West Indies “A” will have it all to do on Saturday’s fourth and final day of their second unofficial “Test” match against South Africa “A” if they want to go 2-0 up in the three-match series.
Friday saw the West Indians end day three 134-5 off 41 overs, needing a further 308 runs for victory on day four at Buffalo Park in East London.
Zachary McCaskie hit a 90-ball 50 to top score for the West Indies, so far.
Tevin Imlach (16) and Kevin Sinclair (15) are the batsmen at the crease.
Off-spinner Dane Piedt ended the day with 3-57 from 14 overs.
Earlier, South Africa began day three 65-1 with a lead of 209 runs and continued to drive the West Indies further back through some excellent batting.
Tony De Zorzi (34) and Raynard Van Tonder (20) were the batsmen at the crease at the start of the day.
De Zorzi fell pretty quickly for 37 and that wicket brought Keegan Petersen to the crease to join Van Tonder.
Van Tonder was able to score his second half-century of the game with a 74-ball 56 before he fell in the 39th over with South Africa “A” cruising at 139-3.
Petersen carried on, batting beautifully on his way to an unbeaten 112 off 134 balls, following up his 67 in the first innings.
Khaya Zondo (49) and Ruan De Swardt (29*) also provided excellent contributions as the hosts declared on 297-4 off 71.3 overs, setting the West Indies a target of 442 for victory.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 298 off 97.2 overs (Keegan Petersen 67, Raynard Van Tonder 50, Tony De Zorzi 44, Ruan De Swardt 42, Akeem Jordan 3-43, Shamar Joseph 3-57, Kevin Sinclair 2-53, Jair McAllister 2-64) & 297-4 dec. off 71.3 overs (Keegan Petersen 112*, Raynard Van Tonder 56, Khaya Zondo 49)
West Indies “A” 154 off 47.2 overs (Zachary McCaskie 62, Dane Piedt 5-28, Tshepo Moreki 3-66) & 134-5 off 41 overs (Zachary McCaskie 50, Dane Piedt 3-57)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced that Shane Dowrich, the experienced wicket-keeper/batsman has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect and has withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the upcoming CG United One-Day International (ODI) Series against England.
Dowrich made his international debut against Australia in Dominica in 2015. He played 35 Tests where he scored 1,570 runs including three centuries with a top score of 125 not out against Sri Lanka in Trinidad in 2018. Behind the stumps, he had 85 catches and five stumpings. He also played one ODI in Ireland in May 2019.
“We want to thank Shane for contribution when he played for West Indies. He is a disciplined, hard-working cricketer who always gave his utmost in front and behind the stumps. He had a memorable series in 2019 when he made an outstanding Test century on home soil in Barbados to help us beat England and win the Wisden Trophy. We respect his decision to retire and appreciate it is not an easy one to make. We wish him all the best as he steps away from the international stage.”
The CWI Selection Panel will not name a replacement for the three match Series and the squad consists of 14 players. The CG United ODI Series will feature three matches. The tour will start with two CG United ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday 3 December and Wednesday 6 December. The first CG United ODI is a day game starting at 9:30am with the second CG United ODI is a day/night game starting at 1:30pm.
The tour then moves to Barbados for the third and final CG United ODI to be played at Kensington Oval, on Saturday 9 December. This will also be a day/night contest starting at 1:30pm.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance, saving money on the venue box office price (saving included in the online price) from the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard at www.tickets.windiescricket.com . Fans can choose their preferred seats and download or print the tickets from their Windies Tickets account to present at the venue entrance.
The venue box office at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is also open for tickets sales. Fans can visit on non-match days from 9am to 5pm. On match days the box office will open two hours before the official start of play.
FULL SQUAD
MATCH SCHEDULE
Sunday 3 December: 1st CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 9:30am
Wednesday 6 December: 2nd CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 1:30pm
Saturday 9 December: 3rd CG United ODI at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 1:30pm
In a tremendous display of power-hitting. Kennar Lewis scored an unbeaten 46 as Northern Warriors inflicted a 10-wicket defeat over Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Thursday.
