Guyana Amazon Warriors maintained their unbeaten start to the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a last over thriller against the Barbados Royals on Sunday.
The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first and despite losing a flurry of wickets at the back end of their innings they posted an ominous 181-9.
Scoreboard pressure saw the Royals lose early wickets in the PowerPlay but they were always in sight of the required run rate in their reply. Having seemingly timed their chase to perfection, the Royals needed six runs from the final over but Gudakesh Motie held his nerve to seal a dramatic win for the Amazon Warriors.
Earlier Amazon Warriors had surprised everyone by opening with Motie and Saim Ayub and the experiment did not bear fruit as Motie fell for seven runs inside the opening nine balls.
Ayub and Hope laid a foundation following that dismissal to leave the Amazon Warriors handily placed on 83-1 at the half-way stage of the innings.
The 98-run partnership was eventually broken when Carlos Braithwaite dismissed Ayub caught and bowled for 57. Azam Khan fell shortly afterwards but the Amazon Warriors continued to force the pace before Obed McCoy got Hope to chop on to his stumps for an even 50.
Late-over fielding penalties saw the Royals get punished but Brathwaite continued to be a thorn in the Amazon Warriors side dismissing Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith in the 19th over before Jason Holder followed suit in the last over to remove Dwaine Pretorius and Keemo Paul.
The Amazon Warriors still posted an imposing total of 181-9 that left the Royals an almighty task ahead.
While 182 to win was always likely to be a tall order, the Royals did not help their assignment by losing both their openers inside the PowerPlay. However, the Royals reached the six-over mark at 54-2 and ensured they had a base from which to mount a charge.
A 60-run partnership between Laurie Evans and Alick Athanaze was eventually bought to a close when Odean Smith got Evans to commit to a shot too early and Athanaze himself was to follow 12 balls later.
Just when it seemed the Royals were going to fall to defeat captain Rovman Powell blasted 39 from 19 balls to leave the Royals the equation of 31 runs needed from 19 balls.
Once Braithwaite and Justin Greaves had got the equation down to six of the final over it looked a forgone conclusion but the Warriors and Motie closed out a famous win.
Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 181-9 (Ayub 58, Hope 50; Brathwaite 4-27, McCoy 2-25) beat Barbados Royals 178-8 (Evans 44, Powell 39; Pretorius 2-24, Motie 2-38) by three runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill starred to help India get a series-leveling nine-wicket over the West Indies in the fourth T20 International at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill on Saturday.
The West Indies made 178-8 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
Shimron Hetmyer led the way with a 39-ball 61, his fifth T20I fifty, including three fours and four sixes.
Shai Hope provided good support with 45 off 29 balls against Arshdeep Singh’s 3-38 off four overs. Kuldeep Yadav continued his good form in the series with 2-26 from four overs in support.
India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill then made quick work of the West Indies total, batting beautifully to put on 165 for the first wicket before Gill fell in the 16th over for a 47-ball 77. Gill’s knock included three fours and five sixes.
The partnership put the pair level with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul for the highest opening partnership for India in T20 Internationals. Rohit and Rahul did that against Sri Lanka in Indore six years ago.
In the end, India needed just 17 overs to reach 179-1. Jaiswal ended 84* off 51 balls including 11 fours and three sixes.
The fifth and series-deciding T20I will take place on Sunday.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma both hit fifties as India defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday.
The hosts posted 159-5 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
Brandon King led the way with a run-a-ball 42 while Captain Rovman Powell made a rapid 19-ball 40* including one four and three sixes.
Kuldeep Yadav took 3-28 from his four overs for India.
India’s chase started shakily with the wickets of debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill within the first five overs.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma then combined to put on a match-winning 87-run third wicket partnership.
Yadav led the way with a shot-filled 44-ball 83 including 10 fours and four sixes while Varma ended 49* off 37 balls.
Captain Hardik Pandya also chipped in with 20* off 15 balls as India finished 164-3 off 17.5 overs.
Alzarri Joseph took 2-25 from his four overs for the Windies.
The West Indies now have a 2-1 lead in the series heading into the final two games.
The series will now move to Florida for the fourth and fifth T20Is on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The West Indies secured a narrow four-run win over India at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday to go 1-0 up in their five-match T20I series.
The hosts posted a subpar 149-6 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Captain Rovman Powell hit a 32-ball 48 to lead the West Indies while Nicholas Pooran, fresh off a brilliant 137* to lead MI New York to the Major League cricket title on Sunday, continued his good form with 41 off 34 balls.
Powell hit three fours and as many sixes while Pooran hit two fours and two maximums.
Brandon King had earlier hit 28 as Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh each took two wickets.
India’s chase didn’t start well losing openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan in the first powerplay with just 28 runs on the board.
