The three-match ODI Series between UAE and the West Indies will now begin a day earlier with the two teams playing the opener on Sunday, 4 June at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The first match was originally scheduled for Monday, 5 June. The West Indies Men’s team will arrive in Dubai on Thursday, 1 June.

The second match will be played on Tuesday, 6 June with the third and final match scheduled for Friday, 9 June.

All three day-night matches will start at 4:30pm with the toss at 4pm at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Both teams will depart for Zimbabwe at the end of the series for their World Cup qualifying campaign which begins on 18 June.

The all-important tournament will confirm the remaining two spots for the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, India.

UAE vs West Indies ODI series, matches to start at 4:30pm (8:30AM Caribbean/7:30AM Jamaica)

4 June – UAE vs West Indies, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

6 June – UAE vs West Indies, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

9 June – UAE vs West Indies, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Full squad: Shai Hope (captain), Brandon King (vice captain), Alick Athanaze, Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas.

West Indies ‘A’ was forced to settle with a draw against Bangladesh ‘A’ as the first unofficial Test concluded at the Syhlet International Stadium on Friday.

Bangladesh ‘A’, who were bowled out for 264 in their first innings, following on, resumed from their overnight score of five without loss still trailing the tourists’ score of 427-7 by 158 runs.

Opener Shadman Islam top scored with 64 and Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 20, but the hosts would eventually stare defeat in the face as the West Indies ‘A’ attack reduced them to 132-7, still 32 runs shy of making the tourists Indies bat again.

However, as has often been the case with West Indies teams in recent years, the attack seemed to run out of steam and was repelled by a late-innings rally that saw wicketkeeper Jaker Ali Anik, score an unbeaten 36 and Rishad Hossain, 20, in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 55 that led Bangladesh ‘A’ to safety.

Gudakesh Motie took 2-13, Jair McAllister 2-48 and there was a wicket each for Raymon Reifer, Akeem Jordan and Kevin Sinclair.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is set to play a key part in the BBC’s cricket coverage this summer after being cleared of making a racist remark earlier this year.

A Cricket Discipline Commission panel found a charge that Vaughan had used racist or discriminatory language towards a group of players of Asian ethnicity before a match for Yorkshire in 2009 not proven.

The BBC confirmed Vaughan would be a guest on the ‘Today at the Test’ highlights programme, initially for the match against Ireland starting on June 1.

The corporation also confirmed Vaughan would be a summariser on the Test Match Special (TMS) radio programme throughout the summer.

Luke Wood was one of the busiest cricketers on the planet this winter, but the seamer describes being back at home to kick off Lancashire’s Vitality Blast campaign as his “pride and joy”.

Wood has been all over the globe since finishing runner-up with the Lightning in last year’s competition, making his England debut in a historic tour of Pakistan, travelling to Australia as a reserve for the triumphant T20 World Cup and picking up franchise deals in the Big Bash, the UAE’s IL20 league and the Bangladesh Premier League.

It has been the most lucrative and demanding period of the 27-year-old’s career, with new experiences, new team-mates and new responsibilities to bear.

But on Saturday he will be lining up for the Red Rose against Derbyshire in Edgbaston’s ‘Blast Off’, a double-headed curtain-raiser for the white-ball season that also sees hosts Birmingham Bears take on Yorkshire.

“I’ve certainly been claiming a lot air miles. I’ve been busy, but I’m back home,” he told the PA news agency with a smile of satisfaction.

“Whenever I come back to play for Lancashire, that’s my pride and joy. This is where I earned those opportunities in the first place. After four busy months away, it’s back to reality. Being here, this is my job.

“But I’ve enjoyed that franchise circuit so much, it can only grow your game as a player. You talk about the captains, the coaches, the different ideas…you’re learning all the time.

“My international career might be limited so far but I’ve been able to play against that calibre of player regularly and I feel my game has come on so much.

“Being an overseas player is a big thing. The expectations are on you and the drive now is the same as when I’m in that overseas role. I pride myself on meeting the same expectations.”

Wood admits Lancashire are a side with some frustrations to work out, be it from last season’s finals day where they gave up a winning position to lose the title to Hampshire or this year’s record of five consecutive draws in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

“You can see as a club we are hungry for a win,” he added.

“There aren’t too many draws in T20 cricket thankfully and we want to get the ball rolling. Coming second last year has almost given us a bigger drive for the Blast because finishing runner-up feels the same as losing.

“It’s always disappointing to lose a final, but it gives you a bit of extra motivation. We felt like we were cruising for a long time but you know it’s never over in T20. Next time is for us, I hope.”

