Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley says Kensington Oval being awarded the final of this year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Twenty20 World Cup, is testament to the country's high level of organisation, as she beamed with pride about the accomplishment.

Mottley, in a statement on Friday boasted about the country's cricketing feats and the fact that Barbados has firmly established itself as a cricketing mecca, while the storied Kensington Oval had cemented its place among the world’s leading sporting venues.

The ICC on Friday announced that Barbados could host the final of the June 1-29 showpiece, which is co-hosted by West Indies and United States of America. Barbados will also host three Super Eight, second round games and five group stage matches.

“It is with a sense of pride and excitement that I join cricketing fans here and across the region, in celebrating Barbados being selected to host the International Cricket Council 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Final. That Barbados will host this final, as well as eight other games throughout the tournament, three of which are Super 8 (quarter-finals) games, is nothing short of a privilege and an honour," Mottley said.

“It is a historic moment for our country as well, as this will be the third global cricketing final Kensington Oval has hosted, confirming its place among the world’s premiere sporting venues. As a Government, we believe this is a testament to the high level of organisation Barbados has displayed throughout the years, having hosted the 2007 Men’s Cricket World Cup Final and the 2010 Men’s T20 World Cup Final," she added.

Barbados will be one six Caribbean host venues for the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup, with Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines all hosting matches.

Barbados will host its first group stage game on June 2, a clash between Namibia and Oman, and will also welcome two games involving reigning champions England, when they oppose Scotland on June 4, and Australia on June 8.

“It is equally a reflection of the fact that cricket is intrinsically linked to the identity of Barbados. Quite simply, it is in our DNA. Throughout our history, our nation has firmly established itself as a cricketing mecca, producing some of the greatest male and female players to have played the game, including the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen, our National Hero The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers," Mottley noted.

She pointed out that the Oval, located on the outskirts of the city, will now undergo a multi-million renovation in time for the T20 World Cup and, as such, a collaboration with all stakeholders would be crucial in order to make the venture a successful one.

“The planned renovation of Kensington Oval is tangible evidence that Barbados has already started its preparations. Over the coming months, we will continue to work with all stakeholders, in and outside of the sporting arena, to ensure the thousands of fans who gather here from across the world experience a safe, enjoyable and successful tournament and final," Mottley said.

“On behalf of the Government and all Barbadians, I wish to express sincere thanks to the ICC and Cricket West Indies for selecting Barbados and Kensington Oval as the location of choice to host this ICC 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Final. As Barbadians, I say let us all work together to make sure this tournament is a resounding success. And in so doing, let us reflect the pride and industry we possess as a people, and share it with the world," the Prime Minister ended.

Guyana will host the first semi-final on June 26, while Trinidad and Tobago will take centrestage for the second semi-final a day later.

England will start their trophy defence at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with an all-British clash against Scotland.

The Group B match will take place in Barbados on Thursday, June 4.

Australia, Namibia and Oman complete the group in a tournament which has been expanded to 20 teams and will take place in the Caribbean and the United States throughout June.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 marks an exciting expansion of our sport with more teams than ever before set to compete in this event.

“It’s going to be an incredible spectacle bringing together 20 international teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific and Europe.

“The release of the fixtures is made even more exciting for fans as we enter a new frontier, with the USA hosting a major ICC event for the first time.

“With 16 matches being played across three venues in the USA, it allows us to make a statement in the world’s biggest sports market.

“It will also be great to have an ICC event back in the West Indies, which has such a rich history of the game.

“It has hosted World Cups with great success in the past and this tournament will certainly provide a boost to the game there, especially with the final being played in Barbados.”

England will remain in Barbados to play Australia on June 8 before heading to Antigua to take on Oman (June 13) and Namibia (June 15).

Scotland meet Namibia in Barbados on June 6 ahead of playing Oman in Antigua (June 9) and Australia in St Lucia (June 15).

Ireland have been drawn in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, Canada and the US, with two games in New York and two in Florida.

India and Pakistan meet in arguably the most anticipated group match in New York on June 9.

The fixture will be played in a 34,000-seat modular stadium just 30 miles east of downtown Manhattan in Nassau County.

