Hayley Matthews produced a spell of magic with bat and ball on Saturday to lead the West Indies Women to an eight-wicket win over Ireland Women in the third T20 international to sweep the series 3-0 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
Batting first, Ireland looked intent on posting their highest total of the series with beautiful stroke play from Amy Hunter and Orla Prendergast. The pair shared in a 66-run partnership for the second wicket when Hunter was runout for 44 off a deflection of Ashmini Munisar’s fingers.
Prendergast was caught in the deep by Shabika Gajnabi off the bowling of Afy Fletcher for 40.
Rain interrupted Ireland’s innings twice before they finished on 116-9 from their 20 overs.
Matthews saved her best bowling performance of the series for her final over when she took the wickets of Rebecca Stokell 0, Arlene Kelly 0 and Ava Canning 0 in consecutive deliveries to become only the third West Indies Women’s player to take a T20I hat-trick.
She finished with figures of 4-14 while Cherry-Ann Fraser took 2-19.
During the chase, Djenaba Joseph was caught behind for two in the second over, then Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne took over the run-chase.
The pair smashed 12 boundaries between them as they raced to the 117-run target. Matthews was closing in on her second consecutive half-century when she was bowled by Georgina Dempsey for 48 off 34 deliveries.
Chinelle Henry joined Alleyne in the middle and the pair took the West Indies Women to victory in 18.1 overs. Allyene and Henry were unbeaten on 49 and 13, respectively, as West Indies Women finished on 120-2 for an emphatic victory that pleased the team’s captain.
“I am pretty pleased. Coming into the series, anytime I put on my West Indies shirt I try to go out there and do really well, whether that be batting, bowling or fielding,” said Matthews who was voted Player of the Match and Player of the Series after taking eight wickets and scoring 135 runs for the series.
“I’m just happy I was able to contribute to the team win. It was great to see some of the younger players getting the opportunity this series and coming into their own. We’ve had debutant players perform really well. We’ve had Chinelle Henry get her maiden ODI half-century then back it up with a second one (in the series), then two not outs in the T20 series.”
Looking ahead, Matthews thanked the women she leads for their support.
“I just want to thank all the girls who have supported me since I’ve become captain. Thank you for backing me up out on the field, we have bigger challenges ahead and I look forward to their support.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the appointment of Shane Deitz as the new Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s team. The appointment was confirmed at the CWI Board of Directors meeting on Friday 30 June 2023 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Deitz, 48, is a former first-class player who represented South Australia as a wicket-keeper/batsman in 66 first-class matches between 1998 and 2008. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position, having been coaching at the professional and international levels for over a decade. He was the Head Coach of Bangladesh Women team and is currently the Head Coach of the Netherlands Women.
Johnny Grave, CWI’s Chief Executive Officer said: “We are pleased to announce Shane as our new West Indies Women’s Head Coach following a robust global recruitment process. Shane is well equipped for the role having coached extensively in both the Men’s and Women’s game, in his native Australia, as well as other parts of the world. He is dynamic, energetic, and is very familiar with the requirements of the women’s game. He brings the right skills and experience to drive the team and the women’s game in the West Indies forward.”
Shane Deitz said: "I am very honoured to have the opportunity to coach the West Indies Women’s team. West Indies cricket both men and women have a great history of success whilst playing entertaining cricket and my aim is to continue with that formula. The team has a great blend of world class senior players and some talented younger players which is a good starting point to build from. We have a lot of work to do though as reality is we are behind the top few sides in the world and we need to bridge that gap and become competitive again to challenge for World Cups in the future.”
He added: “I do believe though the nucleus is there to create a world class competitive side and that is what I will aim to do. The standard of women’s cricket is at an all-time high and we need to strive to reach those heights through good planning, a lot of hard work and then executing on the pitch. I am very excited about that challenge and can’t wait to start working with this talented squad.”
Deitz will start the role in late August ahead of the Women’s CPL and the West Indies Women’s next international assignment, the away tour of Australia in October.
The West Indies Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 International series when they defeated Ireland Women by eight wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Thursday night.
Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 113-7 in their 20 overs. Amy Hunter led the scoring with 33 from 35 deliveries with skipper Laura Delany adding a valuable 20 for the tourists.
Cherry-Ann Fraser led the West Indies bowlers with figures of 1-16 and Captain Hayley Matthews taking 1-24.
Once again, Matthews led from the front with the bat during the run-chase, bringing up her eighth T20I half-century before being dismissed on exactly 50 off 39 deliveries.
