After years of coming up short, an insatiable hunger drove Ashley Khalil to her first ever Caribbean Senior Squash Singles title in Jamaica last week.

Guyana won the overall team title at the 2022 Caribbean Senior Squash Championships that concluded at the Liguanea Club in Kingston on Saturday.

Mehar Trehan and Katherine Risden both secured individual gold medals for Jamaica at the ongoing CASA Caribbean Junior Squash Championships in Guyana.

Trehan won gold in the Girls Under-15 category by beating Bermuda’s Sommers Stevenson 11-4, 11-2, 11-1.

Risden won the U-17 title by beating Barbados’ Eboni Atherley 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7.

The Girls U-19 title was won by Barbados’ Sumairaa Suleman who came from two sets down to defeat Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes 7-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9).

On the Boys side, Guyana’s Shomari Wiltshire won the U-19 title in straight sets over Barbados’ Darien Benn (11-6, 11-5, 11-5).

In the U-17 section, Guyana’s Nicholas Verwey needed four sets to beat his teammate Alphonso Michael (10-12, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6).

Jaydon Williams of St Vincent & the Grenadines won the U-15 title with a four-set win over Nicholas Lequay of Trinidad & Tobago (11-5, 11-2, 7-11, 11-8).

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel has named Romario Shepherd in the 13-member squad to face Bangladesh in the three-match CG United One-Day International (ODI) Series.

Shepherd was originally a reserve but will now replace Keemo Paul, who tested positive for COVID-19 and is therefore unavailable. Odean Smith has been added as the reserve.

Shepherd bowled well in the recent T20 International (T20I) Series, where he was the leading wicket-taker with 6 wickets (average 11.33; economy 7.5) including a career-best 3-21 in the first T20I at Windsor Park, Dominica.

He will now have the opportunity, subject to selection, to play more games in front of his home crowd at the Guyana National Stadium.

FULL SQUAD

Nicholas Pooran (Captain)

Shai Hope (Vice Captain)

Shamarh Brooks

Kaecy Carty

Akeal Hosein

Alzarri Joseph

Brandon King

Kyle Mayers

Gudakesh Motie

Anderson Phillip

Rovman Powell

Jayden Seales

Romario Shepherd

Reserve: Odean Smith

The fixtures for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) have been confirmed. The tournament will visit St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and culminate in the final in Guyana.

The opening day of the tournament will see the Trinbago Knight Riders Women take on the Barbados Royals women before the current Men’s champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, begin their title defence against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The women’s CPL will feature four matches in the inaugural 2022 season in addition to the seven women’s games at the SKYEXCH 6IXTY which takes place immediately before Hero CPL.  This is 11 matches in total, representing a big step forward in the scheduling of women’s franchise cricket in the region, with plans to grow this in subsequent years.

“It is very exciting to be able to confirm the fixtures for this season with this announcement being all the more special with the WCPL taking place for the first time in 2022,” said CPL CEO Pete Russell. “We can’t wait to be back travelling around the Caribbean and we are looking forward to welcoming our wonderful fans to stadiums across the region.”

2022 CPL schedule below:

 Wednesday 31 August, 3 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Women vs Barbados Royals Women

Wednesday 31 August, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 1 September, 10 am

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Thursday 1 September, 3 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Women vs Trinbago Knight Riders Women

Thursday 1 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 3 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saturday 3 September, 3 pm

Barbados Royals Women vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Women

Saturday 3 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 4 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 4 September, 2:30 pm

WOMEN’S FINAL 

Sunday 4 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saint Lucia

Wednesday 7 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Wednesday 7 September, 7 pm

St Lucia Kings Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday  8 September, 10 am

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday  8 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 10 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Saturday 10 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 11 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Sunday 11 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Trinidad

Tuesday 13 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Wednesday 14 September 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 14 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Thursday 15 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Saturday 17  September, 10 am

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 17  September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Sunday 18 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 18 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Guyana

Wednesday 21 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 21 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 22 September, 10 am

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday 22 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 24 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 25 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 25 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Tuesday 27 September, 10 am

Qualifier 1 -  1st place finisher vs 2nd place finisher

Tuesday 27 September, 7 pm

Eliminator – 3rd place finisher vs 4th place finisher

Wednesday 28 September, 7 pm

Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1

Friday 30 September, 7 pm

Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2

West Indies batting great Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been appointed head coach of the USA’s Women senior and U19 teams on an 18-month contract.