Chasing Team Abu Dhabi’s score of 103-7 from their 10 overs, Northern Warriors’ opening pair of Lewis and Hazratullah Zazai raced to 106-0 with six balls remaining to pull off their second victory in consecutive matches.
Lewis began as the more aggressive member of the opening pair but tapered off as Zazai, Power Hitter of the Match, took over. He hit three of his five fours and two of his three sixes while personally plundering 28 runs in the final three overs.
His power hitting propelled Northern Warriors from 69-0 at the end of the sixth over to victory, his personal tally being 52 not out from 27 balls.
Lewis also faced 27 balls for his 46 that included five fours and three two sixes.
Team Abu Dhabi’s total was built on an opening stand of 39 from 22 balls between Tom Banton and Alex Hales. However, once Banton was dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi for a 17-ball 33, wickets fell regularly as the Northern Warriors bowling cut into the line-up.
Hales made 30 before he too was dismissed by Shamsi. Colin Ingram made 10 and Asif Khan run out for 19 to be the only other batter in double figures.
Shamsi was the best of the bowlers with 2-17.
The win means the Northern Warriors sit atop the eight-team table with four points from their two matches. Team Abu Dhabi are with a win from their two games and sit seventh on the table.
Lancashire have secured the services of Australia bowler Nathan Lyon for the duration of the 2024 season.
Lyon will spend the whole of next summer at Emirates Old Trafford in what will be his second LV = Insurance County Championship stint.
Off-spinner Lyon, who has claimed 496 Test wickets, played for Worcestershire in 2017 and helped them to promotion from Division Two.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to heading over to England for a full season of county cricket with Lancashire,” Lyon said.
“I love playing cricket in England. I’m keen to keep learning, keep improving my game and hopefully I can contribute to winning matches for the Red Rose and pass on some of the experiences that I have gained over the years throughout my career.
“They have a strong squad at Lancashire and Emirates Old Trafford is a really great venue to play cricket at, so I am looking forward to that. It will also be great to catch up with Jimmy Anderson too.”
Lyon played twice in the drawn Ashes series in England earlier this summer before he suffered a calf injury at Lord’s, which sidelined the off-spinner until October.
Prior to that injury, Lyon had made 100 consecutive Test appearances for Australia and he has taken the third-most wickets for his country behind Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
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Lancashire, who are without a head coach following the departure of Glen Chapple in September, will have Lyon available for the start of the County Championship in April after his Test commitments with Australia are wrapped up in March following a two-match series in New Zealand.
Mark Chilton, Lancashire director of cricket performance, added: “Nathan is an extremely skilled and experienced operator and, once we heard that he was available for the duration of next summer, we jumped at the opportunity to add him to our squad for the 2024 season.
“His bowling record in both international and domestic cricket speaks for itself, and we believe that he will be an important player for us with the ball as we look to achieve our goals in all competitions.
“We have several young spin bowlers in our squad and for them to have the opportunity to learn from and play alongside somebody with almost 500 Test match wickets will be invaluable in their development and I am sure Nathan will play an equally significant role off the pitch as he will on it.”
A sub-par batting display by West Indies A allowed South Africa A to take a decent-looking advantage heading into the third day’s play, as they closed day two of the second four-day Test on 65 for one in their second inning at Buffalo Park on Wednesday.
By virtue of that, the South Africans, who held a 144-run first innings lead, are now 209 runs in front, a very good position from which they can impose their will on the contest, should the West Indies A bowlers fail to fire.
Tony de Zorzi 34, and Raynard van Tonder on 20, are the batsmen that will resume for South Africa A on Thursday.