Shabika Gajnabi scored 17 in a supporting role to her captain and Chinelle Henry smashed a full toss for six and three boundaries to finish on 22 off 12 as the West Indies Women reached the 114-run target in 16.4 overs.
“I think we’re pretty happy with the result,” said Matthews, who was Player of the Match.
“Coming into this tour we wanted to be able to take home both series, so just very happy that we were able to go out there and win convincingly today and secure the T20I series.
“We had more intent going out today and we noticed early on that the wicket was a bit better on today and we went out with the intent to chase down the runs quicker. What really helped us today was the fielding, the catches and run outs we were able to take, kudos to the overall team for the bowling performance they put on and the fielders for backing them up.”
The teams will meet on Saturday, July 8 for the final T20I. First ball is at 5pm local time (4pm Jamaica time).
Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel today announced the 14-member squad for the upcoming T20 International (T20I) Series against Ireland Women at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
The squad includes three Rising Stars Women's Under 19 players – Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar, and Djenaba Joseph. West Indies will enter the T20I Series on a high having clinched the CG United ODI Series 2-0, with one match being a no result due to rain.
CWI Lead selector Mrs. Ann Browne-John said
“The selection panel decided to retain the players who completed the ODI series. These players have shown form and performance which enabled the team to secure a series win, which the team has been striving for in recent times. As we continue the rebuilding, we believe we have found a competent balance in mix of senior players and the younger players selected. It is in keeping with our ethos of preparing the next batch of West Indies women’s players, by combining the experienced and the newly capped players.”
Match tickets are available online from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - Tickets.windiescricket.com - at a discounted price of US$6/EC$16 (USS3/EC$7.50 children and seniors) with tickets available on the day at the box office at a price of US$7.50/EC$20 (US$3.75/EC$10 for children and seniors).
For fans unable to get to the games in St. Lucia, the CG United ODI Series will be exclusively live on RUSH Sports in the Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK & Ireland. The matches will also be shown around the world on FanCode (India), ESPN+ (USA), Sky NZ (NZ), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa) and in all other countries on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
FULL SQUAD
T20 International Series:
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
Half centuries from Stafanie Taylor and Chinelle Henry spurred the West Indies Women to a six-wicket victory over Ireland and a 2-0 win in the three-match CG United One Day International series at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia on Saturday.
Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 203 all out in 50 overs. The star of the Irish innings was Gaby Lewis, who was stranded on 95 not out from 121 deliveries.
Lewis shared a 50-run partnership with Cara Murray which proved crucial in steadying the ship after Ireland had lost quick wickets.
Afy Fletcher 10-0-37-3 and Shamilia Connell 4-0-16-2 kept the Irish batters in check.
In response, the West Indies Women started their innings shakily, losing a few early wickets.
However, it was Stafanie Taylor who once again rescued her side. She notched her 40th ODI half-century while showcasing her experience and composure in a challenging situation.
Taylor found a reliable partner in Chinelle Henry, who carried on her good form from the first ODI, hitting her second consecutive half-century.
Together, they put on a match-winning 104-run partnership, steering their team to a comfortable victory with 8.4 overs to spare.
This was captain Hayley Matthews first series win.
“I’m happy that we were able to get over the line in a series that we were looking to dominate,” she said.
“We earned valuable ICC Women’s Championship points, Stafanie is back in form and Chinelle is coming into her own along with debuts from our youngsters, I’d say those are some serious positives we can take away from this series.
“We all knew the potential Chinelle has and what we have been expecting from her, it’s great to see her scoring runs and I know there’s more to come.”
Taylor was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding knock of 79 not out under pressure, while the Player of the Series was given to Hayley Matthews for her all-round performance.
The two teams will now switch to the shorter format when the three-match T20 International series starts on Tuesday at the same venue. All matches will start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean time (4pm Jamaica time).
T20 International Series:
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel on Saturday announced the West Indies Women's provisional squad for the first and second CG United One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Ireland Women, to be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on 26 and 28 June.
The provisional squad includes some exciting new talent, with right-arm off-spinner Ashmini Munisar and wicketkeeper-batter Shunelle Sawh being named for the first time. Both players have shown their potential with the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s team and have now been called up to the senior West Indies Women’s squad. They will be joining their Rising Stars teammates Zaida James and Djenaba Joseph, who have already gained valuable experience representing the senior team in the Tri-Series against India and South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The squad is boosted by Chinelle Henry, the experienced allrounder, who is selected having fully recovered from the injury which kept her out of the recent CG United Super50 Cup and CWI T20 Blaze tournaments. The squad is led by captain Hayley Matthews and vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle. The official squad of thirteen players will be named ahead of each match.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s Cricket, Ann Browne-John, said: “The CG United ODI series against Ireland gives a good opportunity for batters to focus and to stay longer at the crease and build an innings. A number of the younger players would be transitioning from the shorter format to the fifty over format. They definitely have the potential, and it is important that the policy of identifying young players and developing the talent pool is continued.”