A 39-run third wicket partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Tilak Varma provided some stability for the Indians before they fell in quick succession leaving India 77-4 after 11 overs.
Varma made a top score of 39 while Yadav made 21.
Hardik Pandya (19), Sanju Samson (12) and Axar Patel (13) were next to go.
India eventually found themselves 140-8 needing 10 to win off the last over with Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh at the crease facing Romario Shepherd.
The first ball of the last over saw Shepherd bowl a brilliant Yorker to dismiss Yadav. India lost a second wicket in the over when Singh was run out by Shimron Hetmyer for 11 leaving India needing six runs of the last ball with one wicket in hand.
In the end, Shepherd’s last ball was hit for just a single by Mukesh Kumar meaning India ended up 145-9, securing the win and a 1-0 series lead for the hosts.
Jason Holder was excellent with the ball with 2-19 from his four overs while Shepherd and Obed McCoy also took a pair of wickets, each.
The second T20I will take place on Sunday at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
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.
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
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the match schedule and venues for the highly anticipated West Indies versus India Men’s Series in July and August.
The Series starts with two Test matches as part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. Windsor Park in Dominica will host the first Test match from 12-16 July. The second Test match, to be played from 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, will be historic marking the 100th Test match played between the two teams.
The Test Series is followed by three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20 Internationals (T20Is). The CG United ODI Series will start at Kensington Oval in Barbados with the first and second matches on 27 and 29 July. The CG United ODI Series concludes on 1 August at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad which will be hosting a West Indies Men’s ODI for the first time.
The T20Is also bowl off at Brian Lara Cricket Academy on 3 August. Guyana hosts the second and third T20Is at the Guyana National Stadium on 6 and 8 August. The T20I Series concludes in Lauderhill, Florida with a blockbuster weekend of back-to-back matches on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August at Broward County Cricket Stadium.
Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI, said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the schedule and venues for the highly anticipated visit by India. One of the highlights will be the 100th Test at the Queen’s Park Oval and this promises to be a fantastic occasion as we celebrate this historic event between these two proud cricketing nations.”
Grave added: “We also look forward to hosting India in the white ball fixtures and welcoming fans to attend the matches across the region, as well as in the United States. It will be 18 days of entertainment for cricket lovers to enjoy and savour.”
Official West Indies Tour Operator packages, including match tickets will be announced first. The Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, available through the Windiescricket.com website, will launch ticket sales by Tuesday 20 June. Fans can sign up to receive the first news of tickets going on sale at https://www.windiescricket.com/updates.
MATCH SCHEDULE
India tour of West Indies 2023
Test Matches
12-16 July: 1st Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica
20-24 July: 2nd Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
* Local start time: 10h00 (09h00 Jamaica time)
CG United ODIs
27 July: 1st CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
29 July: 2nd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
1 August: 3rd CG United ODI, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
* Local start time: 09h30 (08h30 Jamaica time)
T20 Internationals
3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
6 August: 2nd T20I, National Stadium, Guyana
8 August: 3rd T20I, National Stadium Guyana
12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
* Local start time: 10h30 (09h30 Jamaica time)
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel today announced the preliminary squad of players who will participate in a training camp in preparation for the upcoming six-match Series against Ireland Women.
The training camp will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 14 to 21 June, where the players will have training and fitness sessions as well as strategic preparations for the three-match CG United One Day International (ODI) Series. The CG United ODI Series will be played from 26 June to 1 July and is the West Indies Women’s third series in the ICC Women’s Championship, where the top five teams in the ten-team league qualify automatically for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The preliminary squad includes a mix of experienced players and promising young talents. Cherry-Ann Fraser returns to add depth and experience to the team’s bowling attack after missing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup due to injury. Left-handed allrounder Qiana Joseph, who last played international cricket in 2021, also returns to the training camp squad. She was among the leading players in the recent Women’s CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze played in St Kitts.
Several West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 players have been included in the preliminary squad. Zaida James, Jannillea Glasgow, Djenaba Joseph, Shunelle Sawh, and Under-19s captain Ashmini Munisar have all earned their place in the squad. Their inclusion reflects CWI’s commitment to developing younger talent and expanding the Women’s talent pool by providing opportunities for younger players to showcase their skills at the international level.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket Ann Browne-John said: “The series against Ireland is an important one for the West Indies Women as the team seeks to build points to qualify directly for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It also serves as a perfect opportunity to continue to expose younger players to international cricket. This was a policy that the CWI embarked upon which resulted in Under 19 players being selected to the team for the England Series in December and the ICC T20 World Cup in February.”
Browne-John added: “This is now being taken one step further and there are five players who participated in the ICC Women’s Under 19 T20 World Cup in January, now in the squad preparing for the series against Ireland. This means that there are some senior players who are not able to get a place in the squad at this time. The Selection Panel however believes that this squad has a good mix of youth and experience as we continue to build the West Indies team of the future.”
