Shakib al Hasan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be joining the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the remaining matches of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). They will be replacing Heinrich Klaasen and Tabraiz Shamsi both of whom have been called up to international duties with South Africa after the Trinidad leg of the tournament.

 This will be the third Hero CPL franchise that Shakib has represented having previously played for the Barbados Royals and Jamaica Tallawahs. The Bangladesh all-rounder is the holder of the current record for best bowling figures in a Hero CPL match, having taken 6-6 for the Barbados franchise in 2013.

 Afghan international Gurbaz will be making his first appearance at the Hero CPL.

Having played 44 matches for Afghanistan and with experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) he will bring a lot of batting power to the Amazon Warriors line-up.

Trinbago Knight Riders made it two wins on the spin in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign with a nervy victory against the Jamaica Tallawahs on Saturday night.

The Tallawahs won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat first and that decision backfired almost immediately.

 Losing four wickets in the PowerPlay, the Tallawahs were in trouble at 25-4 and despite a 50-run partnership between Fabian Allen and Imad Wasim too much was left to do at the back end. 

116-7 never looked like it was enough but the Tallawahs fought gamely to defend the total taking out six wickets in the process. 

However, Andre Russell and Akeal Hosein saw the chase home to move the Knight Riders into the top four. 

Earlier on Ravi Rampaul impressed to uproot the Tallawahs batting, the seam bowler took 4-19 including three in the PowerPlay to put the Knight Riders in complete control. 

 The Tallawahs only had an energetic Fabian Allen half-century to thank to prevent a total collapse. 

 The Knight Riders made hard going of what should have been a simple chase. Openers Nicholas Pooran and Tion Webster both fell for ducks to leave the Knight Riders 0-2 in the first two overs. But Colin Munro and Tim Seifert rebuilt the innings with a 50-run partnership.

 When the pair fell in quick succession the Tallawahs had a moment of hope but Russell and Hosein ensured there would be no dramatic defeat, guiding the Knight Riders home with five balls to spare.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 119-6 (Munro 40, Seifert 28; Amir 2-15, Green 1-12) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 116-7 (Fabian 50, Brooks 20; Rampaul 4-19, Narine 1-21) by 4 wickets.

 

 

Saint Lucia Kings moved back into the play-off spots with a 49-run victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the 20th match of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season on Saturday.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the toss and chose to field first, but it was Faf du Plessis who got the Saint Lucia Kings off to a dominating start by scoring boundaries throughout the opening overs. Johnson Charles then continued to score runs, before big hitting from David Wiese and Roshon Primus powered the Kings to a total of 189-7. 

In their chase, the Patriots could not find fluency as they lost four wickets in the first 10 overs. Wiese was the stand-out bowler for the Kings, taking three wickets for just eight runs as the Patriots finished 140 all out and lost by a margin of 49 runs. 

Saint Lucia Kings had a positive start to their innings with du Plessis and Charles comfortably hitting boundaries at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, although the former would lose his wicket attempting a scoop shot. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the Kings managed to score 189-7 largely thanks to the performance of Charles, who scored 61 and was at the crease for over 15 overs. 

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots had begun to build a foundation in their chase but lost both openers Andre Fletcher and Evin Lewis in the fifth over. With Wiese then taking the wickets of both Darren and DJ Bravo, the Patriots began to rebound with Dewald Brevis scoring some crucial runs before he was caught out. As the Patriots lost more wickets, Kesrick Williams proving a threat with the ball, they could not keep up with the required run rate and were bowled out for 140, losing by 49 runs. 

 Scores:  Saint Lucia Kings 189-7 (Charles 61, du Plessis 41; DJ Bravo 1-26, Khan 2-45) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 140 all out (Brevis 32, Khan 26; Wiese 3-8, Williams 3-32) by 49 runs.

Cricket West Indies chief of selectors Desmond Haynes is confident veteran fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell remains able to provide the team with plenty of firepower up front despite a recent spell of indifferent form and injury.

Two years ago, the 33-year-old was one of the most explosive fast bowlers in the sport and was bought by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the Indian Premier League season.  The bowler has, however, since struggled to build on that momentum and has also been plagued by recurrent injury.

His selection would have come as somewhat of a surprise for many having not represented the T20 team since earlier this year when he played in series against India and England.  The player also missed out on this season’s IPL and has not featured regularly in the CPL so far.