Browne-John added: “The squad shows a great balance of batting coupled with a variety of bowling styles, which is something that has been lacking in the recent past. Victory here will provide valuable points as the team attempts to move up in the rankings and qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.”
The matches are West Indies Women’s only home fixture in 2023. The three CG United ODIs comprise West Indies’ third fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship where they are pushing to win points to achieve a top five position to qualify automatically for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025.
Match tickets are available online from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - Tickets.windiescricket.com - at a discounted price of US$6/EC$16 (USS3/EC$7.50 children and seniors) with tickets available on the day at the box office at a price of US$7.50/EC$20 (US$3.75/EC$10 for children and seniors).
For fans unable to get to the games in St. Lucia, the CG United ODI Series will be exclusively live on Flow Sports in the Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK & Ireland. The matches will also be shown around the world on FanCode (India), ESPN+ (USA), Sky NZ (NZ), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa) and in all other countries on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
PROVISIONAL SQUAD for 1st and 2nd CG United ODIs
Match Schedule
(All matches played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia.
CG United ODI Series:
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
T20 International Series:
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Former West Indies batsman turned coach Robert Samuels has been appointed Interim Head Coach for the West Indies Women’s team for the upcoming CG United One Day International (ODI) Series and West Indies T20 International (T20I) series against Ireland in St. Lucia.
Samuels, a former Jamaica captain played six Test matches and eight ODIs in addition to 106 first-class matches and 77 List A matches. His most recent role was as an Assistant Coach with the West Indies Women team.
“Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period. He has great knowledge of the players and the women’s game in general and strong knowledge of the support staff, so it’s almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as interim head coach,” said CWI’s High Performance Manager Graeme West.
“He has his own ideas and is trying to implement them now as Interim head coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days and I’m sure it will continue throughout the series.”
Samuels will be supported by interim assistant coaches, former West Indies spin bowler, Ryan Austin and Steve Liburd, the former Leeward Islands batsman and captain. Liburd is the head coach of the West Indies Women's U19 Rising Stars.
The West Indies 18-member squad is in training camp at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia where they are preparing to face Ireland Women in the three-match CG United ODI Series which starts on Monday June 26. This will be followed by the three-match T20I Series from July 4 to 8.
The matches are West Indies Women’s only home fixture in 2023. The three CG United ODIs comprise West Indies’ third fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship where they are pushing to win points to achieve a top five position to qualify automatically for the ICC 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Match Schedule – All matches played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia.
CG United ODI Series:
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
West Indies T20I Series:
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time).
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel today announced the preliminary squad of players who will participate in a training camp in preparation for the upcoming six-match Series against Ireland Women.
The training camp will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 14 to 21 June, where the players will have training and fitness sessions as well as strategic preparations for the three-match CG United One Day International (ODI) Series. The CG United ODI Series will be played from 26 June to 1 July and is the West Indies Women’s third series in the ICC Women’s Championship, where the top five teams in the ten-team league qualify automatically for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The preliminary squad includes a mix of experienced players and promising young talents. Cherry-Ann Fraser returns to add depth and experience to the team’s bowling attack after missing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup due to injury. Left-handed allrounder Qiana Joseph, who last played international cricket in 2021, also returns to the training camp squad. She was among the leading players in the recent Women’s CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze played in St Kitts.
Several West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 players have been included in the preliminary squad. Zaida James, Jannillea Glasgow, Djenaba Joseph, Shunelle Sawh, and Under-19s captain Ashmini Munisar have all earned their place in the squad. Their inclusion reflects CWI’s commitment to developing younger talent and expanding the Women’s talent pool by providing opportunities for younger players to showcase their skills at the international level.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket Ann Browne-John said: “The series against Ireland is an important one for the West Indies Women as the team seeks to build points to qualify directly for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It also serves as a perfect opportunity to continue to expose younger players to international cricket. This was a policy that the CWI embarked upon which resulted in Under 19 players being selected to the team for the England Series in December and the ICC T20 World Cup in February.”
Browne-John added: “This is now being taken one step further and there are five players who participated in the ICC Women’s Under 19 T20 World Cup in January, now in the squad preparing for the series against Ireland. This means that there are some senior players who are not able to get a place in the squad at this time. The Selection Panel however believes that this squad has a good mix of youth and experience as we continue to build the West Indies team of the future.”
