Cricket West Indies (CWI) has paid tribute to noted sports administrator and sportscaster Anthony “Tony” Harford, who passed away on Friday.

Harford, who also played a major role in the development of cricket at all levels, was a leading figure in the marketing and promotion of sports, including working with the Trinidad & Tobago football team to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In the 1990s, he worked with the then West Indies Cricket Board of Control (WICBC) in the marketing and sponsorship of the West Indies team and accompanied the players on tour.

Harford’s work in cricket also included the development of age-group cricket tournaments and grassroots cricket. He was the lead coordinator and fundraiser for the first-ever West Indies U17 tour to Australia and established an annual “windball” (tennis ball) tournament for amateur players from across the Caribbean.

“Tony was a loyal son and selfless servant of West Indies and Trinidad cricket. He had a tremendous love of sports, and profound knowledge of the ins and outs of all sports,” CWI Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow recalled.

“His service to youth cricket in the Windward Islands was especially innovative and impactful. In the 1990s, he literally relocated the annual Windwards youth tournaments to Trinidad where he found adequate sponsorships to keep the age tournaments alive at a period when the Windwards cricket board was financially strapped.

“He loved young people and was dedicated to seeing the growth of the sporting industry as well as and the development of individual sportspersons. On behalf of CWI’s president, Directors and staff, I would like to extend condolences to the Harford family and loved ones, as well as the sporting fraternity in Trinidad & Tobago.”

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the West Indies squad for the Test Series in Sri Lanka.

The Selection Panel named one uncapped player in the 15-member squad – Jeremy Solozano, the left-handed opening batsman – following the two recent three-day Best v Best matches and training sessions at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Roger Harper, Lead Selector said: “The Best v Best matches provided the opportunity for the players to spend some time in the middle honing their skills for this tour. The aim was to simulate as much as possible, the conditions that the team will likely face in Sri Lanka, so it was good to see the batsmen spending time at the crease while putting some scores together and the bowlers looking to build pressure and create wicket-taking opportunities,” Harper said.

“Jeremy played for the West Indies ‘A’ Team in 2019 (against India ‘A’) with success and in the Best v Best matches he displayed a sense of application, patience, and composure while looking very comfortable against both pace and spin which encouraged the panel to invest in him at this point.”

Harper added: “The squad is well balanced, with good depth in all departments. The composition is very similar to the squad that brought us success in our last away tour to Bangladesh, with a few changes in personnel. There are a number of players who are familiar with Sri Lankan conditions and most of the others have good experience in the Indian sub-continent, so they know what to expect and are gearing themselves for it.”

Both Test matches will be played at the Galle International Stadium. West Indies will have a four-day warm-up match in Colombo from November 14 to 17. The Tests will follow on November 21 to 25 and November 29 to December 3.

The series is the second of six series, three at home and three away, that West Indies will play in the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship. Please see ICC World Test Championship table here: https://bit.ly/3EcJXpV

 FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jeremy Solozano, and Jomel Warrican.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has congratulated West Indies cricket legends on recently being awarded honorary doctorates from the University of the West Indies (UWI).

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel announced the squads for the upcoming Best v Best men’s red-ball matches.

The panel named 24 players for two three-day fixtures, which will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on October 27-29 and November 1-3. The two teams will be led by Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood.

The players will use these matches as preparations ahead of West Indies’ forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka for two Test matches following the ICC T20 World Cup. The team will depart from Antigua on November 6 and the tour will run until December 4. The full tour squad and schedule will be announced at a later date. The series is the second of six series, three at home and three away, that West Indies will play in the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship after drawing the first Betway Test Series against Pakistan in August.

 “These Best v Best matches are a critical part of the Test team’s preparation for the series in Sri Lanka. For a number of players, it will be the only serious red ball cricket they will have since the Betway Test series against Pakistan and prior to going on this tour. So, it helps to get them back into the groove of the red-ball format and gives the Selection Panel an indication of the players’ readiness for the tour,” said Lead Selector Roger Harper.

SQUAD A: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Jayden Seales, Preston McSween, Nial Smith and Jeremy Solozano.

 SQUAD B: Jermaine Blackwood (Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Imran Khan, Shayne Moseley, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican.

West Indies Women are set to tour Pakistan for three One-Day Internationals from November 8 to 14, Cricket West Indies announced Thursday.

President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Ricky Skerritt, is calling on West Indies cricket fans everywhere, to throw their full support behind the West Indies team when they defend the ICC T20 World Cup title next month.