  The left-arm seamer, who recently recovered from injury, only just returned to action for the St Kitts Patriots and has not made a telling impact so far.

 In 8 overs bowled, in the three CPL matches to date, he has produced figures of 2 for 73 at an average of 36.50. The economy rate for his 8 overs bowled has also been an unimpressive 9.12.  Haynes, however, believes once fully fit the player will have plenty to contribute to the campaign.

“He does the job for us up front but he is coming back from an ankle injury, so everyone is going to be assessed before we go to Australia,” Haynes said.

“I think that with Cottrell we know that he has been very good for us and that’s the reason we would select him.”

Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi will join the Jamaica Tallawahs at the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Nabi has played 237 times for Afghanistan in international matches and brings a huge amount of experience from T20 cricket across the globe. 

This will be Nabi’s third time playing for a Hero CPL franchise having previously represented the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and the Saint Lucia Kings.  In 12 matches at the tournament, the player has taken 9 wickets and managed to average 24.50.

Nabi will be available for selection for the Tallawahs from the start of the Guyana leg of the tournament.

The Tallawahs were left a man short following the departure of Nepalese bowler Sandeep Lamichhane.  Sandeep left the Caribbean last week to return to his homeland to answer charges after an arrest warrant was issued in his name.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Desmond Haynes says the panel decided to not pick T20 big-hitter Andre Russell for the Windies World Cup squad based on a combination of his long-term absence from the regional team and recent struggles.

The 34-year-old has not played for the West Indies since representing the squad at the World Cup last year, despite controversially featuring in several lucrative T20 tournaments since then, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Vitality T20 Blast.

In addition, the player has failed to make much of an impression in this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which is admittedly closely watched by the panel of selectors.  In six matches the all-rounder has averaged 7.40 and has a top score of 17.  With the ball, he has taken four wickets.

“We just didn’t consider Russell for selection and that was it,” Haynes said of the player’s exclusion.

“We haven’t really seen a lot of Russell in playing cricket for the West Indies recently and judging from what is happening now we just decided that we would move on,” he added.

Russell has played 67 matches for the West Indies and averaged 19.50 with a strike rate of 150.  He has taken 37 wickets at an economy rate of 9.18.

Legendary Windies skipper Viv Richards believes it is important for players to remember the role representing the team played in earning big-money T20 contracts, but insists there should be plenty of room for negotiation with cricketers currently out of the team.

The absence of the likes of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, for example, two of the team’s most explosive players, from the unit for the last year has been a sore point.  Despite the fact that they have continued to play in lucrative T20 leagues around the world, both players have been unavailable for the regional team.

Russell has not played for the team since last year’s World Cup while Narine has not appeared since 2017.  Another player, opener Evin Lewis, remains out of the team after opting out of fitness tests.  Recently West Indies coach Phil Simmons expressed frustration with the issue.  Richards believes a lot of the issues could come down to communication.

 “Guys sometimes try and make that particular decision in terms of what they want to do because they don’t feel that they are represented well enough on the left, and that’s why they will move to the right so it is pretty much troublesome knowing and hearing that from the coach, which means there are issues where these matters are concerned,” Richards told the Antigua Observer.

“There has got to be a meeting of all the individuals who participate and that’s the board and all the individuals they may believe to be in that particular lane where they do not want to play,” he added.

“That’s always your first aim, for you to represent your country as a sports person and then, if you can move further up-field like representing the region, which is obviously the West Indies cricket team, and then expand elsewhere because if that’s what you’re looking for, then that’s the opportunity you’re looking for,” he said.

“Also, there are times when we should look at the lighter side of things where one has got to remember that it was the West Indies platform that obviously gave you an opportunity for you to expand yourself.”

The Jamaica Tallawahs consolidated second place in the league table with a six-run (DLS) victory over Barbados Royals, inflicting their first loss of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season on Thursday.

The Jamaica Tallawahs won the toss and chose to field first, Imad Wasim getting them off to a spectacular start by bowling two maiden overs and taking three wickets in the powerplay to leave the Royals reeling at 17-3 after six overs.

It was South African internationals Quinton De Kock and David Miller who rebuilt the innings for the Royals with an 83-run partnership that took them to 146-6 at the end of their innings. 