The Women’s Selection Panel will announce the official West Indies Women’s squad ahead of the three-match CG United ODI Series, with the T20I squad announced later.
WI WOMEN TRAINING SQUAD
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced the match schedule and venue for the West Indies Women’s international home series against Ireland Women. The highly anticipated series will feature three CG United One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 26 June to 9 July.
The first two CG United ODIs will bowl off at 10am (9am Jamaica Time), with the third being a day/night game, starting at 3pm (2pm Jamaica). The three T20Is will commence at 5pm (4pm Jamaica).
The ODIs hold significant weight in this series, as they contribute crucial points to the ICC Women's Championship and the results will therefore directly impact qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India.
CWI’s High Performance Manager Graeme West said: “The Ireland Series is the only engagement in the region for the Senior Women in 2023 and its critical we maximize ‘home’ advantage in the three CG United ODIs as we continue our qualification campaign towards the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The three T20Is will kick start the preparation towards the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup which the team has already qualified for.”
West added, “Ireland have shown great improvement in recent times and the game between the two sides in February at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa was a thriller. We will need to prepare well for both series with very clear game plans, the squad will get time in St Lucia prior to the first ODI to establish the key roles and focus areas that each player will be required to execute in order to play winning cricket. It’s exciting to be taking international Women’s Cricket back to St Lucia, the island is developing a number of exciting young female players and we hope the Ireland games can inspire more girls to get involved and start their own cricket journeys.”
Fans worldwide can join the excitement as all eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Furthermore, live ball-by-ball scoring will be available on the Match Centre at www.windiescricket.com, ensuring fans do not miss a single moment of the action.
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday, 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Thursday, 29 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 2 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Wednesday, 5 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Friday, 7 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 9 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
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.
The West Indies Women’s and Men’s teams will both tour Australia during the Australian summer, with dates and venues confirmed by Cricket Australia (CA) on Sunday. The West Indies Women will tour in October 2023 for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is), while the West Indies Men will tour in January and February 2024 for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.
The Women’s ODIs form part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women's Championship, while the Tests will be part of the 2023-2025 ICC Men’s World Test Championship.
The Women’s T20 International Series will bowl off at the North Sydney Oval with two matches scheduled for Sunday, October 1st, and Monday, October 2nd, culminating with the third match at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Thursday, October 5th.
Following the T20I Series, the West Indies Women will gear up for the ODI series, which commences on Sunday, October 8th, at Allan Border Field, before heading to Melbourne for the final two matches at the Junction Oval on Thursday, October 12th, and Monday, October 15th.
Hayley Matthews, the captain of the West Indies Women, expressed her excitement about the upcoming tour.
“We are looking forward to this opportunity to play against Australia as part of the ICC Women's Championship cycle. We look forward to putting up a strong fight, as we’ve been working hard to refine our skills and strategies. I’m sure the fans are going to see some entertaining cricket,” she said.
The West Indies Women will first be playing their next international fixtures against Ireland Women in June and July before heading to Australia, with the schedule for the Ireland Tour of the West Indies to be announced shortly.
The West Indies Men’s tour of Australia will start with the Test Series, playing for the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy, named in honor of the former West Indies captain and icon. The first Test will be played at Adelaide Oval on 17-21 January 2024. The second Test will be a day/night match using the pink ball at The Gabba in Brisbane from 25-29 January.
Following the Tests, the West Indies will play three day/night ODIs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Friday, February 2nd), the Sydney Cricket Ground (Sunday, February 4th) and the Manuka Oval, Canberra (Tuesday, February 6th). The three T20Is will be at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart, Tasmania (Friday, February 9th), the Adelaide Oval (Sunday, February 11th) and the Perth Stadium (Tuesday, February 13th).
MATCH SCHEDULES
Women’s Tour
1st October: 1st T20I at North Sydney Oval, Sydney
2nd October: 2nd T20I at North Sydney Oval, Sydney (night)
5th October: 3rd T20I at Allan Border Field, Brisbane (night)
8th October: 1st ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane
12th October: 2nd ODI at Junction Oval, Melbourne
15th October: 3rd ODI at Junction Oval, Melbourne
Men’s Tour
17th-21st January: 1st Test at Adelaide Oval, 10.00am
25th-29th January: 2nd Test at Gabba, Brisbane (day/night)
2nd February: 1st ODI at MCG, Melbourne (day/night)
4th February: 2nd ODI at SCG, Sydney (day/night)
6th February: 3rd ODI at Manuka Oval, Canberra (day/night)
9th February: 1st T20I at Blundstone Arena, Hobart (night)
11th February: 2nd T20I at Adelaide Oval, (night)
13th February: 3rd T20I at Perth Stadium, (day/night)
Sacked West Indies Women’s Coach Courtney Walsh said he was shocked and disappointed by his dismissal by Cricket West Indies as he feels the players were showing signs of improvement.
