After being snubbed for the previous tour of Pakistan, Guyana's Shabika Gajnabi makes a return to the West Indies Women’s team, as the Selection Panel named a 15-player squad for the eagerly anticipated series against Sri Lanka.

This exciting series, which starts next month, will feature three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is), with the first match taking place on Saturday, June 15, in Galle.

Gajnabi, who along with her compatriots Ashmini Munisar and Plaffiana Millington were left out of the squad that enjoyed a successful outing in Pakistan, has been refitted in the Shane Deitz-coached team in place of Jannillea Glasgow.

The team is once again led by Captain Hayley Matthews who has been in exceptional form, supported by Vice-Captain Shemaine Campbelle.

Lead Selector Ann Browne-John explained the significance of the tour.

“The ODI series serves as a crucial stepping stone towards automatic qualification for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, providing an essential opportunity for the team to gain more valuable points in the Women’s Championship. The tour also allows the squad, during the T20I series, to continue to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which takes place in September in Bangladesh," Browne-John said.

"The similar Indian subcontinental conditions will help the team to refine their skills strategies, build synergy, and assess their strengths and areas for improvement against quality opposition. The experience gained here will be invaluable as they progress towards the T20 World Cup, ensuring they are well-prepared and in peak form for the challenges ahead," she added.

The ODI series in Galle from June 15-21 is part of the ICC Women's Championship, with the top five teams and hosts India automatically qualifying for the Cricket World Cup in 2025. The West Indies Women are currently sitting seventh in the table with, Sri Lanka eighth but level on points.

The team departs the Caribbean on Sunday for a seven day training camp in Colombo to prepare and acclimatise ahead of this important tour.

Full squad: Hayley Matthews (Captain), Shemaine Campbelle (Vice-Captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams, Kate Wilmot

Match schedule

Saturday, June 15- 1st ODI at the Galle International Stadium, Galle

Tuesday, June 18- 2nd ODI at the Galle International Stadium, Galle

Friday, June 21 - 3rd ODI at the Galle International Stadium, Galle

Monday, June 24- 1st T20I at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Wednesday, June 26 - 2nd T20I at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Friday, June 28- 3rd T20I at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

While all the excitement is rightly around the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews and her team are steadily building towards their own global T20 showpiece, which is scheduled for October.

Having lifted their first and only T20 World Cup title in 2016 when they defeated favourites Australia by eight wickets in Kolkata, Matthews, who was 18 years old at the time of that accomplishment, is hoping to repeat the feat in five months time, but for now, her immediate focus is on their build up to the tournament.

The Caribbean women are set to tour Sri Lanka for three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals, from June 15-28, and those encounters Matthews said will kick start their preparation for the Women’s T20 World Cup to be staged in Bangladesh.

This upcoming tour follows the West Indies Women’s successful outing in Pakistan where they won both the ODI and T20 series, losing just one of eight matches played.

“Everyone would have had a nice month or so at home, so it’s about getting ourselves into tip top shape before we head off for a camp in Sri Lanka before the series,” Matthews told Barbados TODAY, shortly after a presentation to the Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club at Friendship.

“(Winning) the T20 World Cup is probably the main goal for the year, but at the same time on the Sri Lanka tour, we have ICC Championship points to play for that would help our qualification for the 50-over World Cup next year. So I think that both the 50-over and the T20 aspects of this upcoming tour are going to be pretty serious and we’re going to want to do really well in both the formats,” she added.

Hayley Matthews engage a member of the Barbados Royals Girl Cricket Club in practice. (Photo: Haroon Greenidge)

On a more personal note, Matthews, 26, expressed delight that her hard work behind the scenes have been bearing fruit in terms of her remarkable performances over the past year, in particular.

The Barbadian, who is currently the number one ranked women’s T20 all-rounder in the world, recently became the first female to be named Wisden’s Leading Twenty20 cricketer in 2023, following a run of eight consecutive T20 match awards, in which she averaged 88 with the bat.

Last year, in 14 T20 internationals, Matthews recorded 700 runs from 14 matches at an average of 63, and snared 19 wickets at an economy rate of 6.84. Across men’s and women’s T20 – domestic and international – her tally of 1,551 runs was topped only by England’s Jos Buttler.

But, amidst all the accolades, Matthews is eyeing further improvements for the remainder of the year and beyond.

“I am truly grateful. From the time I was 10 years old I knew I wanted to be a professional cricketer, and anytime you set out those dreams and want to do something so big, when success comes you’re obviously really grateful for it. Hopefully I can continue to grow, get better and have an even better 2024,” she shared.