England captain Jos Buttler told his side to “let it hurt” after their World Cup campaign hit the skids with a shock defeat to Afghanistan.

The defending champions were thrashed by 69 runs in Delhi, dismissed for 215 with almost 10 overs to spare by a team who walked into the contest with a record of 16 defeats from the previous 17 World Cup matches.

That their only previous success came against associates Scotland in 2015 makes the result, and the comfortable margin, even more remarkable.

And while it will go down in Afghan sporting history, England may end up reflecting on the day their title defence ended.

They are not down and out yet, with six group games still to play, but two losses from their first three games mean they must put together a near-perfect run to reach the semi-finals.

Buttler looked drained and drawn by events at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and accepted his side would need to feel some pain before plotting their response.

“It’s really disappointing. We came here today wanting to put in a really good performance and we got outplayed,” he said.

“You’ve got to let these defeats hurt. Let it hurt; then try to figure out where we need to get better.

“It never feels good; you never like losing games of cricket or not performing to the level you want to.

“As a whole, we were not at the level we would like to be in a World Cup. On the field and off it, we will be trying to put it right.

“It’s a big setback. Before the tournament started it’s not how you would have looked at the first three results.

“We’ve got to show a lot of character, a lot of resilience within the team and most of all a lot of belief.”

England have plenty of issues to ponder when they relocate to Mumbai for what now seems a must-win clash against in-form South Africa.

Chris Woakes continued an underwhelming start to the tournament and was awarded just four of his allotted 10 overs after being flogged for 41.

For a player who has so often set England up with new ball discipline, his struggles appear emblematic of a team struggling to reach their own high bar.

Woakes sent down a wide from the first ball of the match, with Buttler nutmegging himself behind the stumps as the ball tricked away to the boundary rope. As a portent of what was to come, it felt apt.

It was also telling that England ended up relying on 24 overs of spin having overlooked Moeen Ali – including a full 10 from Liam Livingstone for the first time in ODI cricket and four from the part-time Joe Root.

“Maybe the conditions didn’t play quite as we thought they would. Obviously throughout our bowling innings, spin was the main threat,” he said.

“Maybe there wasn’t quite as much dew as we thought there was and maybe the pitch didn’t quite play how we thought it would having watched a few games here so far in the tournament.

“But first ball of the day I missed one and it sort of set the tone.”

Former England batter Jonathan Trott, forging a new path now as the Afghanistan head coach, was beaming after landing the biggest scalps of his career.

“It’s always nice. I think I’ll take any victory. I’m very proud of the performance, whether it’s against England or not,” he said.

“I know that the players and the coaching staff deserve it. I’m very keen not to put a dampener on things.

“I never soaked up enough or enjoyed moments like this. I’m certainly going to say to the guys, enjoy tonight and, spend the time together, whatever you want to do.

“If this can bring a smile to people’s faces anywhere in the world, but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket in Afghanistan, then that’s the sort of the goal that’s been achieved.”

England captain Jos Buttler admitted his side were “outplayed” by Afghanistan after they slumped to a shock World Cup defeat in Delhi.

Set 285 to win after electing to field, defending champions England were skittled out for just 215 as the underdogs won a World Cup match for only the second time.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler said: “It’s disappointing, having won the toss and elected to field.

“It’s a tough loss to take, congratulations to Afghanistan, they outplayed us today.

“It’s about execution and we were not at the level we wanted to be with the ball and the bat.

“They are a really skilful attack with some fantastic spin bowlers. They put us under lots of pressure and we weren’t quite good enough today.

“You’ve got to let these defeats hurt, reflect and work on the areas we need to do better. We’ve got lots of resilience and we’ll come back fighting.”

England, who won the World Cup in 2019, have now lost two of their opening three matches to leave their hopes of a place in the semi-finals in the balance.

“We’ll let tonight sink in before thinking about that,” Buttler added on Sky Sports.

“I’ve experienced a few lows so far in my career. Going back to 2019 we lost a couple of games early on to leave us in a position where we had to win and we were good enough to do it.”