Group C consists of New Zealand, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, while South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Nepal make up Group D.

Dallas’ Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium will host the tournament opener between the US and Canada on June 1.

The top two in each group progress to the Super Eights between June 19 and June 24.

The semi-finals will be held in Guyana on June 26 and Trinidad on June 27, with the final in Barbados on June 29.

In June next year, the West Indies, along with the USA, will host their third senior men’s ICC tournament when the cricket world descends upon our region for the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The West Indies previously hosted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2007 as well as the second edition of the T20 World Cup two years later.

Last week, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago were announced as the seven Caribbean countries that will host matches along with New York, Texas and Florida in the USA.

CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, described the confirmation of the region as hosts as a “big landmark” in a CWI interview last week and is looking forward to inviting the rest of the world to the Caribbean.

“It’s a big landmark for us at Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the ICC because, having this confirmation now that seven of our host countries have made successful bids to host matches means that a lot of the work and detailed planning that we need to do in order to make the most of this huge opportunity to host out third men’s ICC tournament in the West Indies, and this time in partnership with our friends at USA cricket, can start,” he said.

He also went into what are the next steps in preparing for next year’s festivities.

“The next big step is to get the match schedule agreed with the ICC. We’ve got the ten hist venues. The next stage is to work through the detailed match schedule. This is the first World Cup ever to have 20 teams so it’s a big tournament to organize and there’s a small window from early June to the 30^th of June when the final will take place to get all the matches in. We’ve got group stages after the warm-up games. We’ve then got the super eights stage then semi-finals and final so, once that schedule is agreed, then it’s all systems go in terms of tickets being on sale around December to coincide with us welcoming England to the region,” Grave said.

“It’s really important that we get the match schedules announced so that we can invite the world to come to the Caribbean next year,” he added.

Grave also expressed gratitude to the various Governments who put forward successful bids to host matches.

“We’re enormously grateful for the continued support we get from the Governments of the West Indies,” he said.

“All of them that put forward bids have been successful in securing matches which is great news. We’re really looking forward to some of the improvements that those Governments have put forward in their proposals to us and the ICC in terms of ensuring that they are ready for what is the pinnacle of the men’s game currently. It’s a huge opportunity for the region to use the platform of hundreds of millions of fans watching our beautiful countries and our iconic venues and we want everyone in the world to come to the Caribbean and experience what we have to offer,” he added.

While encouraging people from all over the world to make the trip, Grave also urged local fans to come out and support the regional side in their bid for a third World T20 title.

“Absolutely. We’ve seen that unique kind of atmosphere when we hosted the 2018 Women’s World T20 with big crowds in St. Lucia and Antigua when the West Indies played and I’m sure when the West Indies play next June there’ll be big crowds at all the venues,” he said.

“We want every host country to show what a welcoming and exciting place this is to watch and play cricket and it’s really important that the fans come out in their masses. The school children will be invited as part of our community engagement program so that we can show what kind of an atmosphere it is to the world,” Grave added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the seven venues in the Caribbean that will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 from 4 to 30 June. Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago, will host games along with three venues in the USA – Dallas, Florida and New York.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “We’re delighted to announce the seven Caribbean venues that will host the biggest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ever staged, with 20 teams competing for the trophy. They’re all popular venues with players and fans alike that will provide a wonderful backdrop to the event.

“This will be the third ICC senior men’s event hosted by the West Indies, and the matches will again give cricket fans the unique experience of enjoying cricket in the Caribbean. I’d like to thank Cricket West Indies and the seven host governments for their continued commitment and support of our sport.”

Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave said: “This is an exciting moment as we announce the venues approved to host the largest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in history, with 20 teams playing in 55 matches in June next year.

“We are grateful to the host Governments of the Caribbean for their overwhelming responses and enthusiasm for hosting what will be the most significant sporting event held in our region for a generation.

Grave added: “We are confident that together we will deliver a world-class tournament showcasing the best this region has to offer with our unique culture and carnival atmosphere that will ensure there is a real celebration of the sport next June.”