Manniram Prashad, a past Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce for Guyana, and current Chairman of several prestigious commercial organizations has been appointed to the CWI Board of Directors as a non-member (independent) Director, effective July 30, 2021, CWI announced today.

Prashad’s appointment means that CWI has reached its allocation for four non-member directors. He joins Trinidadian Attorney Debra Coryat-Patton, Jamaican Surgeon and University Administrator, Dr Akshai Mansingh and former West Indies captain Daren Sammy as non-member directors whose terms will expire at CWI’s Annual General meeting in 2023.

Prashad said being appointed to the CWI was a challenge he relishes.

“I am truly honoured and humbled at my appointment. I see this as a challenge, and an opportunity, to serve West Indies Cricket and to join a team of Directors who are committed to improving and uplifting the standard of our game,” said Prashad, who has more than 25 years of experience in commerce and private sector leadership having held several senior positions in a variety of industries.

He has also held the position of chair for a number of large state corporations including the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Guyana National Shipping Corporation.

Prashad is also the current Chairman of MP Insurance Brokers and Consultants Limited, Consul General of the Philippines to Guyana, Corporate Coordination and Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission and President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber.

Prashad is a long-standing cricket enthusiast, having served as President of various cricket clubs and leagues including the Gandhi Youth Cricket Club and Eastern American Cricket League.

CWI President Ricky Skerritt said Prashad adds value to the competencies of the board.

“I am confident that Manniram will add significant value to the CWI Board. I have had the benefit of knowing Mr Prashad when we were both serving our respective countries as Ministers of Tourism. He is a very experienced and astute businessman who will help to bring more gravity and focus to the CWI Boardroom. I also expect him to help CWI reach out to much needed commercial partners in our region and beyond,” he said.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, has questioned whether West Indies and regional cricketers are aggressive enough with their approach to honing their craft and overall self-improvement.

The issue comes to the for on the back of a tough, lopsided loss to South Africa, where the batsmen, in particular, struggled to deal with the guile and pace of the opposition bowlers.  Many, however, will point to the team’s proclivity to succumb to batting collapses as a chronic illness.  From his perspective, the situation has left the former batsman to ponder about the amount of work and investment being put in by individual players behind the scenes.

He, however, admitted that the overall issue was a complicated and difficult one to assess.

“Is it that heading into a Test series we aren’t preparing well enough technically and mentally, or is it that when players have their own downtime they are not targeting key areas that are critical,” Adams asked on the Mason and Guest radio program.

“Any successful player, at the international level or the elite level, who stays there for any period of time, would have spent all of that time doing remedial work because the cycle never ends,” he added.

“If you get exposed, you cover that gap.  When you think you have that gap covered you get exposed somewhere else.  You talk to any of them, the Laras the Ricky Pontings, the Sachins, they can confirm that they spent all their careers doing remedial work.”

Against the South Africans, the Windies batsmen were floored for 97 in the first innings and never managed to make 200 in any of the four innings against the visitors.

 “I would throw it out for consideration, do we have that mindset amongst our quote and quote elite players? I’m not talking about just international players; I’m talking about first-class cricketers as well.  Are they attacking themselves enough?

“Not just batsmen, bowlers, and wicketkeepers as well.  The one thing that you can guarantee at the international level is you will know where your weaknesses are.  If you are deaf and blind, then the rest of the world will know.  The critical question is am I as a player embracing that? I am taking ownership in a way that as soon as I have my spare time I am attacking myself, I am getting at my weaknesses because the opposition already has it.”

Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy has been appointed as a member of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) board after recently being confirmed as an independent non-member director.

The 37-year-old Sammy led the regional team to the T20 World title in 2012 and 2016, memorably criticising the then administration after claiming the latter title.

Earlier this year, Sammy stepped aside from Caribbean Premier League (CPL) team St Lucia Zouks, moving behind the scenes to become a T20 cricket consultant and brand ambassador.  He is also the current head coach of Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Peshawar Zalmi.

According to Cricket West Indies (CWI), it is hoped the appointment of the former captain will provide a fresh and youthful perspective to some of the challenges faced by the board.

“I am delighted to welcome Daren Sammy as an independent, non-member Director whose role will be to ensure that all the right questions are being asked while contributing to the shaping of new ideas and solutions. Daren’s fairly recent experience as a two-time World Cup-winning captain will bring with him a much-needed modern-day cricketer’s perspective, which should add valuable insights to Board discussions and decision-making. His appointment is testament to our commitment to strengthen CWI’s governance, and to utilize expertise from across all stakeholder groups,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said.

