrell, Gray pointed to his fitness as his main question mark heading into Australia.
“I don’t think Cottrell has been fit enough in recent times to warrant a place on the West Indies team. When you look at Cottrell in the last 50-over tournament, he was the player of the tournament for the West Indian people. When we look at Cottrell then, he was extremely fit. He was not only brilliant with the ball, but he was also brilliant in the field and took some stunning catches,” Gray said.
“The point I’m trying to make about Cottrell is that if he’s not playing consistently, I’m not sure that he’s going to fare well. We understand that he’s going to be playing on bouncier tracks in Australia and that he has different types of deliveries, but I’ve not seen him enough in recent times to make a determination on his fitness,” he added.
Cottrell has taken 48 wickets in 43 T20 Internationals since his debut in 2014. In the 2022 CPL, he took five wickets in six matches for the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
Debutant Aamir Jamal helped Pakistan to a six-run victory over England in an absorbing contest as the hosts opened up a 3-2 lead in the seven-match T20I series.
The hosts were all out for 145 in 19 overs in Lahore, with Mark Wood (3-20) leading the way for England, who fell just short despite Moeen Ali's half-century off 35 balls.
Jamal claimed his maiden international wicket on just the second ball of his career and, under immense pressure, the youngster held his nerve to steer Pakistan to a tense win.
Wood's fierce pace had put England in command as he removed half of Pakistan's top six, with Babar Azam (9), Haider Ali (4) and Asif Ali (5) failing to reach double figures.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with 63 from 46 – his fourth half-century this series – but David Willey (2-23) and Sam Curran (2-23) restricted the home side's total.
Chris Woakes, making his first appearance since March, wrapped things up thanks to a swipe from Haris Rauf (8) as England were set a more-than-gettable target of 146.
However, opener Alex Hales went inside five balls for just a single run and fellow opener Phil Salt (3) pulled a short ball straight into the hands of Rauf soon after.
The tourists struggled for momentum, with Harry Brook (4) and Dawid Malan (36) trapped lbw after Ben Duckett (10) spooned Mohammad Wasim's short ball to Shan Masood.
Curran (17) sliced Jamal's second ball to Wasim as England chased boundaries, with Woakes (10) close behind, but Moeen kept his side ticking along.
England required 15 from the final six balls and would have forced a super over had David Willey cleared the boundary off the last ball, but it was not to be as Jamal held his nerve.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel has announced the 13-member squad for the first and second T20 Internationals (T20Is) against New Zealand Women to be played on Wednesday 28 September and Saturday 1 October at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Sheneta Grimmond returns to the West Indies Women’s squad since last playing against South Africa Women in September 2021. The right-arm off-spinner comes into the squad to replace all-rounder Stafanie Taylor, who is ruled out of the first two T20I matches after retiring hurt in the third and final CG United ODI on Sunday 25 September. Grimmond had an impressive showing in the 6ixty and Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with her team, the Trinbago Knight Riders, taking four wickets in the 6ixty and three wickets in the WCPL.
Lead Selector for Women’s Selection Panel, Ann Browne-John said: “In the CG United ODI series, there were some very promising performances. The victory in the final match showed a lot of grit and determination. Aaliyah Alleyne, who was included for the final match, shone both with bat and ball.”
Browne-John added: “The Panel is now able to build on this as we continue to develop players. This five match series forms part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Unfortunately, Stafanie Taylor has been ruled out of these two matches after being injured while batting in the third CG United ODI. This squad for the 1st and 2nd T20I sees the return of off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond who had a good WCPL performance, and we believe her off-spin will provide added support to the other off-spinners, Hayley Matthews and Karishma Ramharack.”
This five-match series serves as vital preparation for both teams in the leadup to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa from 9 to 26 February 2023.
West Indies squad for 1st and 2nd T20Is
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