The Women’s Selection Panel will announce the official West Indies Women’s squad ahead of the three-match CG United ODI Series, with the T20I squad announced later.
WI WOMEN TRAINING SQUAD
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the full schedule for the West Indies Men’s 2023 International Home series against England. The world champions will visit the Caribbean in December where they will play a three-match CG United One-Day International (ODI) Series and five match T20 International (T20I) Series.
England arrive in Antigua to start the tour with two CG United ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on 3 and 6 December. The third CG United ODI will be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 9 December followed on 12 December by the first of five T20Is.
The Spice Isle of Grenada welcomes both teams for two T20Is on 14 and 16 December and the tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the fourth and fifth T20Is at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad which will be hosting a West Indies vs England men’s fixture for the first time on 19 and 21 December.
CWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Grave said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the England match schedule and to welcome once again their many travelling fans to the region for a pre-Christmas white-ball tour. “
Grave added: “This tour will be a major economic boost to the host countries, as well as providing our fans with the chance to see some of their favourite players in action against one of our biggest rivals. The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation and event planning for one of the biggest events ever to be staged in the region, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which takes place in June next year.
"We also look forward to announcing the fixtures and venues for the India tour of the West Indies in July and August very soon."
Official West Indies Tour Operators and ticket information for the series will be announced in the coming weeks with tickets available in advance on the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard, accessible via Windiescricket.com where fans can also find all the latest news and scores. Fans can register sign up to receive the first news of tickets going on sale at https://www.windiescricket.com/updates/.
MATCH SCHEDULE
CG United One-Day Internationals
3 December: 1st CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
6 December: 2nd CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
9 December: 3rd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
T20 Internationals
12 December: 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados
14 December: 2nd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
16 December: 3rd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
19 December: 4th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
21 December: 5th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
South Africa and the West Indies played one of the most amazing games of cricket you will ever see at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
In the second of three T20Is, the two teams combined for a record 517 runs including 81 boundaries and 35 sixes as the hosts needed just 18.5 overs to chase down a mammoth 258 set by the West Indies.
The catalyst behind the West Indies’ massive total was an innings from top-order batsman Johnson Charles that can only be described as special.
The 34-year-old right-hander, batting at number three, eclipsed Chris Gayle’s record for fastest T20I hundred for the West Indies, 47 balls against England at the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, when he brought up his maiden T20I century off just 39 balls.
Charles eventually made 118 off 46 balls including 10 fours and 11 sixes. He said the key to his innings was understanding the conditions.
“You know as a batsman, with such a good pitch and such a small ground, that you don’t have to over-hit the ball. I think that was one of the key points that all the batsmen had in the back of their minds,” he said in a press conference after the game.
This continues a remarkable career resurgence for the St. Lucian, who was a member of the victorious West Indian sides at the 2012 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cups.
After representing the regional side in a three-match T20I series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2016, Charles was dropped, with many writing him off completely.
“I think being out of the T20 side for six years definitely allowed me to do some soul searching and see where I’ve been going wrong,” Charles said.
After six years on the outside looking in, Charles finally got a second chance to don the West Indian colors when he was, surprisingly to many, selected for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia after an excellent 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which saw him finish as the third-highest run-scorer with 345 runs in nine innings, including four fifties.
Charles played two games at the World Cup and recorded scores of 45 and 22 against Zimbabwe and Ireland, respectively.
Earlier this year, he played an integral role in leading the Comilla Victorians to their fourth Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title, making 308 runs in nine innings, including a century and a fifty.
“I’ve gone back to the basics,” was Charles’ response to questions about how he has revived his batting.
“I made sure I have those down pat. Just coming back, it’s worked for me and, going forward, I’m just going to have to make sure that I keep focusing on the basics. If I continue doing that then I’ll keep on having great innings,” Charles added.
Hopefully, Charles can continue this form when the West indies take on the South Africans in the decisive third T20I at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The role of head coach for the West Indies Senior Men’s teams will be split into two separate positions, Cricket West Indies has announced.
Recruitment start immediately for a Red Ball Head Coach for Test and ‘A’ Team cricket, as well as a White Ball Head Coach for One-Day Internationals (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) cricket, the governing body said in a statement released on Wednesday.
"After recently completing an independent review of our 2022 ICC World Cup performance, which included a closer look at the roles of the current Head Coach position, we believe it is now necessary to split the role and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats,” said CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.
“The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides enough time for one individual to adequately plan, prepare and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed.
“Separating the roles will also provide the head coaches with more time to oversee players’ ongoing development away from tours directly, and through increased engagement and planning with suitable high-performance programmes and coaches.”