For his part, Sammy expressed delight with the opportunity to continue playing an active role in West Indies cricket.

“It is an honour to be appointed as a CWI Director; this is another great opportunity for me to give my best to West Indies cricket in a new way, off the field. All my local, regional, and international experiences have prepared me to make a significant ongoing impact in West Indies cricket. I am excited and thankful for the chance to serve and look forward to giving back to the sport and region that I love so much,” Sammy said.

Sammy is one of three appointed Independent Directors approved at last Thursday’s CWI Board of Directors’ meeting.  The appointees will serve for the next two years. He joins Trinidadian Attorney Mrs. Debra Coryat-Patton and Jamaican Surgeon and University Administrator, Dr. Akshai Mansingh, who were both re-appointed to serve a second term.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced an eight-match white-ball series between the West Indies Women and Pakistan Women and a historic six-match white-ball series between the West Indies Women 'A' Team and Pakistan Women 'A' Team, with both series taking place in Antigua from June 30 to July 18. The Tour will see the return of Women’s international cricket to the Caribbean for the first time in 19 months due to the impact of COVID-19.

Pakistan will arrive in the Caribbean on June 23 ahead of the T20 International (T20I) series, which starts on June 30. The T20Is and T20 'A' Team matches will be played on the same day and at the same venues as “double-headers”. The teams will then switch gears as they head into a five-match CG Insurance One Day International (ODI) Series and three-match CG Insurance 'A' Team One-Day Series starting on July 7 and 10 respectively.

All matches will take place at the two ICC accredited grounds in Antigua, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the Coolidge Cricket Ground. The ODI series will be vital preparation for both teams as they will face each other in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers that are due to take place in Sri Lanka in December for one of the three remaining qualifying spots for the Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, 2022.

CWI’s investment in Women’s cricket is one of eight key initiatives within CWI’s strategic plan, designed to develop the next generation of women cricketers, increase participation in the sport and generate additional opportunities for competition at the highest level.

CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said: “This is a very significant home tour for our women and we are delighted that our counterparts at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have worked with us to arrange these two series despite all the challenges we face with COVID-19. CWI continues to invest in our international Women’ program by hosting extended High-Performance camps between tours, two of which have already been held this year.

"In addition, the opportunity to host our first ever ‘A” Team Series is brilliant, as it means that our developing players will get the chance to compete against high-quality international opponents and push for selection to the senior team. The series is also an important part of our preparation for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in December. Our goal post this Pakistan series is to have our squad play against more international opposition and take part in our Regional Tournament before heading to the Qualifiers in Sri Lanka at the end of the year.”

The West Indies Women last played in the Caribbean in a bilateral series against India in November 2019, following which all home cricket was postponed in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19. The West Indies Women last played on the Sandals West Indies Women’s Tour to England in September 2020 in a five-match T20I series.

Teams led by middle-order batsman Jermaine Blackwood and wicketkeeper/batsman Jahmar Hamilton will face off in the first of two ‘Best v Best’ matches set to begin Monday morning at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground as the West Indies ramp up preparations for the upcoming series against South Africa.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosted the Professional Cricketers Draft for the 2021-2022 season, which took place over two rounds via a video call with representatives from all six Territorial Board Franchises. Several teams drafted young, emerging players to complete their 15-member squads, while others chose to boost their ranks with more experienced players.

Among those drafted, are several former West Indies Under-19 players, two of whom won the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016. Batsmen Jyd Goolie and Kirstan Kallicharan, who were both members of the team which won the world title in Bangladesh, were drafted by their native Trinidad and Tobago to the Red Force team. The left-handed Goolie, who turned 24 earlier this month, has so far played four first-class matches and has a highest score of 128.

Left-arm spinner Barbadian Joshua Bishop, who bowled impressively in this year’s CG Insurance Super50 Cup, was snapped up by the Barbados Pride. The Pride’s second pick was another Barbadian, seam bowler Akeem Jordan, who, like Bishop, took a five-wicket haul in the marquee 50-over event earlier this year. Windward Islands Volcanoes has also chosen youthful talents in Darius Martin, a fast bowler from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Gilon Tyson, a Dominican fast bowler who is also a capable lower-order batsman.