CWI announced early this week that the contracts of Walsh, Robert Samuels and Corey Collymore were not renewed and that they were looking at recruiting new coaches for the West Indies Women, who have struggled for form for the past three years.
Walsh took over from Gus Logie in October 2020. Under his charge the West Indies Women won seven out of 24 T20Is and 11 of 32 ODIs. The team lost 15 consecutive T20 matches and made it to the semi-final of the ICC Women 50-over World Cup in 2022.
However, during T20 World Cup in South Africa, West Indies failed to qualify for the knockout round after winning two matches - against Pakistan and Ireland - in the group stage.
Notwithstanding, Walsh while a guest on Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday, Walsh said he was surprised when he was told that his contract was not going to be renewed.
"I was surprised at the time when I was told, but it was a job, and I was employed until the end of last month when I was told the contract won't be renewed," Walsh said.
"The timing was very surprising. I would have much preferred to have known earlier, but that's not my call. I got a message to call him [CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams] and I called him, and he told me the contract won't be renewed."
Walsh also revealed that he was disheartened by the news that the Samuels and Collymore had also suffered a similar fate as he believes the players were showing signs of progress.
"I was also disappointed to find out that the other coaches were not going to be reinstated, as well. I thought we were making some strides with the girls and the pool of players we had at the time,” Walsh said.
“We suffered injuries to players at some crucial times, but we still fought through it, and I felt the coaches worked really hard in trying to get the best team we could on the park in tough times.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) will shortly be starting the process to recruit a new West Indies Women’s team Head Coach after taking the decision not to renew the contract of Women’s Head Coach Courtney Walsh and Technical Assistant Coaches Robert Samuels and Corey Collymore. This follows a review of the senior Women’s team performances and programme.
During Walsh's tenure, which started in October 2020, he oversaw Home and Away Series wins to Pakistan and secured a semi-final spot in the 2022 ICC Women's 50-over Cricket World Cup.
CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said “We are very grateful for the contribution of Courtney and his technical team over the past two and a half years and we wish them all the best going forward. CWI remains committed to our international women's programme and will now be focusing on recruiting a new Head Coach and technical support team. An interim technical support team will be put in place during the recruitment period.”
Further information on the recruitment process will be provided in the coming weeks with the coaching roles being critical for the development of women’s cricket in the West Indies. In recent years, CWI has significantly increased investment into the women’s game at every level focusing on deepening the talent pool within the Caribbean and producing the next generation of West Indies Women’s players.
On the back of their win against Ireland that broke a streak of 15 consecutive losses in T20 Internationals, the West Indies Women pulled off a thrilling three-run win against Pakistan Women at Paarl on Sunday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the West Indies scored 116-6 from their 20 overs. Needing 117 for victory, Pakistan feel short scoring 113-5.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the West Indies Women got off to a solid start scoring 33 runs but lost their captain Hayley Matthews for 20 in the six over.
Rashada Williams and Shemaine Campbell added 40 for the second wicket but then Williams was dismissed by Sadia Iqbal for 30.
Chinelle Henry, who joined Campbell at the crease, scored a quick 10 from 11 balls but was soon dismissed, out leg before to Nida Dal with the score at 86.
Campbell was next to go for 22 and the West Indies Women had lost their way, scoring 26 from the final 26 balls with Shabika Gajnabi scoring 13 and Aaliyah Alleyne nine.
Having bowled Alleyne at the death, Dar finished with 2-13 with Iqbal taking 1-18.
Pakistan Women made hard work of the chase losing their first two wickets with only 15 runs on the board during the Powerplay.
Captain Bismah Maroof and Dar put on 44 for the third wicket but then Dar was dismissed by Afy Fletcher for 27. Maroof was next to go for 26 after she and Aliya Riaz had put on 30 for the fourth wicket.
Riaz threatened to take the game away from the West Indies in the final over with her team needing 17 for victory.
After Fatima Sana hit Shamilia Connell for four off the first ball, she took a single to leave Pakistan nine runs short of the target with three balls remaining.
She hit Connell for consecutive fours but then chopped the fifth onto her stumps to be out for 29.
Matthews, who the wickets of opener Muneeba Ali for five and Maroof ended with 2-14.
Karishma Ramharack took 1-18 while Connell returned figures of 1-31.
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