Brandon King and Amir Jangoo got off to a flying start in the chase, scoring 50 runs by the fifth over to put the Tallawahs in a commanding position. Jason Holder would take three wickets as the Royals fought back, but it was not enough as the Royals reached 126-5 and won by five wickets (DLS), six runs ahead of the par score.   


Jamaica Tallawahs shocked the Royals early on in the innings with Wasim striking three times within the powerplay, removing Rahkeem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers and Corbin Bosch with his bamboozling deliveries. But it was de Kock, once again batting lower down the order at four, who led the way with a sublime 74 off just 43 balls, with support from David Miller as the Royals ended up finishing on 146/6.  

 Tallawahs had a dream start to their chase with King and Jangoo finding the boundary consistently in the PowerPlay. However, Obed McCoy would strike with two wickets, before Holder set up a tense finish by taking three wickets. In the end, a six from Rovman Powell just before the rain fell would prove critical, as it meant the Tallwahs finished ahead by six runs on DLS and picked up the win. 

Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 126-5 (King 46, Jangoo 29; Holder 3-33, McCoy 2/19) beat  Barbados Royals 146-6 (de Kock 74, Miller 34; Wasim 3-14, Allen 1-14) by six runs (DLS)

Cricket West Indies (CWI), in conjunction with the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Team Management have agreed to the postponement of the 1st CG United One Day International scheduled for Friday 16 September, due to the passage of Tropical Storm Fiona, which is likely to pass over Antigua and the Leeward Islands on Friday. CWI and NZC will confirm the rescheduled date and any implications for dates in the wider eight-match itinerary featuring three CG United ODIs and five T20Is in due course.

A decision will also be made on the 2nd CG United ODI scheduled for Sunday 18 September subject to the impact of the storm.

Both teams want to ensure that, if possible, the full eight-match Series can be played since points won in the CG United ODI Series contribute towards the new ICC Women’s Championship which provides a direct pathway to qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The T20 International (T20I) Series plays a key role in both teams’ preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023. It is also the West Indies Women’s first home international cricket since September 2021. ​

CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams said, “We have put player safety at the forefront of this decision and will be working very closely with New Zealand Cricket to protect all the internationals matches via a revised schedule if possible. We are very keen to get as much high-quality competitive cricket for our Women’s team as possible, especially in this period leading into next year’s Women’s T20 World Cup.”

Once the matches are rescheduled, fans will be purchase tickets for any of the matches at tickets.windiestickets.com, the official Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard. For all matches, adults can purchase general admission tickets online at US$5.00, with free admission for children under the age of 16 when accompanied by a paying adult. Seniors benefit from half price tickets. The stadium ticket office will open on the day of the rescheduled 1st CG United ODI with printed tickets available for EC$15.00/US$5.00.

All eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Live ball-by-ball scoring will also be available on the ​ www.windiescricket.com Match Centre. 

 

Trinbago Knight Rider captain Kieron Pollard has admitted it was a relief to finally get over the line in a 26-run over the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Wednesday.

After making what looked to be around a part score of 150, the home franchised seemed well on their way to a comfortable win after pushing the Warriors to the verge of defeat at 89 for 7.

A stubborn last-ball partnership between Tabraiz Shamsi and Junior Sinclair, which was worth 24 from 18 deliveries, however, briefly gave the team a few nervous moments before Andre Russell ended the innings.

The Knight Riders' mood would not have been helped by a poor start to CPL managing just one win in their prior 5 matches.  Pollard is, however, hopeful that the team’s latest win will provide a bit of momentum.

“The guys wanted it badly and it was a total team effort.  Things haven’t gone the way that we would have liked but one thing I can say is the guys come in day in, day out, and out in the practice and believe in the process and finally we got the win at home,” Pollard said following the match.

“Hopefully we can go back and look at where we can still do better for the next few matches.”

Trinbago Knight Riders ended their three-game losing streak and reignited their Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign with an exciting win against the Guyana Amazon Warriors Wednesday night.

 The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and they produced a disciplined performance with the ball that kept the Knight Riders in check throughout. 

Led by Tabraiz Shamsi’s 4-36, wickets were taken at regular intervals to ensure that no batter ever felt comfortable at the crease as the Knight Riders reached 150-8.

 Needing 151 to win the Amazon Warriors got off to the worst possible start losing Paul Sterling for a duck and three wickets in total in the power play.