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Selection Panel on Tuesday announced the West Indies Men’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International Series and the three-match CG United One-Day International Series against Bangladesh.

Rovman Powell has been announced as the new Vice Captain for the T20Is while left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy returns after recovering from injuries. There are also recalls for experienced wicket-keeper batter Devon Thomas and allrounder Keemo Paul. In the CG United ODI Series squad, there is a call up for left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.

“We know Rovman’s history. He has captained the West Indies before and is also the captain of his CPL franchise. Our role is to look at future leaders as well and we have identified a few, including himself, who we will be putting programmes around to ensure we keep them involved in that aspect of the cricket,” said lead selector Dr the Hon. Desmond Haynes.

“Thomas is a very versatile cricketer, who has been knocking on the door in all formats. He has been doing well in franchise cricket and with that level of talent, we must ensure we keep him interested. He brings a lot to the table and is basically a four-dimensional player, he can bat, bowl, he is brilliant in the field, and he can keep wicket as well. McCoy has done exceptionally well in the IPL and enjoyed a successful stint in England as well, so we are confident that he is back to his best in terms of playing and fitness. Generally, we have to start looking at the bigger picture of getting these players playing together as often as possible in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup later down in the year. We need to ensure we are fielding a very strong side for that tournament,” Haynes added.

The T20I Series opens with back-to-back matches on Saturday, 2 July and Sunday, 3 July at the Windsor Park in Dominica. This will see a return to international cricket at the fully refurbished venue, where international cricket is being hosted for the first time since the hurricane damage of 2017. The Series climaxes with the third and final match on Tuesday, 7 July at the Guyana National Stadium. The CG United ODI Series will be played at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday, 10 July, Monday 13 July and Thursday, 16 July.

Online ticket sales are now live via the new WINDIES TICKETS service, presented by Mastercard, at www.tickets.windiestickets.com. Fans can purchase in advance without the need to travel to box offices to save tickets to their mobile phones which can then be presented for scanning at the stadium entrance. Fans who register for the WINDIES TICKETS service and purchase tickets will also receive offers and promotions for future games.

In Dominica, there is great excitement on the Nature Isle for the return of international cricket with tickets available in three price categories providing a range of viewing positions for every budget. Ticket prices range from US$6 (EC$15) for the Mound/Grounds, to US$15 (EC$40) for the standard seats and US$25 (EC$70) premium seating in the Shillingford Stand.

In Guyana, the prices will range from US$6 (GUY$1200) for the Mound/Grounds, to US$15 (GUY$3000) for the Orange Stand or US$25 (GUY$5000) for the best seats in the Red and Green Stands, as the fans in Guyana welcome the busiest “Summer of Cricket” to the South American mainland. 

Fans can watch live on ESPN Caribbean and listen to live radio commentary on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.

FULL SQUADS

T20 Internationals

Nicholas Pooran (Captain)

Rovman Powell (Vice Captain)

Shamarh Brooks

Akeal Hosein

Alzarri Joseph

Brandon King

Kyle Mayers 

Obed McCoy

Keemo Paul

Romario Shepherd

Odean Smith

Devon Thomas

Hayden Walsh Jr.

Reserve: Dominic Drakes

One-Day Internationals

Nicholas Pooran (Captain)

Shai Hope (Vice Captain)

Shamarh Brooks

Kaecy Carty

Akeal Hosein

Alzarri Joseph

Brandon King

Kyle Mayers

Gudakesh Motie

Keemo Paul

Anderson Phillip

Rovman Powell

Jayden Seales

Reserve: Romario Shepherd

The best women’s cricketers in the West Indies will be back in action as Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosts the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze regional tournaments in Guyana.

The CG Insurance Super50 Cup matches will be played at three venues – Everest Cricket Club, Enmore Cricket Ground and the Guyana National Stadium from June 7 to 17.