Ben Stokes was missing from the England team and Buttler said: “He’s been working hard but just wasn’t quite fit for today.”

Former England captain Michael Atherton was full of praise for Afghanistan and felt England were always chasing the game.

He told Sky Sports: “I thought they started badly, sloppily, five wides at the start, a misfield. They just looked a bit off the pace and that sets the tone.

“Harry Brook played excellently but nobody else really. They were well beaten.

“They’ve lost two matches badly. They’ve not given themselves much margin for error.

“It is the greatest night in (Afghanistan’s) cricketing history. They played brilliantly and outplayed England and won this game fair and square.

“It’s been an amazing rise to prominence, cricket in Afghanistan, and this is their high point to beat the World Cup holders.”

Player of the match Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who took three wickets, told Sky Sports: “It’s a very proud moment to be here beating the world champions, a great achievement for the whole nation and the team.

“It was a wonderful performance from the bowlers and the batters.”

England’s hopes of defending the World Cup suffered an almighty blow in Delhi, where underdogs Afghanistan pulled off a stunning upset to floor the 2019 champions.

Jos Buttler’s side were roundly outplayed on their way to a shock 69-run defeat and have now lost two of their first three games in India to leave their chances of emerging from the group stage hanging by a thread.

Set 285 to win after putting their opponents in, England imploded for 215 in front of a frenzied crowd who roared on Afghanistan’s triumph as if it were glorious home win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

In terms of English stumbles on the biggest stage in one-day cricket this was a result to rank alongside the 2011 loss to Ireland in Bengaluru – a game that current Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott played in.

Afghanistan are a more talented side but two thumping losses against India and Bangladesh, allied with England’s hard-won reputation in white-ball cricket, still render this a seismic result.

The heavy margin, and the 9.3 unused overs, only increase the magnitude. Harry Brook, the youngest and least experienced member of the England side, fought a lone hand with 66 but with precious little support and a lethargic bowling display it was nowhere near enough.

England slumped to a shock World Cup defeat against Afghanistan in Delhi.

The defending champions were dismissed for 215 as they failed to chase down their target of 285.

Here, the PA news agency recalls five other World Cup humiliations for England.

Bangladesh, Adelaide, March 2015

Eoin Morgan’s men were consigned to a group-stage exit from the World Cup, alongside the likes of the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan, after failing to chase down Bangladesh’s 275 for seven.

Netherlands, Chattogram, March 2014

England bowed out of the T20 World Cup with a shambolic 45-run defeat. In pursuit of 133 for five, Stuart Broad’s side – who had won the toss and opted to chase – mustered a risible 88 all out, just eight more than their worst-ever score in the format.

Ireland, Bangalore, March 2011

Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest-ever World Cup century to lead Ireland to a three-wicket win. O’Brien made 113 off 63 balls as Ireland recovered from 111 for five to chase down 328 and claim a stunning victory.

Netherlands, Lord’s, June 2009

The Netherlands beat England by four wickets from the last ball of their T20 World Cup group match match at Lord’s. The hosts, without the injured Kevin Pietersen, were still expected to prevail with ease. Instead, despite a century opening stand between Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright, their 162 for five proved insufficient.

Zimbabwe, Albury, March 1992

Zimbabwe recorded just their second World Cup win by skittling out England for 125 in Australia. The underdogs only posted 134 themselves but Graham Gooch fell to the first ball in the reply and the rest of the order quickly followed with Eddo Brandes taking four wickets.

President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, pledges support to Cricket West Indies (CWI) for the redevelopment of cricket in the Caribbean through infrastructural development, cricket programmes, and commercial opportunities.

On 13 October, 2023, President Ali and CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow, met at State House in Guyana as part of the commitment to strengthen stakeholder relationships across the region. CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe; CWI Independent Director, Manniram Prashad; and Owner of Guyana Amazon Warriors, Dr. Ranjisinghi Bobby Ramroop were also in attendance.