Cricket West Indies has rubbished reports about the International Cricket Council (ICC) possibly asking England to step in and hist next year’s ICC T20 World Cup, originally scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA.

A number of media outlets including CricTracker, Sportskeeda and the Daily Mirror have reported that the venue shift is being considered due to a lack of infrastructure in the USA but CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, denied these claims and questioned the source of the information.

“No!” was Grave’s answer when asked about the validity of the claims being reported.

“I don’t know where that’s coming from. I’m in London for the World Test Championship final and I’ll be here again for the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in a few weeks’ time so who knows what the agenda is. There’s no truth to it,” Grave added.

The West Indies previously hosted the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010.

Reece Topley admits he felt “alienated” from England’s T20 World Cup success after being ruled out on the eve of the tournament but he is now targeting a place in the 2023 World Cup squad.

The 29-year-old, who dislocated his shoulder in the field when playing in his inaugural Indian Premier League match for Royal Challengers Bangalore in April, missed England’s victory in Australia last November with an ankle injury.

The left-armer has been affected by fitness setbacks throughout a career which was briefly under threat due to a series of serious back issues.

“There’s a lot of cricket coming up and obviously an ODI World Cup and I missed the T20 World Cup,” Topley told the PA news agency.

“I was going really well and I was probably going to play in that T20 World Cup I missed – all I can say is hopefully I get my opportunity and I’m definitely going to make that opportunity count when it does come.”

Topley had fought his way back from injury to reclaim a place in England’s white-ball team, but he then damaged ankle ligaments on a boundary sponge just before last year’s T20 World Cup.

“I missed the 2019 (World Cup) – that was purely when I was injured,” he said.

“If I wasn’t injured, I think I would have been involved with that, similarly with this World Cup just gone, if I wasn’t injured I think I would have been – not just a part of it – I think I would have played a lot.

“I was in a really good space, the jersey was mine. Obviously, you’re happy the guys got the job done but I didn’t do anything to contribute.

“I feel almost alienated from it just because you’re used to being in the changing room and then you’re suddenly watching it as a fan.

“It’s not your win. So I’m desperate to contribute for England in a World Cup when the opportunity comes.

“I know there’s a lot coming up in the future and it just makes me want to grab the chances even more to be honest and obviously be a part of the team that’s successful for England.”

Despite having shoulder surgery and spending time with a sling on his arm, Topley insisted he will not change his fielding approach, despite the two most recent setbacks.

“My knee got stuck in the turf and I kind of put all my pressure onto my shoulder. It was similar to the injury in the World Cup,” he said.

“It’s not anything to do with my body – it’s not something I can improve on – it’s just incidents.

“I was fielding and was sprinting and I twisted my ankle on the boundary rope, and similarly I was fielding and my knee got stuck in the soft turf.

“You leave scratching your head like ‘what can I do?’ but you don’t come up with any answers – there’s no recipe for avoiding these kind of things.

“The only thing you can do is not go for the balls which isn’t the way you want to play cricket really.”

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Following their comprehensive review of matters related to the performance of the West Indies Men’s team, and their early exit from at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year, the independent three-member group appointed by Cricket West Indies (CWI) has submitted their report to CWI President Ricky Skerritt.

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 and current IPL T20 Head Coach, and South African international cricket coach, Mickey Arthur.

Commenting on the report, CWI President Ricky Skerritt said: “The quality of this report lends itself to becoming the foundation of the learning and planning culture that we have envisaged for the sustainable improvement of all our cricket teams. It brings great promise and direction after the grave disappointment of our T20 World Cup results. I am extremely grateful for the panel’s commitment to lend so much of their valuable time to this important review project, including carefully interviewing more than 30 players, coaches, administrators, directors, and other stakeholders who I am told spoke so willingly and frankly to the panel. The independent group’s report has been circulated to CWI’s Board of Directors and I look forward to the Board agreeing to implement the 34 recommendations as soon as possible.”

As the fallout begins regarding the West Indies’ disastrous performance at the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, Phil Simmons, head coach of the two-time world champions, has reportedly tendered his resignation, Sportsmax.TV sources have indicated. Members of the CWI board are said to have convened an emergency meeting over the matter.