The T20 Blaze event will feature five full days of entertainment for the fans from June 19 to 25. There will be three matches per day – starting at 10 am 2:30 pm and 7 pm under lights at the Guyana National Stadium.

For this year’s CG Insurance Super50 and the T20 Blaze, several world-class players will be representing their home territories in what promises to be a keenly contested three weeks of action. Barbados are defending champions in both formats.

This will mark a significant return as the women’s tournaments were not played in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period CWI continued its investment in the development of women’s players and organized several high-performance camps at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and also hosted international series, including an inaugural Women’s “A” Team series, while the West Indies Women’s team also toured England, Pakistan and South Africa.

“We are delighted to see the return of the women’s regional tournament on our annual calendar as it is a crucial component of our cricket in the region. We are also pleased to have our international players in action on home soil playing with our regional players,” said Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket.

“Our women’s game is showing improvement, as was demonstrated with some good performances during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. Ideally, we want to see a further demonstration of that progress as we look to upcoming bilateral series and international events. Very importantly, the regional tournament will serve to identify players who could potentially graduate to our international squads in the near future.”

The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) extends sympathies to West Indies spinner Veerasammy Permaul and his family.

Waynmattie ‘Dataley’ Permaul, Veerasammy’s mother, had been missing for seven days when her son made the report of such to the Guyanese authorities on Thursday, April 28. Upon searching her Berbice home, her body was found lifeless in a shallow grave. She was 52 years old.  

WIPA President and CEO, Wavell Hinds expressed, “The WIPA family extends condolences to Veerasammy Permaul and his family during this stressful time. We regret the untimely passing of his mother and hope he will find the strength and courage to continue his lifelong journey. May her soul rest in peace and light perpetually shine upon her.” 

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals will be hosted by Guyana for the next three years, starting in 2022. This is the first time the Hero CPL final will be held in Guyana and this long-term staging agreement will see the culmination of the tournament also taking place in Guyana in 2023 and 2024.

This season, Guyana will host seven group games, three knockout matches and the Hero CPL final which will take place on Friday, September 30 at The Guyana National Stadium in Providence.

The Hero CPL final will be the climax of festivities surrounding these games taking place in Guyana. The Government of Guyana in collaboration with the local private sector will also stage two weeks of events which will form a Cricket Carnival. This Carnival will celebrate the best that Guyana was to offer, showcasing the music, food and culture of this vibrant and fascinating country. 

 Over the previous nine seasons of Hero CPL there has been massive support for the tournament from Guyanese fans and the tournament is expecting significant excitement at the prospect of these hugely important matches taking place in the country.

Guyana’s economy is growing rapidly, and the country has a fantastic reputation as a destination for tourists looking for unspoiled nature. The Hero CPL finals will further showcase this wonderful country to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500million in both 2020 and 2021.

“We are blessed with amazing fans across the Caribbean, and this is very clear whenever we visit Guyana where the atmosphere at Providence is electric. The idea of having the Hero CPL final in front of this wonderful crowd of passionate and knowledgeable cricket fans is a mouthwatering prospect,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL CEO.

“We are very grateful to have such a positive relationship with the government and cricket authorities in Guyana and we thank them for helping us come to this hugely exciting agreement.”

His Excellency Dr Mohammad Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, said the citizens of Guyana are passionate about cricket.

 “Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate “One Guyana” the hosting of the CPL final will be an energizing force,” he said.

“We are building a product that will be spectator focused, integrated with our regional partners for a global market. Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other global cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, Caribbean vibes with a South American touch and of course, cricket played loudest.”

Jamaica’s U-20 Reggae Girlz secured a spot in the knockout round of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship after a 0-0 draw with Haiti on Wednesday.

The result meant that the team advanced from the four-team Group H in third place.  In the group’s other match, a high-scoring showdown between Guatemala and Cuba, it was the Guatemalans who prevailed 3-2 to top the zone.

In a match with very few clear-cut opportunities, it was the Jamaicans who were presented with the best opportunities to score.  None would have been clearer than Mia Mitchell missed chance from the penalty spot, which she skied in the 27-minute.  Despite being a player light after Theanna Burnett received a second yellow card in the 41st minute, Jamaican seemed the more likely team to score but never managed to take any of the other half-chances that presented themselves.