The Head of State reiterated his commitment to establishing a partnership with CWI to improve the overall performance of West Indies cricket. One of the primary objectives will be establishing a High-Performance Centre in Guyana to service cricketers from across the region.

His Excellency said, “We are excited as a government to play our part with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) in the new re-development of cricket in the region. We welcome the partnership with CWI in the development of a regional High-Performance Centre and cricket academy here in Guyana."

He added his intention to work with the CWI President to advance the popularity and growth of the sport on multiple fronts in the Caribbean.

"We are also working with President Dr. Shallow and Cricket West Indies on advancing some innovative ideas in bringing more opportunities to our cricket players and spectators in the Region. I believe strongly that defining our product as distinct from other regions and countries is critical in the rebranding and repositioning CWI globally. Such a plan must incorporate the culture, people and natural beauty of our region."

President Ali underscored the importance of collaboration between parties with an interest in advancing the development of cricket at every level. He said, “I urge CWI to unify their efforts in rebuilding and strengthening our cricket in the interests of all stakeholders.”

Dr. Shallow lauded His Excellency for Guyana’s investments in cricket thus far and recognized the potential of collaborating with Guyana. He expressed, “President Ali’s commitment to cricket is evident with the major investments to stage the magnificent cricket festival, including the CPL finals in Guyana. His zeal for the success of West Indies cricket is unquestionable. This partnership with Guyana promises tremendous value for our young and emerging cricketers who will have access to world-class facilities and programs comparable to the best in the world. I emphasize that for West Indies teams to be iconic again, it is imperative that there is considerable collaboration between CWI and governments in our region.”

Guyana has successfully hosted the last two Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals. Their cricket festival, culminating with CPL's final, is emerging to be a regional calendar event, having attracted thousands of visitors to Guyana.

Joe Root has no intention of walking away from ODI cricket at the end of the Cricket World Cup, insisting he would happily sign up for another four-year cycle.

England’s squad is loaded with 11 thirty-somethings and it would be no surprise to see several call time once the title defence is over next month – win or lose.

Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes are among those who could call it a day, the latter for a second time.

Root has none of the major fitness issues that have plagued Stokes and, at 32, time is on his side. Having found himself surplus to requirements in T20 cricket for the last four years, he sees no reason to pigeonhole himself as a Test specialist.

Questions persist over what role the 50-over game will play in an increasingly congested global schedule in the near future but with the 2027 edition already awarded to South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the showpiece event does not appear to going anywhere soon.

And Root, for one, plans to be there.

“Yeah, I’d like to go on a safari!” he said.

“I’d love to still be playing in four years’ time. The cricket landscape’s forever changing isn’t it, but I can’t see myself not being there unless I’m not good enough and guys have gone past me.

“Retire? No. I’ll get pushed before that.”

Root has already assured himself his latest page in England’s history books since arriving in India, overtaking Graham Gooch as the country’s record run-scorer at World Cups. Having passed his mark of 897 in the win over Bangladesh, Root should become the first Englishman to reach four figures before the end of the tournament.

But for now, that is a peripheral concern to the team’s wider ambitions.

“It’s got to mean something over a long period of time to hold any weight,” he said.

“It would be nice if we win a World Cup at the end of it, because we’d have two World Cups and I’d be the leading run-scorer. But, from a personal point of view, they’re all niceties. It’s got to stand for something and the only way it does is if we go on this thing, which we know we can.”

West Indies Women suffered an 8-wicket defeat to Australia in the 3^rd One Day International at Junction Oval, which gave Australia a 2-0 series win in the three-match series, after the second game was abandoned due to rain.

The West Indies Women were sent in to bat first and they struggled against a disciplined Australian bowling attack, failing to post a challenging total. Wicketkeeper/batter Rashada Williams once again led the team with the bat as she top-scored with a patient 23 off 71 deliveries. Skipper Hayley Matthews was next best with 23 off 17 falling for the second time in series to Kim Garth. Cherry-Ann Fraser provided some late hope at the end of the innings with 19 off 34 deliveries, which included a mighty 6. Annabel Sutherland was the pick of the Australian bowlers, finishing with figures of 4-0-23-3, followed by Tahlia McGrath with 3.4-0-10-2.