Earlier, the South Africans led by Keegan Petersen (67), van Tonder (50) and de Zorzi (44), Posted 298 in their first innings, before restricting West Indies A to a meagre 154. Ruan de Swardt (42) and Khaya Zondo (35), also got in on the act for South Africa.
Scores: South Africa A 298 all out & 65-1; West Indies A 154 all out
Akeem Jordan (3-43), Shamar Joseph (3-57), Kevin Sinclair (2-53) and Jair McAllister (2-64) were the wicket takers for the West Indies.
In their first innings, the Joshua da Silva-led Caribbean side, struggled to contend with the spin of right-arm off-break Dane Piedt, with only Zachary McCaskie (62) and Kavem Hodge (25), offering little resistance. In fact, Abhijai Mansingh and Jordan, who both made 14 runs, were the only other batsmen in double figures.
Piedt bagged 5-28, with support from Tshepo Moreki, who had 3-66.
South Africa in their second innings, lost captain Neil Brand cheaply for four, before de Zorzi and van Tonder repaired the damage.
John Turner is bidding to push his case for a spot in England’s T20 World Cup title defence during the upcoming tour of the Caribbean.
Turner made his T20 bow less than six months ago but flourished for Hampshire in the Vitality Blast with 21 wickets in 11 matches, leading to a maiden England call-up towards the end of the summer.
A side strain delayed his debut but England remain keen on the 22-year-old and named him in both white-ball squads to face the West Indies, who will co-host the 2024 T20 World Cup alongside the United States.
His selection next summer would be a surprise given those ahead of him in the pecking order, but a woeful 50-over World Cup means England’s established players cannot take their places for granted.
Having been fast-tracked into the England set-up, though, Turner – born and raised in Johannesburg – is trying to take everything in his stride ahead of a potentially pivotal next few weeks in his career.
“All I can do is give my best performances and make life hard for the selectors when it comes to the time for the World Cup – but it definitely does give me some focus,” Turner told the PA news agency.
“Naturally after a World Cup, there will be some form of change – some years more than others. There’s quite an exciting crop of players coming through. It’s quite an exciting time for English cricket.
“Obviously the World Cup was massively disappointing for everyone but, with disappointment, it opens the door for new opportunities and new ways for things to be done.”
Turner, who qualifies for England through a Zambian mother born to English parents, is looking to be a point of difference among fast bowlers with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood absent in the Caribbean.
He describes his pace as his biggest asset even though his action by one former coach was likened to Glenn McGrath, whose precision control of line and length made him one of all-time great fast bowlers.
“It’s obviously an unbelievable comparison to have,” Turner said. “If I was half the bowler he was, I think I’m doing very well.
“I’m not necessarily a traditional English bowler that’s going to try to swing it away and nick you off, I’m just going to try and hit a hard length, be consistent there and bowl as fast as I can.
“I’ve got some variations. During the season, I didn’t necessarily go to them as much as I would have thought, but I’ve got some things to go to when I’m under the pump.
“So far the ride for me has been really positive. It could go horribly wrong but having the backing of everyone and particularly England at the moment gives me massive confidence.”
Turner grew up idolising South Africa great Dale Steyn and sees a bit of the fiery former quick in himself.
“The way he bowled with the aggression, the pace, the ability and everything… he wore his heart on his sleeve and that’s something I probably do, to a certain degree,” Turner said.
Turner has spent the past couple of weeks on an England Lions winter training camp in Abu Dhabi but could make his international bow as part of a new-look ODI side in Antigua on Sunday.
“It would be really emotional and a massive day for me,” Turner added, when asked about the prospect of a first England appearance on this trip.
“Growing up, you’re always wanting to play international cricket and on the biggest stage in the world – that’s what this is. Hopefully just the start of quite a long journey.”
The West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams will be wearing new team jerseys starting from the upcoming Series against England as part of a new technical partnership between Cricket West Indies (CWI) and leading European sportswear company Macron. The home players will be wearing new One Day International (ODI), T20 International (T20) and training kit apparel across the Series, all featuring the West Indies iconic maroon that fans in the Caribbean and around the world love and adore.