Simmons tendered his resignation on Saturday, sources said, and it is expected to take effect in January 2023 as his contract requires that he give his employers 12 weeks’ notice.

The timing of the resignation comes at an inopportune time as the West Indies are scheduled to Australia for two Tests in late November. The team begins with a four-day pink-ball match from November 23-26. The first Test bowls off on November 30.

Simmons was appointed head coach in 2019 shortly after Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow came to power at Cricket West Indies Annual General Meeting in Kingston. Since then, West Indies have fared poorly in international competition.

The team is currently ranked eighth in Tests, ninth in ODIs and seventh in T20I.

At the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, the West Indies won one match before bowing out of the competition. Then just last week, at the 2022 competition, the West Indies put in an even more disappointing performance, failing to get to the Super 12 round for the first time ever having lost their opening match by 42 runs to Scotland before being dumped out of the competition following a humiliating nine-wicket loss to Ireland in the qualifying round.

Following the nine-wicket drubbing, the CWI boss laid the blame squarely at the feet at the batsmen while promising to conduct a thorough investigation into the reasons behind the poor showing.

"Untimely shot selections seem to be deeply embedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team," the CWI president said.

Australian captain and great Ricky Ponting called the showing “embarrassing”.

The West Indies might have been dumped out of the ICC T20 World Cup but Carlos Brathwaite’s name will live on as a reminder of what his former team used to be.

Brathwaite’s incredible performance to win the 2016 World Cup for the West Indies has been voted the greatest T20 World Cup performance during a fan vote conducted by ESPNcricinfo.

The Barbadian allrounder turned commentator single-handedly carried the West Indies to glory in the 2016 final at Eden Gardens. With the West Indies needing 19 from the final over against England, Brathwaite struck four massive sixes off Ben Stokes to secure a second title for the Caribbean men. He finished unbeaten on 34 to go along with his impressive figures of 3-23 when England made 155 batting first.

When he came to the crease, the West Indies were in dire straits at 107-6 with 27 balls remaining.

Brathwaite's blitzkrieg garnered 58 per cent of the vote to beat India’s Yuvraj Singh's 70 in the 2007 World Cup semi-final against Australia. According to the cricket website, Brathwaite's performance also emerged top in an internal ESPNcricinfo staff poll, with Yuvraj in joint second alongside Marlon Samuels' 78 & 1-15 in the 2012 final against Sri Lanka.

As the ball sailed through the night sky over the boundary for the winning runs, West Indies commentator Ian Bishop declared "Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name!" The fans did.

An inspired spell of pace bowling from Alzarri Joseph jumpstarted a floundering ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign for the West Indies who registered a crucial 31-run win over Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

Joseph ended the match with impressive figures of 4 for 16, but more than anything the innings will be remembered for the bowler's crucial breakthroughs when the Caribbean team’s tournament seemed destined to unravel.

Chasing a somewhat below-par total of 157, a surging Zimbabwe hammered 29 off the first two overs from the opening tandem of Kyle Mayers and Akeal Hosein.  Joseph, however, struck crucially to remove Wessely Madhevere for 9 to dent Zimbabwean invulnerability and return some hope to his team, who took the initiative and battled back into the game.

Joseph’s effort was well backed up by former West Indies captain Jason Holder who claimed 3 for 12 and played a key role in ensuring the plucky African unit was restricted to 122.

In their turn at the crease, the West Indies looked set for a big score, at one point,  cruising at 90 for 3, at the start of the 12^th over, with a set Johnson Charles at the crease.  Once again, however, the team was, however, bogged down by spin and Sikandar Raza wove a magical web to end with 3 for 19 after curtailing the Windies' momentum.  At the back end of the innings, though, Rovman Powell and Hosein combined for a crucial 49 from 35 to give the Windies innings a much-needed lift.  Charles had earlier given the team a strong start at the top of the innings with a purposeful 45 from 36.