The Jamaicans have been drawn alongside Group F second-place team Panama, with the fixture set to take place on Saturday in San Cristobal.  In an all-Caribbean affair, Haiti will face Group F third-place team Guyana in Santo Domingo on the same day.

Leon Johnson will lead a 15-man squad that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has named for the first and second rounds of the West Indies Championship 2022.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in collaboration with Cricket West Indies (CWI) is to conduct a series of coaching certification courses across the three counties of Guyana starting in March. The cricket boards of all three counties are currently in the process of identifying and registering potential candidates.

The Essequibo Cricket Board, Demerara Cricket Board and Berbice Cricket Board have each given an undertaking to register a minimum of 16 potential participants.

Representatives of all three counties met with CWI Coach Development Manager Chris Brabazon on Thursday, January 20, to discuss the roll-out of the coaching education courses.

For beginners, the first step in the coaching education certification program will be their participation in the now online CWI Foundation Coaching Course.

Individuals holding CWI Foundation Coaching Certificates and/or licenses interested in the CWI Level One Coaching Certification Course must ensure that they have the prerequisites before registering for the course in March.

These prerequisites are CWI Foundation Coaching Certificate or its equivalent, Child Protection Certificate, First Aid Certificate and Police Clearance. 

GCB’s President Bissoondyal Singh has indicated that teachers and other individuals desirous of participating in the CWI Foundation and Level One Coaching Courses are encouraged to make contact with their respective county boards to explore the possibilities of registration for the series of planned courses.

Further, he suggested that CWI Level One Certified coaches are also encouraged to register their interest with their respective county boards in participating in the CWI Level Two Coaching Course.

West Indies Under-19s suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa Under-19s in their final ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup Warm-up fixture in Guyana on Wednesday.

South Africa Under-19s won the toss and elected to field first, which proved to be a good move as they were able to restrict West Indies Under-19s to 189 all out in 43.2 overs.

Captain Ackeem Auguste with 52 and wicketkeeper/batsman Carlon Bowen-Tuckett with 45 were the chief scorers for the Windies against 3-36 off four overs from Matthew Boast and 2-14 off five overs from Michael Copeland.

The South Africans then only needed 35.3 overs to reach their target, finishing 191-7 thanks to half-centuries from captain George Van Heerden (61) and Dewald Brevis (50) as well as 36 from Ethan-John Cunningham.

McKenny Clarke took 3-34 off five overs and Anderson Mahase took 2-31 off eight overs for the Windies.

West Indies will open their World Cup campaign against Australia Under-19s at Providence Stadium on Friday, January 14, while South Africa Under-19s will play their opener against India Under-19s at the same venue one day later.

 West Indies all-rounder Keemo Paul has his heart set on a return to international cricket after closing in on peak physical condition.

Despite being one of the region’s top prospects, the 23-year-old has not played for the West Indies since 2020.  Paul opted out of the team’s tour of England in 2020 but appeared against New Zealand in T20 internationals at the end of that same year.  He has not been seen on the international stage since.

The player has, however, in the meantime taken part in a few T20 leagues and with the regional 4-day tournament looming on the horizon, Paul will be looking to make a statement.  According to reports, the player recently turned in excellent scores in a fitness test conducted in Guyana recently.

 “I am feeling excellent, I think I needed this to get back out there and bowl a few overs to get the feel of four-day cricket. My body is responding really well and for me personally, I am feeling really happy with where I am right now. I bowled a few overs on the trot, I was not feeling tired, I just wanted to put a few balls in the right area and it’s coming out really nice and I am happy with that,” Paul recently told the Guyana Times.

“I was in the Sri Lankan Premier League, it was not the best of tournaments for me, but it is always a learning experience for me; you go to these different leagues in the different continents and you play on different pitches, you gain a lot of experience so that was a major learning curve for me,” he added.

“My body is starting to feel like where it was when I first started playing. I am in the gym and I am trying not to worry about injuries. I just want to try and enjoy my cricket as best as I can. I want to represent my country and hopefully, back to the West Indies team sometime soon.”

In the 2018-2019 season, his last full season in the four-day competition Paul claimed 42 wickets in 10 matches, while scoring 260 runs.