Derbyshire’s head coach Mickey Arthur is another man with unfinished business in the competition.

His side enjoyed a strong run in the North Group of last year’s Blast, but dropped the ball in their quarter-final against Somerset as they were rolled over for 74 chasing 266.

“We did fall off the rails in the quarter-final but we’re better for that experience,” Arthur told PA.

“It did leave a bad taste, but it’s easy to forget we won nine games in a row against some big teams. The guys have learned. You can’t go to a supermarket and and buy experience, you’ve got to go through it.

“Our recruitment has been good too and I really think we’ve got a side who can shake up a couple of teams.”

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced a significant change in the travel and accommodation policy for the West Indies Senior Women’s team. With immediate effect, the members of the West Indies Women’s squad will travel business-class for all long-haul international flights and be accommodated in single rooms for all international assignments, bringing it in line with the policy for West Indies Senior Men’s tours.

These decisions were made at the first CWI Board of Directors meeting following the election of the new President Dr. Kishore Shallow in March. Dr. Shallow said the decision represented more progress for the women’s game in the region as the organisation continues its investment to ensure further growth and development. Achieving equality in women’s cricket is a key initiative in CWI’s strategic plan, and this new investment will contribute to increasing the appeal of the women’s game. CWI has worked closely with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) to put the new policy in place.

Dr. Shallow said: “On International Women’s Day earlier this year, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley and I, among other things, deliberated over the inequalities in sports. Today, it is pleasing to support champions like Prime Minister Mottley to tilt the scales in leveling the playing field.”

Dr. Shallow added: “The women’s game in international cricket continues to evolve, and CWI must keep apace and, where possible, lead. Introducing these policies and adding a second female to the board as an independent director are monumental strides in the right direction.”

Wavell Hinds, President and CEO of WIPA said: “We welcome this move by CWI in the quest to achieve greater equality within our work environment among our cricketers. We look forward to achieving similar goals in our ongoing negotiations on the renewal of our MOU for another four-year period.”

As part of the commitment towards achieving equality for Women’s players, a new committee has also been approved by the CWI Board of Directors – the Women's Cricket Transformation Committee. This Committee will act in an advisory capacity to CWI’s Director of Cricket and the wider organization.

The Committee’s remit will include but not be limited to recommending strategies geared towards increasing the interest and participation of women and girls in the sport, as well as proposing cricket competitions, events, and pathways that foster competitive women’s and girls’ cricket.

The West Indies Women will be playing their next international fixtures against Ireland in June and July with the schedule to be announced shortly. Following this, they will have a tour of Australia in October where they will play three One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals.

In recent years, CWI has committed significant resources towards the development of women’s cricket at all levels and especially the High-Performance pathway.  CWI has also hosted several skill-specific camps to develop the women’s talent pool and is due to launch the Women’s Academy later this year to ensure the next generation of players have a world-class system in place to aid their professional development on and off the field. 

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, fans of regional cricket were used to a first-class season consisting of each team playing ten games in a home and away format.

Since the return of the West Indies Championship in 2021, the format has been changed drastically.

Now, teams play each other only once, significantly reducing the amount of first-class cricket players around the region are getting to play.

CWI director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, is aware of the concerns raised about the amount of first-class cricket being played in the West indies in comparison to the rest of the world

“The format and structure of the First-Class regional tournament is something that is going to be reviewed coming out of this year,” said the former West Indies batsman.

“We do want to play more First-Class cricket but we also made a commitment to try to play as much higher standard first-class cricket as possible, which is the reason behind the Headley Weekes concept,” he added.

As stated by Adams, the Headley Weekes Tri-Series was introduced this year, with the West Indies Academy coming out victorious.

“We will be reviewing that addition to the season to see if there’s merit in continuing with it. We’re also considering whether we can add more teams to our regional tournament based on the performance of the Academy team in that tournament,” Adams said.

Another solution Adams offered up was the increase in the number of “A” team tours in the future. The West Indies “A” team are currently touring Bangladesh.

“We are conscious of building up more First-Class cricket. A large part of that is also going to revolve around “A” team tours and we have a commitment from CWI to adding regular “A” team series, home and away, for the next cycle which is about three to four years,” Adams said.

“It’s not something that you can put on paper and get a sign-off immediately, it’s ongoing negotiations with board to find windows where we can see teams or send teams away. Again, we are conscious of building up First-Class cricket but the priority is to make sure the standard of it is as high as possible,” he added.

England seamer Kate Cross admitted persistent setbacks in an ongoing battle against a tropical disease has taken a toll on her mental health.

Cross has taken 106 wickets in 73 internationals and is hoping to feature in this summer’s multi-format Ashes series, starting with the only Test on June 22 at Trent Bridge.