According to Adams, the decision to separate the head coaching roles stems from the recommendation by the independent three-member World Cup Review Group that was appointed by CWI to conduct a comprehensive review of the West Indies Men’s team’s early exit from at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year.
The group was chaired by Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and included Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend, along with former South African, Pakistan, and Sri Lankan international coach, Mickey Arthur.
The position of West Indies Men’s Head Coach became vacant when Phil Simmons resigned following the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, and subsequently relinquished the post following the end of the West Indies tour of Australia last December.
Andre Coley is the current interim head coach for the recent Test series in Zimbabwe and the current multi-format tour of South Africa.
The West Indies Senior Men’s Selection Panel on Tuesday named Roston Chase as the replacement for Obed McCoy in the 15-member squad for the T20 International Series (T20I) against South Africa starting on March 25.
McCoy was named in the original squad subject to medical clearance but has been ruled out of the upcoming series due to a knee injury.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, said: “Roston gets an opportunity in the upcoming series as we see him being a versatile player who can be called upon at any stage in the game. We want to wish Obed the best with his rehabilitation programme and hope to see him back in West Indies colours soon.”
The three-match T20I Series bowls off on Saturday 25 March at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
The second match will be at the same venue the following day, while the third match will be at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Tuesday 28 March.
The T20I Series is preceded by a three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series.
The first two matches will be at Buffalo Park in East London on March 16 and March 18, with the final contest on March 21 at JB Marks Oval Potchefstroom.
T20I SQUAD
Rovman Powell (Captain)
Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain)
Shamarh Brooks
Yannic Cariah
Johnson Charles
Roston Chase
Sheldon Cottrell
Jason Holder
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Nicholas Pooran
Raymon Reifer
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
West Indies white ball match schedule in South Africa
Thursday, 16 March: 1st ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Saturday, 18 March: 2nd ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Tuesday, 21 March: 3rd ODI at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25 March: 1st T20Is at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 26 March: 2nd T20I at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tuesday, 28 March: 3rd T20I at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (night)
West Indies Women suffered a 49-run defeat to England Women in the fourth T20 International at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.
The English batted first and posted 131-8, their lowest total batting first in the series, after winning the toss.
Sophia Dunkley continued her good form this year by top scoring with 35 while Katherine Brunt (24 not out) and Amy Jones (21) also had meaningful contributions against Cherry Ann Fraser’s career best 3-20 and Sheneta Grimmond’s 3-33.
The Windies chase once again fell short as only Captain Hayley Matthews (23), Shemaine Campbelle (17) and Afy Fletcher (14 not out) managed to reach double figures as England needed just 16 overs to bowl out the hosts for 82.
Pacer Lauren Bell was the pick of the bowlers with a brilliant 4-12 from three overs while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean took two wickets each.
West Indies Head Coach Courtney Walsh still had praises for his players despite the loss.
"I thought restricting them to 131 was a positive for us. We had a couple injuries during the match with Gajnabi unable to return to bat and Campbelle getting cut so we were hampered in that aspect. The bowlers stood out today, they're all showing but the consistency we're working on. Fraser and Grimmond lead with the ball today but Afy and Hayley have been the most consistent for the series. We have one more game to play and we're going to regroup and come with one last push."
West Indies will have one last chance to get a positive result in this series as the two teams return to Kensington Oval for the final encounter on Thursday.
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.
The West Indies suffered a crushing 59-run defeat to India in Lauderhill on Saturday, falling to an unassailable 1-3 series deficit in the process.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, the hosts felt the wrath of the Indians from the outset with openers Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav speeding to 53 without loss after just 4.4 overs before Sharma was dismissed for a 16-ball 33 including two fours and three sixes.
Yadav’s dismissal for 24 in the sixth over then paired Deepak Hooda and Rishabh Pant who added a further 47 before Hooda’s wicket fell for 21 in the 12th over to leave the score on 108-3.
Pant went on to top-score with 44 before his dismissal in the 15th over. Sanju Samson (30 not out), Axar Patel (20 not out) and Dinesh Karthik (6) then combined to put the finishing touches on a fine effort with the bat for India, ending 191-5 from their 20 overs.
Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the bowlers for the Windies with 2-29 from his four overs.
The hosts then struggled throughout their reply thanks to some excellent bowling by India and some questionable decision-making by the batsmen.
Brandon King (13) and Kyle Mayers (14) both got starts but fell cheaply while captain Nicholas Pooran sprinted to 24 off just eight balls before he was run out after a mix-up with Mayers.
Rovman Powell with a quick 24, Shimron Hetmyer (19) and Jason Holder (13) were the only other batsmen to reach double-figures as the Windies struggled to a paltry 132 all-out after 19.1 overs.
Arshdeep Singh led the way for the Indians with 3-12 from 3.1 overs while he got good support from Avesh Khan (2-17) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-27).
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