Shimron Hetmyer and Colin Ingram briefly threatened to take the game away from the Knight Riders but when Andre Russell removed Hetmyer the collapse began and the remaining Amazon Warriors batters fell for just 26 runs.

Earlier on the Knight Riders had constructed their best total of the Hero CPL campaign courtesy of a well-compiled 42 from Colin Munro. Overcoming the early loss of Tion Webster and Nicholas Pooran, Munro combined with Tim Siefert to compile a 51-run partnership that set a foundation for some late order risk taking.

 Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Ravi Rampaul hit a combined five sixes to help the Knight Riders set a total of 150 runs that always appeared as if it would be tricky to chase.

 This proved to be the case in the Amazon Warrior reply. No batter was able to face more than 20 deliveries despite reaching 81-4 in the 10th over. The Amazon Warriors lost their remaining six wickets for 43 runs to succumb to a heavy defeat.

 The returning Akeal Hosein proved to be crucial in the Knight Riders' bowling attack taking 3-36 and he was ably supported by the parsimonious Andre Russell (3-16) and Sunil Narine (2-9).

 Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 150-8 (Munro 42, Seifert 27; Shamsi 4-36, Shepherd 3-22) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 124 all out (Hemraj 28, Hetmyer 20; Russell 3-16, Hosein 3-36) by 26 runs 

 St Kitts and Nevis Patriots secured their second victory of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season with a comprehensive win over Jamaica Tallawahs by eight wickets (DLS) on Wednesday.

 St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the toss and chose to field first with Brandon King and Kennar Lewis getting the Tallawahs off to a fast start, scoring 43 runs in the first 4 overs. The spin of Akila Dananjaya and Rashid Khan got the Patriots back into the game by taking wickets and restricting runs, before a late show from all-rounder Raymon Reifer took the Tallawahs to 139-5 after their 20 overs.

In a chase reduced to 15 overs by rain, Andre Fletcher led St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a comfortable victory with an innings of 45, not out that was supported by big hitting from Evin Lewis and Darren Bravo. 


Jamaica Tallawahs got off to a sublime start in their innings, King and Lewis combining well before Khan struck to take the wicket of Lewis in the powerplay.  Leading run-scorer and captain for the Tallawahs, Rovman Powell, was then run out after a brilliant piece of fielding from youngster Dewald Brevis to put the Tallawahs in trouble. However, a late partnership between Reifer and Fabian Allen managed to add 39 runs to the tally as the Tallawahs ended on 139-5.

With rain reducing the target to 113 runs in 15 overs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots raced to 49-0 after 5 overs, with Fletcher and Lewis proving destructive. Imad Wasim struck with the first ball of his spell, removing Lewis, however, Darren Bravo came in and formed a 55-run partnership with Fletcher to help take the Patriots to an eight-wicket win (DLS).

 Scores: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 113-2 (Fletcher 45*, DM Bravo 39; Allen 1-19, Wasim 1-19) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 139-5 (Reifer 40*, Lewis 24; Khan 1-8, Rutherford 2-11) by 8 wickets (DLS)

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Selection Panel on Wednesday announced the West Indies squad for the upcoming International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup.

The panel confirmed the fifteen (15) players who will represent the West Indies in the eighth ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13. 

The West Indies are the only team to have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice, in Sri Lanka in 2012 and in India in 2016. The West Indies campaign to win an unprecedented third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title starts on October 17, when they take on Scotland in first of three Group B fixtures played at the Bellerive Oval, in Hobart, Tasmania to qualify for the Super 12 phase of the tournament. Nicholas Pooran leads the West Indies in his first World Cup as captain, with Rovman Powell as vice-captain. 

Left-hand opening batter Evin Lewis has been recalled for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Two uncapped players have been selected; right-arm leg-spinner allrounder Yannic Cariah and left-arm batting allrounder Raymon Reifer.

The Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, CWI’s Lead Selector said: “We have selected a mixture of youth and experience to represent the West Indies. In the selection process, we have been cognizant of the ongoing CPL and we have been looking at the players who have been playing very well. I said at the beginning of my tenure that I would be interested in giving players the opportunity and I think I have been consistent in doing that. I believe it is a very good team we have selected, and it is a team that will compete, given that we have to qualify from Round 1 into the Super12s.”

Dr. Haynes added: “ There are players who did not make the team and I hope they will continue to work hard and perform to their best in the CPL and the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup; because you never know what can happen in case of injuries or any other unforeseen situations where we might need to call up players as replacements.”