But the 31-year-old explained on her BBC No Balls Podcast that she is on her ninth round of antibiotics to treat a parasite that has not only affected her physically but left her feeling despondent.

“I thought I was over this illness and it’s come back with a vengeance,” she said. “It’s my seventh relapse now. The lows have been drastically low.

“When you are playing sport and you are pulled out because of injury, you understand, but because it’s illness based, and every day is different, I’m struggling with that.

“It’s the most resistant thing the doctors have come across. I have found it difficult because I thought the end was in sight nine times now.”

It is believed Cross got the illness during a pre-season trip with Thunder, her domestic side based in the north-west, in Dubai before heading off to Mumbai shortly afterwards.

While she has played three matches in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy competition, Cross was unable to attend England’s pre-Ashes team bonding trip to the Lake District in the last week.

“It makes you realise we’re so close to the summer now and there’s an Ashes not far away and I am very not much ready for it and still really ill,” added Cross, speaking during Mental Health Awareness Week.

“It’s been relentless. You see small stepping stones with injuries but it’s not been like that with this.

“I haven’t left my flat for three days, other than to go to Liverpool to a tropical disease specialist lab.”

Jair McAllister took five wickets as Bangladesh ‘A’ was bowled out for 264 runs on the third day of their four-day unofficial Test at Syhlet International Stadium on Thursday. Forced to follow-on trailing West Indies’ ‘A’ 427-7 declared by 163 runs, the home side were five without loss from the two overs faced in their second innings by close of play.

Bangladesh owed their first innings score to Saif Hasan’s 95 and an unbeaten 64 from wicketkeeper Jakir Ali Janik. Captain Afif Hossain Dhrubo also contributed with 45. However, they were unable to stop the onslaught of McAllister who finished with figures of 5-60 from his 15 overs.

Raymon Reifer (2-44) and Akeem Jordan (2-53) helped dismiss the home side that still trail by 158 runs.

The West Indies resumed from 417-6 with Captain Joshua da Silva on 73 and Kevin Sinclair on 47. The pair advanced the score to 427 when Da Silva was dismissed by Nayeem Hasan for 77. Sinclair remained unbeaten on 53 when the declaration came.

Nayeem Hasan who took da Silva’s wicket finished with 2-116 from 39.3 overs. Mushfik Hasan took 3-54.

Barbados Women’s won all five of their matches to be crowned champions in the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup for 2023. Playing in the final round against Leeward Islands on Wednesday, the Bajans bowled out the hosts for 74 and then reached the target of 75-3 to record an easy seven-wicket victory at Warner Park.

Barbados captain Hayley Matthews was one of the tournament’s leading performers and said it was a joy to win their fourth consecutive 50-overs regional title. She showered praise on her team-mates.

“We had high expectations so it was really good that we could have a good start to the tournament and finish it with a really good win. Throughout the tournament, we had performances and contributions from everyone which was very pleasing. The juniors were given an opportunity to come through and find their game and they did exactly that. I’m very happy with the way the seniors and junior came together to win the title,” she said.
In the other matches on Wednesday: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas defeated Guyana by 76 runs at St Paul’s Complex to end in second place, while Jamaica beat Windward Islands by eight runs in a close contest at Conaree.

The players will now switch to the T20 Blaze tournament which starts on Saturday at Warner Park.

MATCH SCHEDULE

CWI T20 Blaze (Round 1-4 to be played at Warner Park)

Round 1: Saturday 20 May

Windward Islands vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – 2:30:pm

Trinidad & Tobago red Force Divas vs Barbados – 7pm

Round 2: Sunday 21 May

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – 10am

Guyana vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas – 7pm

Round 3: Tuesday 23 May

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas vs Windward Islands – 10am

Jamaica vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Guyana vs Leeward Islands – 7pm

Round 4: Thursday 25 May

Jamaica vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas – 2:30pm

Barbados vs Windward Islands – 7pm

Round 5: Saturday 27 May – 8am

Leeward Islands vs Barbados – Warner Park

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas vs Guyana – St Paul’s

Jamaica vs Windward Islands – Conaree

Captain Joshua da Silva scored an unbeaten half-century as West Indies ‘A’ took command against Bangladesh ‘A’ on day two of the first unofficial Test between the two countries at Syhlet on Wednesday.

At close of play Da Silva was unbeaten on 73 and Kevin Sinclair not out on 47 with the West Indies 417-6.

Resuming from their overnight score of 220-2 with Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 70 and Alick Athanaze on 35, the West Indies ‘A’ pressed on to 281 when Chanderpaul was dismissed by Musfik Hasan for 83.

