In a groundbreaking initiative to develop the next generation of West Indies Women’s cricket stars, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has launched a new player development program in Tasmania, Australia.

Four promising Under-25 players — Jannillea Glasgow, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shawnisha Hector, and Kate Wilmott — are currently honing their skills in the region’s premier cricket competition, marking a significant step forward in women’s cricket development.

The program, conceived by West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz and Assistant Coach Damien Wright, has been integrating young talents into Tasmania’s premier first-grade cricket competition.

Glasgow and Wilmott represent New Town Cricket Club, while Fraser and Hector represent Clarence Cricket Club. Fraser also appeared for Clarence in the men’s third-grade competition, while Wilmott took a wicket for New Town in a match against North Hobart.

In New Town’s seven-run win over Clarence in a women’s T20 game, Glasgow scored an unbeaten 70, while Hector remained not out on 66 for Clarence.

The initiative also provides an opportunity for these emerging cricketers to train alongside professional athletes, including members of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) Hurricanes team.

“This is a wonderful initiative that combines high-performance training with valuable match experience. Our players are getting extensive batting time and taking on leadership roles, which is crucial for their development. They’re training four to five times a week, using world-class facilities and gaining exposure to different playing conditions,” said Assistant coach Wright, who is accompanying the players in Hobart.

“It’s been a great opportunity for the girls to open the batting and play in the high to middle order. They are being called upon to score runs, face the new ball, and perform with the ball as well. There are a lot of positives, and hopefully, it can continue,” he added.

The comprehensive program includes bi-weekly training sessions with the WBBL Hobart Hurricanes, regular gym work at premier facilities, including Ninja Stadium, formerly known as Bellerive Oval, and participation in both T20 and 50-over formats of the game.

This initiative is strategically timed, with players preparing for international commitments in India this December and a home series against Bangladesh in January.

Cricket Tasmania has played a pivotal role in facilitating the initiative, further demonstrating Cricket West Indies’ commitment to innovative player development and strengthening international cricket relationships.

This initiative could pave the way for future development and expand opportunities for more Caribbean players to gain valuable experience in Australian conditions.

West Indies Women's A again came up short against their Pakistani counterparts, as they went down by eight wickets in the Twenty20 Tri Series final in Lahore on Wednesday.

Asked to bat first, West Indies posted a paltry 97-6 from their allotment and that was easily knocked off by Pakistan, who got to 99-2 with 25 balls to spare.

Scores: West Indies Women's A 97-6 (20 overs); Pakistan Women's A 99-2 (15.5 overs)

West Indies suffered and early setback as opener Shabika Gajnabi retired hurt with just eight runs on the board.

That brough captain Rashada Williams to the middle earlier than she would have hoped, but together with Qiana Joseph, added 51 to the board. Joseph, who topscored with a 39-ball 35, which included five fours, fell soon after with the Caribbean side at 59-1 in the 11th over.

Gajnabi returned but added only two runs to the board before she was bowled by Saima Malik for 10.

Williams (18) followed shortly after, and from there it was a downward spiral, as they lost wickets at regular intervals, with Zaida James (12), the only other batter to get into double figures.

Rameen Shamim and Omaima Sohail, both ended with identical figures of 2-17 from four overs to lead Pakistan's bowling.

Much like West Indies, Pakistan's run chase started shakily, as Cherry-Ann Fraser combined with Williams behind the stumps to remove Eyman Fatima (5) with the score at 10-1.

However, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Gull Feroza, steadied the innings with a 43-run second wicket stand that pushed the host closer to their target. 

So, even when Feroza went leg-before-wicket to Joseph for a run-a-ball 23, which included three boundaries, Pakistan were in no real danger at 53-2 in the ninth over.

From there, it was left for Zulfiqar, with an unbeaten 39 off 38 balls, and Sohail, with an unbeaten 23-ball 20, to see off the remaining runs. Zulfiqar's knock had four boundaries, while Sohail had a solitary four in her innings.

Hayley Matthews produced a spell of magic with bat and ball on Saturday to lead the West Indies Women to an eight-wicket win over Ireland Women in the third T20 international to sweep the series 3-0 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Batting first, Ireland looked intent on posting their highest total of the series with beautiful stroke play from Amy Hunter and Orla Prendergast. The pair shared in a 66-run partnership for the second wicket when Hunter was runout for 44 off a deflection of Ashmini Munisar’s fingers.

Prendergast was caught in the deep by Shabika Gajnabi off the bowling of Afy Fletcher for 40.

Rain interrupted Ireland’s innings twice before they finished on 116-9 from their 20 overs.

Matthews saved her best bowling performance of the series for her final over when she took the wickets of Rebecca Stokell 0, Arlene Kelly 0 and Ava Canning 0 in consecutive deliveries to become only the third West Indies Women’s player to take a T20I hat-trick.

She finished with figures of 4-14 while Cherry-Ann Fraser took 2-19.

During the chase, Djenaba Joseph was caught behind for two in the second over, then Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne took over the run-chase.

The pair smashed 12 boundaries between them as they raced to the 117-run target. Matthews was closing in on her second consecutive half-century when she was bowled by Georgina Dempsey for 48 off 34 deliveries.

Chinelle Henry joined Alleyne in the middle and the pair took the West Indies Women to victory in 18.1 overs. Allyene and Henry were unbeaten on 49 and 13, respectively, as West Indies Women finished on 120-2 for an emphatic victory that pleased the team’s captain.

“I am pretty pleased. Coming into the series, anytime I put on my West Indies shirt I try to go out there and do really well, whether that be batting, bowling or fielding,” said Matthews who was voted Player of the Match and Player of the Series after taking eight wickets and scoring 135 runs for the series.

“I’m just happy I was able to contribute to the team win. It was great to see some of the younger players getting the opportunity this series and coming into their own. We’ve had debutant players perform really well. We’ve had Chinelle Henry get her maiden ODI half-century then back it up with a second one (in the series), then two not outs in the T20 series.”

Looking ahead, Matthews thanked the women she leads for their support.

“I just want to thank all the girls who have supported me since I’ve become captain. Thank you for backing me up out on the field, we have bigger challenges ahead and I look forward to their support.”