Guyana Jaguars, went for the more experienced Guyanese duo of wicket-keeper/batsman Anthony Bramble and fast bowler Keon Joseph; while Leeward Islands Hurricanes chose seamer, Antiguan Nino Henry and Daniel Doram from St. Maarten, a tall left-arm spinner. Jamaica Scorpions have put their faith in Jamaicans, Nicholson Gordon, the livewire fast bowler with eight first-class matches under his belt, as well as Alwyn Williams, a medium-fast bowler who bats left-handed, and who had so far made five appearances at the first-class level.

Starting July 1^st 2021, a total of 90 professional cricketers inclusive of the 12 cricketers drafted today, will receive regional retainer contracts for the next twelve months.

The draft was conducted over two rounds, with each franchise allocated ninety (90) seconds to make their pick. Round one picks were completed in the reverse order of the tournament standings at the end of the 2019/2020 West Indies Championship, won by the Barbados Pride, meaning the Leeward Island Hurricanes had the first pick. The draft was independently supervised by BDO Eastern Caribbean.

 Full Squads for West Indies Championship 2021/2022:

 Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Colin Archibald, Sheno Berridge, Keacy Carthy, Jahmar Hamilton, Amir Jangoo OHT, Kofi James, Kian Pemberton, Ross Powell Jeremiah Louis, Devon Thomas, Damion Williams, Tyron Williams, Terance Ward, Nino Henry*, Daniel Doram*.

Windward Islands Volcanoes: Sunil Ambris, Alick Athanaze, Keron Cottoy, Kenneth Dember, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Ryan John, Obed McCoy, Desron Malony, Preston McSween, Kimani Melius, Denis Smith, Devon Smith, Darius Martin*, Gilon Tyson*.

Jamaica Scorpions: John Campbell, Sheldon Cottrell, Akim Fraser, Patrick Harty, Brandon King, Andre McCarthy, Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Paul Palmer, Rovman Powell, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas, Nicholson Gordon*, Alwyn Williams*.

Guyana Jaguars: Kelvon Anderson, Christopher Barnwell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Leon Johnson, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd, Vishaul Singh, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Anthony Bramble*, Keon Joseph*.

Trinidad &Tobago Red Force: Bryan Charles, Terrance Hinds, Imran Khan, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jason Mohammed, Uthman Muhammed, Isaiah Rajah, Denesh Ramdin, Jayden Seales, Keegan Simmons, Jeremy Solozano, Tion Webster, Jyd Goolie*, Kirstan Kallicharan*.

 Barbados Pride: Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Dominic Drakes, Shane Dowrich, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Kyle Hope, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer Ashley Nurse, Jomel Warrican, Akeem Jordan*, Joshua Bishop*

Cricket West Indies (CWI) will host the West Indies Professional Cricketers Draft for the 2021/2022 cricket season next Tuesday via video call.

The territorial board franchises will be convening to draft the final two players for their squads to play in the forthcoming season, which will hopefully include the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the West Indies Championship. 

The draft will be conducted over two rounds, where each franchise must pick a player in each round. Each franchise will pick two players to add to their pre-selected squad of thirteen (13) protected players, to make a full squad of fifteen (15) players. The franchises will be selecting their two picks from a pool of nearly 100 players. 

For the 2021-22 season, each franchise will be allocated a pick number according to their final league position and performance of the franchise in the last West Indies Championship, held in 2019-20 and won by the Barbados Pride (see table below for sequence of draft picks).  Each franchise will have 90 seconds in each round to make a pick. Where a selection is not made within this time period, the franchise will miss their turn and will have to wait until all the other franchises have made their selection in that round, before making its selection.

Once the franchises have made their full picks to confirm their fifteen retained players, a total of 90 cricketers across the six franchises will be retained on full-time regional contracts for the next twelve months. 

CWI’s Cricket Operations Manager, Roland Holder said, “The draft, now in its eighth (8th) year, demonstrates that CWI remains committed to our professional cricket structure and system, even in these times of uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ninety (90) regional players who will be awarded regional franchise contracts, will be able to train and practice professionally as CWI hopes for a return to normalcy in regional cricket later this year.”

Each choice by each Franchise selection committee will be monitored and recorded by the draft overseer (s), as notified to the Franchises by CWI.

There will be changes to way in which Cricket West Indies awards retainer contracts following backlash to the recent announcements of players who received contracts for the coming year.

The Guyana Cricket Board has written to Cricket West Indies expressing what it says is its disappointment at public comments made by Chairman of Selectors Roger Harper relating to four Guyanese players, who were not awarded retainer contracts by the governing body.