West Indies will face Zimbabwe on October 19 and then Ireland on October 21 with the top two teams from Group B joining the Super 12s, along with the top two teams from Group A which features Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Namibia. ​ The top two teams from each Super12 group will advance to the semi-finals on November 9 and 10. 

Before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the West Indies will meet home team Australia in a two-match bilateral T20 International (T20I) series on October 5 at the Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast and on October 7 at the historical Gabba, in Brisbane.

FULL SQUAD

  1. NICHOLAS POORAN - Captain
  2. ROVMAN POWELL – Vice captain
  3. YANNIC CARIAH
  4. JOHNSON CHARLES
  5. SHELDON COTTRELL
  6. SHIMRON HETMYER
  7. JASON HOLDER
  8. AKEAL HOSEIN
  9. ALZARRI JOSEPH
  10. BRANDON KING
  11. EVIN LEWIS
  12. KYLE MAYERS
  13. OBED McCOY
  14. RAYMON REIFER
  15. ODEAN SMITH

 

Barbados Royals kept their unbeaten run intact as they made it six wins from six in Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) following victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders on Tuesday night.

The Royals won the toss and opted to field first and took full advantage of that decision with their spinners Rahkeem Cornwall and Mujeeb Ur Rahman causing havoc upfront.

Four wickets fell in the first seven overs and the Knight Riders struggled to get back into the game. 

Nicholas Pooran put up a valiant fight with a battling half-century but the 132 they posted was short of a competitive total. 

If there were any lingering doubts in the Royals' minds about chasing the total in front of a raucous Queens Park Oval, Kyle Mayers didn’t read the script. He hit a blistering 79 to stun the home crowd and lead the Royals to a comfortable win.

The Queens Park Oval was silenced inside the PowerPlay as the Royals took out the Knight Riders' top order.

 Cornwall and the debuting Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Tion Webster, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert in quick succession to leave Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard with a major rescue job on their hands.

 When Pollard fell to Ur Rahman straight after the PowerPlay all looked lost for the Knight Riders but Pooran and Sunil Narine put together a fine rebuilding partnership to leave the home team well set at 100-4 with five overs to go.

 However, when Obed McCoy bowled Pooran for a well-constructed 52 off 44 balls, that signalled the end of the Knight Riders' fight back. The remaining batters stuttered their way to a total of 132 which was not enough against the irresistible Barbados Royals.

 If the Knight Riders were going to have a chance then a lot depended on taking wickets in the PowerPlay, Daryn Dupavillon provided the early joy clean bowling Cornwall for 1.

 But that was to be as good as it got as the Hero CPL leading run scorer, Kyle Mayers, hit a stunning 79 from 35 balls to guide the Royals to the edge of victory. 

 Corbin Bosch and Quinton De Kock saw out the remaining runs with minimum fuss to ensure the Royals remain unbeaten. 

Scores: Barbados Royals 136-2 (Mayers 79, Bosch 33*; Dupavillon 2-30) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 132 (Pooran 52, Narine 30; Ur Rahman 3-17, Cornwall 2-27) by 8 wickets

West Indies T20 star Andre Russell insists he is content to focus on the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), at the moment, leaving questions regarding his selection for the upcoming World Cup up to the selectors.

The 34-year-old has found himself at the centre of controversy in recent months, with the majority of the debate surrounding his lack of availability for the West Indies team.  In the last year, despite his appearances at various T20 leagues around the globe, the player has not appeared for the West Indies since the T20 World Cup last year.

It is a situation that has at times left Windies coach Phil Simmons, and some fans, admittedly exasperated.  With the player having not been part of the Windies T20 squad for the last year, many have speculated on the merits of his inclusion for the upcoming tournament.

The all-rounder, who is currently plying his trade for the Trinbago Knight Riders, insists the CPL tournament is his only focus at the moment.

"I am focusing on CPL at the moment. This is where it is for me at the moment. I am taking it one day at a time, one game at a time,” Russell told members of the media.

“Whatever is to happen will happen. I have no control over what’s going on at the (CWI) or what is going on in (the) selectors' minds…whatever happens in the next week or two only God knows, so I am not even going to stress on that,” he added.

“No one has reached out to me, no one has said anything…once I do the performance on the field then I leave everything else in their hands.”

 

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