He had his seven fours in his 236-ball stay at the crease before Hasan had him caught behind. Four balls later Hasan caught and bowled Brandon King for a duck as the West Indies slipped from 281-2 to 281-4 after 83 overs.

Six balls and two runs later, Athanaze’s aggressive knock came to an end when he was trapped lbw by Ripon Modol for 85 and all of a sudden the West Indies were in danger of collapse at 283-5. Athanaze faced 98 balls during which he struck 12 fours and three sixes.

Da Silva and Yanick Cariah took the score past 300 during a partnership of 34 that ended when the latter was stumped off the bowling of Nayeem Hasan for 14.

The captain and Sinclair then put on an unbeaten partnership of 100 by close of play.

Musfik Hasan who took the wicket of Kirk McKenzie for 86 and Raymon Reifer for 26 on Wednesday’s opening day has been the best bowler so far taking 3-54 from the 20 overs he bowled.

Dwayne Bravo has returned to Trinbago Knight Riders ahead of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Bravo returns to the Knight Riders after two seasons with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, having won the title with them in 2021.  

Bravo is the leading wicket taker in T20 history and has more wickets than any other player at the CPL with 124 victims in this 97 matches. Bravo is also the leading wicket taker for the Knight Riders with more than 100 wickets for his home franchise. 

The all-rounder represented the Trinidad franchise from 2013 to 2020 claiming the title four times in that period. With five CPL titles Bravo is the most successful player in the tournament’s history and he is synonymous with Trinidad cricket so his return to his home team will be an exciting prospect for Knight Riders fans.

TKR Captain Kieron Pollard was elated at the news.

"Very exciting times. The champion DJ Bravo is coming back to his home franchise TKR," he said.

"Our relationship and our friendship is second to none and this is a very good opportunity for us both to represent TKR together once again, in the upcoming season. We are very happy to have him back in red and black."

 Venky Mysore, TKR Team Director was also glad to have Bravo back in the TKF fold.

 “DJ (Champion) Bravo has been one of the key pillars on which TKR has been built," he said.

"We are delighted to welcome him back home and look forward to another enjoyable season. There’s no doubt the entire #TeamTKR and our fans will eagerly look forward to seeing him back in TKR colours.”

The complete squads for the Republic Bank CPL will be announced during the draft show which will be broadcast at the end June 2023. 

James Anderson is ready to sit out England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland but is confident a groin strain picked up on county duty will not hold him back from next month’s Ashes opener.

The country’s record wicket-taker pulled up sore during day one of Lancashire’s LV= County Championship clash against Somerset last week and sat out the remainder of the clash.

His absence brought back memories of the 2019 series against Australia, when he battled back from a torn calf only to break down again on the first morning of the first Test and bring an early end to his summer.

Scans allayed the worst of those fears and even allowed the 40-year-old to appear in a 15-man squad for the one-off Lord’s Test against Ireland on June 1, but England may ultimately be happier to wrap their lead seamer in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes opener at Edgbaston two weeks later.

“I think I will be fit for the Ireland game. Whether I play or not is probably another matter really. I definitely don’t want to risk it,” he said, at an appearance for new England sponsors Radox.

“I am desperate to be fit for the first Ashes Test. If that means missing the Ireland Test, so be it.

“I feel good. I had a scan on the second day of that game – it was a little groin strain. It’s a 10-day recovery period, and I’m rehabbing already, running next week.

“It was the best result of a bad situation. That situation (in 2019) was a different injury, a more serious injury. I ripped my calf earlier that summer, and it was a real push to try to get fit for that first Test. I don’t feel like this is anywhere near that severity.”

Anderson was making his fourth appearance of the county season when he went down at Emirates Old Trafford, tuning up nicely with 16 wickets, and realised instantly he needed to withdraw.

“I was disappointed to have to pull out of a game but, with what’s to come in the summer, it was actually a pretty good result,” he said.

“It was weird how it worked out. The last ball of my spell I felt something not quite right. I came straight off, and then we came pretty much straight off for rain after that. I pulled up the next day and it wasn’t right. I went for a scan that night and it showed a strain, so there was no point risking it.”

Anderson’s likely absence against Ireland creates opportunities elsewhere, with the returning pace pair of Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts eager for action as they seek to force their way back in.

:: Anderson was speaking at a partnership launch announcing Radox as an official partner of England Cricket. Radox will be keeping cricketers and fans feeling refreshed this summer.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the appointments of Mr Hallam Nichols and Ms Gail Mathurin as new members of the CWI Board of Directors for a one-year period.