Macron, as CWI’s new official technical partner and team kit supplier, is an Italian based sports apparel manufacturer which has been supplying equipment and sportwear from grassroots to elite athletes, sports players and teams for over five decades. The new partnership will see Macron supply team playing and training kits for all home and away Test, ODI and T20I matches and covering all West Indies Men’s and Women’s international teams including ‘A’ Teams, the Academies and age group teams.
The team jerseys feature high performance material that not only support performance but also helps reduce plastic waste and energy consumption. Each jersey is made from a special 100% PET recycled polyester thread that comes from thirteen recycled bottles and requires less energy in the production of the apparel. The new partnership also helps CWI’s desired aim to increase sustainability, reduce plastic waste and reduce energy consumption which is important for the future of Caribbean countries.
The new team kit designs will be unveiled in the build-up to the three-match CG United ODI Series, which bowls off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on 3 December, and the T20I Series which starts on the 12 December at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Macron’s online store will enable fans around the world to purchase the new range playing and training apparel as well as caps, polo shirts and other accessories. Fans in the Caribbean will initially be able to purchase the new range on match day at the four venues hosting the West Indies vs England Series, either through a click and collect service via CWI’s online channels, or at West Indies merchandise stands in each venue. CWI is also working with regional retail partners to stock the new West Indies Macron range. More details on where and how fans can buy the new West Indies kit will be announced in the coming days.
CWI Commercial Director, Dominic Warne stated: “CWI is looking forward to a great technical partnership with Macron as a top-quality sports brand suppling technical apparel to sports teams around the world. We believe the new kit will be loved by fans, players and will also help the environment. The players will enjoy high quality technical apparel to support their high-performance requirements. We know fans will enjoy the new maroon jersey designs which supporters can purchase at all West Indies matches as well as through Macron’s e-commerce store. The team jerseys will also make a positive environmental impact using recycled plastic bottles in their production. We’re looking forward to seeing lots of maroon in the stands and the streets with fans rallying to see West Indies home for Christmas and with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup coming to the Caribbean and USA in 2024.”
Macron CEO, Gianluca Pavanello said: “Given the history, success and international prestige of West Indies Cricket, we can be particularly proud of this partnership. This further confirms the quality and reliability of the teamwear we supply to the growing number of sports federations who choose to wear the Macron Hero on their chest. We are committed to designing and producing game sets and technical garments that express the history, symbols and identity of West Indies Cricket.”
Further information will be announced on windiescricket.com and CWI’s social channels using the ‘windiescricket’ handle.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE (with start times)
3 December: 1st CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 9:30am
6 December: 2nd CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 1:30pm
9 December: 3rd CG United at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 1:30pm
12 December: 1st T20I at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 6pm
14 December: 2nd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm
16 December: 3rd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm
19 December: 4th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm
21 December: 5th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm
South Africa “A” were 266-6 after 85 overs at stumps on day one of their second unofficial “Test” math against the West Indies “A” at Buffalo Park in East London on Tuesday.
Keegan Petersen (67) and Raynard Van Tonder (50) led the way for the South Africans after they were put in to bat by the West Indies “A.”
Tony De Zorzi (44) and Khaya Zondo (35) also batted well on Tuesday.
Shamar Joseph has, so far, taken 2-39 from his 17 overs while Kevin Sinclair and Jair McAllister also have two wickets, each.
The West Indies lead the series 1-0.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 266-6 from 85 overs (Keegan Petersen 67, Raynard Van Tonder 50, Tony De Zorzi 44, Khaya Zondo 35, Ruan De Swardt 25*, Shamar Joseph 2-39, Kevin Sinclair 2-53, Jair McCallister 2-64)
The Deccan Gladiators opened the seventh season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League with a 22-run win over the New York Strikers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The Gladiators, champions of the last two editions of the tournament, posted 118-8 from their ten overs after being put in to bat by the Strikers.
Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the way for the Gladiators with 68 off 33 balls including four fours and six sixes while Andre Russell hit 17 off nine balls in support. Captain Nicholas Pooran (1), Andre Fletcher (2) and Fabian Allen (0) all failed to make significant contributions with the bat.
Sri Lankan Chamika Karunaratne took 3-25 from his two overs.
The Strikers were then reduced to 96-6 from their ten overs in reply.
Muhammad Waseem (26) and Asif Ali (24) were the main scorers for New York as Zahoor Khan bowled beautifully to finish with 2-12 from his two overs.
Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody has stated that Gautam Gambhir was pivotal in Kolkata Knight Riders retaining Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League.
Gambhir has returned to the IPL franchise as a mentor for the 2024 IPL season.
KKR on Sunday retained Russell and Narine along with Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer.
Russell joined KKR in 2014, while Narine joined in 2012 and both have been mainstays in the team since then.
“They both have been phenomenal cricketers for KKR. I feel that Gambhir has been quite pivotal in the retention of Russell and Narine. Gambhir understands them, he’s played with them, he’s captained them and he’ll be able to get the best out of them,” said Moody to ESPNCricinfo.
However, Moody also revealed their hesitation regarding Russell’s physical condition instead of his performance. Russell scored 227 runs in 14 matches while picking seven wickets for KKR in IPL 2023.
“I think we’ll see a different outcome in 2024 with regards to what Russell brings to the table. The only hesitation I have is not skill. It’s whether he can hold together physically because we’ve seen him break down on a couple of occasions over recent years and it’s been quite alarming. His bowling has been pretty limited as well, and they haven’t had the access to his full quota of overs,” Moody added.
The West Indies Academy completed an innings and 134-run victory over Emerging Ireland on day three of their first four-day match at Coolidge on Monday to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Emerging Ireland started day three 29-3 trailing the West Indies Academy by 167 runs.
They lost their final seven wickets for just 33 runs as the hosts secured victory by an innings and 134 runs.
Isai Thorne ripped through the Irish line-up on Monday with 4-8 from six overs and was well supported by man of the match Joshua Bishop who took 2-5 from 4.4 overs and captain Nyeem Young who grabbed 2-15 from two overs.
Full Scores:
Emerging Ireland 213 all out off 61.4 overs (Murray Commins 93, Cade Carmichael 59, Fionn Hand 25, Isai Thorne 4-33, Johann Layne 3-43, Nyeem Young 3-56) & 62 all out off 33.4 overs (Isai Thorne 4-8, Joshua Bishop 2-5, Nyeem Young 2-15)
West Indies Academy 409 all out off 96.4 overs (Joshua Bishop 102*, Teddy Bishop 90, Kevlon Anderson 79, Johann Layne 56, Mike Frost 4-89, Matthew Foster 3-81, Gavin Hoey 2-57)
Rovman Powell, Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder are among several West Indies players released by their respective Indian Premier League franchises as the player retention window for the league closed on Monday.
Powell was released by the Delhi Capitals, while Joseph and Odean Smith were the players released by the Gujarat Titans. Holder and Obed McCoy were let go by the Rajasthan Royals, who have retained Shimron Hetmyer on their roster for the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders released Johnson Charles while retaining the services of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for the coming season.
Akeal Hosein was released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Jofra Archer will also be looking for a new franchise after being let go by the Mumbai Indians who have also traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians while the Lucknow Super Giants have retained Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers.
An unbeaten century from Joshua Bishop and half centuries from Teddy Bishop, Kevlon Anderson and Johan Layne put the West Indies Academy in control on day two of their four-day match against Emerging Ireland at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Sunday.