Scores:

West Indies 157/7 (20)

Johnson Charles 45 (36)

Rovman Powell 28 (21)

Akeal Hosein 23* (18)

Sinkadar Razza 3 /19 (4), Blessing Muzarabani 2/38 (4)

Zimbabwe 122 (18.2)

Luke Jongwe 29 (22)

Wesley Madhevere 27 (19)

Ryan Burl 17 (19)

Alzarri Joseph 4/16 (4) Jason Holder 3/12 (3.2)

Brandon King scored a half-century and Raymon Reifer claimed three wickets as the West Indies won their warm-up match against the United Arab Emirates at Junction Stadium by 17 runs on Sunday night.

It was not an easy win for the Caribbean men who would have suffered jitters when medium pacer Junaid Siddique took career-best figures of 5-13 to restrict West Indies to 152-9 from their 20 overs.

The West Indies owed their eventual match-winning score to a 95-run fourth wicket partnership between King and Captain Nicholas Pooran that spared the Caribbean men blushes after UAE won the toss and decided to bowl.

It seemed the right decision as the West Indies were struggling at 22-3 inside the Powerplay.

The dismissal of Evin Lewis (2), Johnson Charles (1) and Sharmarh Brooks (4) brought King and Pooran together in the fifth over and together they dragged the West Indies into a position of relative strength.

The West Indies captain hit five fours in his 31-ball 46 before he was bowled by Zahoor Khan, who had earlier dismissed Brooks. It was then 117-4 in the 15^th over.

The loss of Pooran’s wicket saw the West Indies slip to 122-7 as Siddique, who had earlier removed Charles, scythed through the middle order with three wickets in four balls claiming Reifer for one, King for 64 and Akeal Hosein without scoring.

King's runs came from 45 balls and included seven fours and two sixes.

Siddique picked up his fifth wicket in the 18^th over when he bowled Odean Smith for five.

Alzarri Joseph helped the West Indies past 150 with 15 well-needed runs from 11 balls before being the last man out, leaving Rovman Powell unbeaten on seven and Obed McCoy on four at the end.

Khan ended with 2-24.

Needing 153 for victory, UAE were 19-1 at the end of three when McCoy dismissed Chirag Suri for nine.

Muhammad Waseem and Vriityia Avarind took the score to 50 in the eighth when Reifer dismissed the latter for nine and CP Rizwan for one in the space of four balls as UAE slipped to 52-3 in the ninth.

The UAE ran into further trouble three balls later when Evin Lewis ran out Aayan Afzal Khan for a duck.

Waseem and Basil Hameed inched the score along to 66 by the 13^th over when Reifer claimed his third after dismissing Hameed for five. It was soon 82 for 6 in the 16^th when Odean Smith dismissed Kashif Daud for seven.

With nothing to lose UAE went for broke smashing 53 from the final 26 balls.

Waseem brought up his 50 with a six from the last ball of the 17^th over bowled by McCoy that yielded 16 runs. The pair also took 15 from the 19^th bowled by Alzarri Joseph, whose last ball was smashed for six by Zawar Farid, who ended unbeaten on 29 from the 14 balls he faced.

Waseem’s heroic unbeaten 69 came from 52 balls and included four fours and three sixes as UAE closed on 135-6.

Reifer took 3-13 while Odean Smith had figures of 1-20 from his four overs. McCoy gave up 49 runs from his four overs.

Shamarh Brooks has replaced Shimron Hetmyer in the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, Cricket West Indies announced on Monday. CWI has advised the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the change after Hetmyer missed his re-scheduled flight to Australia.

The flight was rescheduled at the request of the player, who cited family reasons.

According to CWI, with flight availability a real challenge, a seat was found for him to leave Guyana today, Monday, October 3, meaning he would miss the first T20 International (T20I) against Australia on Wednesday, October 5 at the Metricon Stadium.

“This morning, Mr Hetmyer, informed the Director of Cricket that he would not be able to get to the airport in time for his flight this afternoon to New York,” CWI said.

“This afternoon we informed the CWI Board of Directors that the Selection Panel had unanimously decided to replace Shimron Hetmyer with Shamarh Brooks in our T20 World Cup squad,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.