The new non-member (independent) directors were appointed following the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, 11 May. Mr Nichols is an experienced and successful businessman based in Barbados. Ms Mathurin is a former Jamaica High Commissioner to London as well as Director-General of CARICOM’s Office of Trade Negotiations.

With Ms Mathurin being named as a Director it now means that CWI will for the first time in its history have two women on the Board of Directors. The other non-member directors are Mrs Debra Coryat-Patton, a Trinidadian attorney, and Mr Manniram Prashad, a past Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce for Guyana, who were both re-appointed for a one-year period.

“We are privileged to have these two esteemed professionals, Ms. Mathurin and Mr. Nichols, as new Directors of CWI. They bring a wealth of experience with a global perspective and are highly knowledgeable about the dynamics of commercial and trade in our region,” said CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow.

“Undoubtedly, the organization will benefit immensely from their involvement and the return of Directors Coryat-Patton and Mr Prashad.”

Dr Shallow added that adding a second woman to the board is in step with CWI’s aim to bring greater diversity to the administration of the sport in the region.

“Appointing two women out of the four positions for independent directors is consistent with the aim to bring more diversity to the boardroom of Cricket West Indies. Both Ms. Mathurin and Mrs. Coryat-Patton are first-rate experts in their respective fields, and with enthusiasm, I look forward to their meaningful contributions to the Board,” said Dr Shallow, who was elected president in March.

Meanwhile, Mr Nichols said he hopes to help CWI grow.

 “I am honored to have been afforded the opportunity by Dr. Kishore Shallow and Cricket West Indies to serve in this capacity and offer my years of experience in business to help advance the West Indies cricket's agenda,” he said.

‘I am particularly keen in helping to shape the business of sport, as cricket still has tremendous untapped potential for us here in the Caribbean. I look forward to contributing to put smiles back on the faces of our people.”

Ms Mathurin said she is looking forward to working closely with the CWI president in helping to achieve his goal of helping West Indies cricket overcome its ongoing challenges.

 “As a long time, passionate fan and supporter of West Indies cricket, I am very honoured to be appointed as an independent director to the Board of CWI. I am looking forward with great excitement to working with the President Dr. Kishore Shallow, other members of the Board and the Secretariat of CWI, in addressing the challenges facing our cricket at this time.”

Lead selector for the West Indies Men’s senior team, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, says Shimron Hetmyer made himself available for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe but was not picked because team management wanted to stay with a team similar to the one that had success in South Africa in March.

The West Indies drew the ODI series 1-1 before enjoying a 2-1 victory in the T20s.

“Yes, Hetmyer was available. He did send through an email to Jimmy (Adams), our director of cricket, stating that he was available for the tour,” Haynes said.

“We have a new captain in Shai Hope and he was very happy to express his views about the type of camaraderie we had in the team in South Africa.

We as selectors saw some commitment and a real change in our approach to one-day cricket and we thought it’s only fair to stick with those guys at this time,” he added.

The left-hander, currently representing the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), last represented the regional side in the ODI format in 2021 against Australia. His last T20I appearance for the Windies came in August last year against New Zealand.

Although initially selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia between October and November last year, he was replaced in the squad after failing to board a rescheduled flight to Australia.

Haynes, however, made it clear that this is by no means the end for Hetmyer or any player who wasn’t selected.

“I must say, though, that I want the public to know that nobody has been ruled out of selection for the West Indies. We do not have the depth of players to rule out anybody for selection,” Haynes added.

The West Indies will take on the UAE in three ODIs from June 5-9 before moving over to Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers from June 18-July 9.

Trinbago Knight Riders have appointed former West Indies coach Phil Simmons as their new head coach. He replaces Abhishek Nayar, who is currently the assistant coach for Kolkata Knight Riders.

TKR, the most successful team in the history of the Caribbean Premier League with four titles, finished bottom of the league stage last year and failed to make the playoffs for the first time.

Simmons has previous coaching experience in the CPL as well and, in his most recent stint, he won the title with Barbados Royals, who were then known as Barbados Tridents.

Simmons has had two stints as head coach of West Indies, with his most recent one ending with their tour of Australia in December last year. He then went on to coach Dubai Capitals in the inaugural season of the International League T20, leading them to the playoffs.

"As captain, I'm very excited to have coach Phil with us. We have a great chemistry working together as a pair," Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard said.

"We've done it in the international scene, and it's great that we are getting the opportunity to work for TKR. Hopefully, this combination will bring smiles and some exciting results back to TKR," he added.

Apart from West Indies, Simmons has also coached Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan.

CPL 2023 gets underway on August 16, with Knight Riders playing their first game on August 19 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.