Resuming from their overnight score of 76-2 in reply to Emerging Ireland’s first-innings score of 213, the West Indies Academy scored 409 off 96.4 overs for a lead of 196 runs. Bishop scored a quick-fire 102 from just 70 balls in a lower-order push in which Layne scored 56 from 50 balls.
At stumps, Emerging Ireland batting a second time were 29-3 after 17 overs, still 167 runs behind with seven second-innings wickets in hand.
Teddy Bishop, who resumed on 48, added a further 42 runs before he was bowled for 90 by Matthew Foster, who on Friday took the wickets of openers Ackeem Auguste and Matthew Nandu for five and one, respectively to finish with 3-81.
It was Mike Frost, who was the best of the bowlers, however, with 4-89 after tearing through the West Indies middle order with the wickets of Anderson, who scored 79 after resuming from his overnight score of 20, Kevin Wickham for 33, Nyeem Young for four and Carlon Bowen-Tuckett for 15.
However, he and the rest of the Irish bowling attack would face stubborn resistance from Joshua Bishop who plundered nine fours and eight sixes in his unbeaten ton.
Layne smashed an addition six fours and three sixes as the West Indies approached 400 runs.
Gavin Hoey grabbed some late wickets to return figures of 3-57.
Nyeem Young made the going tough for the Irish in their second innings taking two of the three wickets to fall with Ashmead Nedd taking the other.
Jofra Archer, Harry Brook and Adil Rashid have joined the growing number of England players who will not take part in next year’s Indian Premier League.
Archer has been released by Mumbai Indians, along with his replacement Chris Jordan, while Brook and Rashid have been released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Archer took just two wickets in five matches for Mumbai earlier this year before being sidelined.
The 28-year-old returned to India to continue his rehabilitation from an elbow injury alongside England’s World Cup squad, but was not considered to replace Reece Topley after his fellow fast bowler suffered a broken finger.
England Test captain Ben Stokes announced on Thursday he would not be available for the IPL.
Stokes was purchased by Chennai Super Kings for £1.65million last December, but struggled with his fitness and played only twice for his new franchise in the 2023 tournament.
Stokes is due for surgery on a longstanding knee injury to ensure he is fit for England’s five-match Test series with India which begins in January.
Joe Root followed the lead of Stokes two days later, confirming he would not join up with a Rajasthan Royals squad which contains England white-ball captain Jos Buttler next year.
In a not-entirely surprising move, seasoned West Indies middle-order batsman Darren Bravo has decided to step back from the international cricket scene after being left out of the upcoming ODI series against England. The left-handed batter, who last participated in international matches in February 2022, took to social media to announce his decision.
With an international career spanning over 14 years, Bravo has featured in 200 games for West Indies. In Test cricket, he boasts 3538 runs averaging of 36.47, including eight centuries. In ODIs, his record stands at 3109 runs with an average close to 30, featuring four tons.
Despite an outstanding performance in the recent Super50 Cup 2023, a List A domestic competition in the West Indies, where Bravo amassed 416 runs at an average of 83.2 and a strike rate of 92.03, he was overlooked for the England series. The selection panel claimed to have opted to give opportunities to younger players, focusing on building a team for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Taking to Instagram, Bravo explained his decision, stating that it provided him with the time to reflect on his future in cricket. Expressing his sentiments, he said, "At this point in my career, it takes a lot to find the energy, passion, commitment, and discipline to perform at my best and make a return to international cricket."
Expressing his disappointment with the lack of communication from the selectors, Bravo acknowledged the current scenario, saying, Without any level (of) communication I've been left in a dark place. At the moment, there's three teams representing the region in multiple formats/series. That's approximately 40-45 players and if I can't be in any of these teams after competing in our regional tournaments and scoring runs, therefore, they are basically telling me that the writing is on the wall."
However, Bravo made it clear that this break does not signify his retirement from international cricket. "I'm not giving up, but I believe it's best to step away just for a bit and maybe make some room for young and upcoming talent," he declared, concluding with well-wishes for his fellow players.
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