“​ Whilst we changed Shimron’s flight from Saturday to Monday due to family reasons, it was made clear to him that if there were any further delays and issues with his travel to Australia then we would have no choice but to replace him in the squad, as we are not prepared to compromise the team’s ability to prepare for this extremely important global event.

“Shamarh has been a part of our recent T20 International squads and delivered strong performances in the latter stages of the recently concluded CPL. ​ He will fly out as soon as possible this week to Australia and I wish him and all the squad all the very best for the tournament.”

Brooks has been in good form scoring an unbeaten 109 from 52 balls against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the semi-final of the 2022 Hero CPL. He scored 47 from 33 in the finals to help the Jamaica Tallawahs win their third title and their first since 2016 on Friday, September 30.

The squad will now be: Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Rovman Powell (Vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Nicholas Pooran as the West Indies Men’s One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) captain, following the international retirement of Kieron Pollard.

Pooran will take over the captaincy for the West Indies ODI and T20I teams after being Pollard’s deputy over the last year. The appointment will include the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in October 2023.  Shai Hope has been recommended to stand as vice-captain of the ODI team.

CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said: “We believe Nicholas is ready for the challenge of leading our white ball teams given his experience, performances, and the respect he has within the playing group.  The Selection Panel believes that Nicholas has matured as a player and were impressed with his leadership of both teams when Kieron Pollard had been absent. The experience he has gathered playing in various franchise leagues around the world was also a factor in the decision to recommend him for the T20 captaincy.”

Pooran has already captained the West Indies Men in Pollard’s absence, leading them to a CG Insurance T20I Series win at home against Australia in 2021. 

The left-handed wicketkeeper/batsman has eight half-centuries and an ODI century to his name. He has also scored eight T20I half-centuries for the West Indies Senior Men’s team. He first burst onto the cricket scene representing the West Indies Under-19 team at the 2014 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, smashing 303 runs from six matches.

CWI President Ricky Skerritt congratulated Pooran on his appointment saying, “Nicholas Pooran is a specially gifted cricketer, and the right person to take over the white ball captaincy. We are confident that he will continue to climb the leadership learning curve speedily, and successfully. I appeal to all West Indies cricket stakeholders to give Nicholas the support and encouragement that he deserves.”

Pooran expressed his delight in his appointment saying, “I am truly honored to be appointed captain of the West Indies team. I am following the footsteps of several giants of the game who have created an amazing legacy for West Indies cricket. This is indeed a prestigious role, a pivotal position in the West Indian society, as cricket is the force that brings us all West Indians together. To be named captain is indeed the highlight of my career so far and I want to drive the team forward to accomplish great things on the field for our fans and loyal supporters.”

His first outing as captain will be the three away ODIs against The Netherlands in Amstelveen starting May 31 which form part of the ICC World Cup Super League.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has officially announced his retirement from international cricket, following a disappointing title defense for the team at the T20 World Cup.

The West Indies still have one fixture remaining against Australia but have officially been eliminated after losing to Sri Lanka on Thursday.  Overall, the team lost three matches and won one.  The West Indies' lone win so far came against Bangladesh, after losing to England and South Africa to open the tournament.

Ahead of the World Cup, the 38-year-old Bravo had suggested that the tournament would be his last for the region, after a long and decorated career.

I think the time has come," Bravo to the ICC Cricket media channel.

 "I've had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I'm very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long,” he added.

Since making his debut in 2006, against New Zealand, Bravo went on to represent the West Indies 90 times in T20 internationals.  Overall, he has made 223 appearances for the Caribbean team in all formats.

"To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain [Daren Sammy] on the left here. One thing I am proud about is that the era of cricketers we had we were able to make a name for ourselves on the global stage and not only do that but have silverware to show for it,” he added.

As for the current campaign, Bravo admitted that it did not go the way the team wanted it to, but that he hoped to be able to still pass on his knowledge to the upcoming generation.

"For me now I want to try and pass on whatever experience and information I have with the younger players," he said. "I think in the white-ball formats West Indies cricket have a bright future and it's important for us to keep supporting the guys and keep encouraging them.

"It wasn't the World Cup we expected, it wasn't the World Cup we wanted as players. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves, it was a tough competition, we should keep our heads high."