In their run-chase, skipper Alyssa Healy ensured her team got their quickly, with a 27-ball 32. Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney were at the crease when victory was achieved in 15.3 over, on 29 and 11 respectively.

This tour was always viewed as a challenging one for the West Indies Women, aimed to exposing the younger brigade to conditions starkly different from the Caribbean and to compete against the top-ranked side in the world. The main goal was learning and adapting, and in that sense, there were takeaways.

Despite the setbacks in the ODI series, the T20I series had previously highlighted the raw talent and potential the West Indies Women possess. They showed their ability to not only compete but also snatch a world-record win the 2^nd T20I against the best in the business.

In the post-match presentation, captain Hayley Matthews reflected on the ODI series. She said, “I think for us we definitely got to find a way for more of our batters to chip in. It's disappointing for many of us, especially throughout the ODI series not being able to get totals on the board. However, we recognize the calibre of the opposition and knew the challenges of this tour. But reflecting upon our performances, we believe we can and should do better.”

The road ahead for the West Indies Women is an exciting one, with away series lined up against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2024, but the team's eyes are firmly set on the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next September-October.

While the tour's results may not have been in their favour, the lessons learned will undoubtedly serve as a building block for the future. The journey to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be one to watch, with the West Indies Women looking to bounce back stronger.

Match Schedule and Results

1 October: 1st T20I at North Sydney Oval, Sydney – Australia won by 8 wickets

2 October: 2nd T20I at North Sydney Oval, Sydney – West Indies won by 7 wickets

5 October: 3rd T20I at Allan Border Field, Brisbane – Australia won by 47 runs

8 October: 1st ODI at Allan Border Field, Brisbane – Australia won by 8 wickets

12 October: 2nd ODI at Junction Oval, Melbourne – 10:05am local time (7:05pm October 11 Eastern Caribbean/6:05pm Jamaica)- Match abandoned

14 October: 3rd ODI at Junction Oval, Melbourne – 10:05am local time (7:05pm October 13 Eastern Caribbean/6:05pm Jamaica)- Australia won by 8 wickets

Joe Root has seen “good signs” from Ben Stokes as he steps up his recovery from injury, but England’s World Cup clash against Afghanistan on Sunday could still come too soon.

Stokes reversed his ODI retirement to take part in England’s trophy defence but suffered a hip problem on the eve of the tournament and watched the first two games from the sidelines.

He has been building up his workloads gradually and completed running and fielding drills at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday night before a lengthy net session under lights.

The 32-year-old is clearly straining to get back on the pitch, but his movement appeared to restricted at the crease and he did not look entirely comfortable, despite doling out some powerful blows to batting coach Marcus Trescothick’s throw downs.

The temptation to get him back in the side is obvious but, with a crunch clash against in-form South Africa on the horizon next week, England could err towards a cautious approach.

The worst case scenario would see him aggravate the problem against the unfancied Afghans and set his recovery even further back.

“Ben seems to be getting better day by day, he’s trained really well, he’s had a bat and seems to be improving,” said Root, echoing familiar sentiments that have been coming out of the England camp.

“They’re all good signs. As we all know, any team with Ben in it is a lot stronger, but he’s got to be fit to play. We’ll see whether that’s the case for tomorrow.”

While Stokes is still awaiting his first opportunity to make his mark on the competition, Root has been at his reliable best since touching down in India.

He struggled for runs and timing in the tune-up series against New Zealand on home soil – dismissed for six, zero, four and a scratchy 29 – leading to concerns that the team’s most bankable scorer was in a rut.

But he has scotched the idea with fluent knocks of 77 and 82 and credits a switch of mindset with unlocking his form.

“I did find that New Zealand series quite a strange one, I was trying to find something to come to the World Cup with,” he admitted.

“But when you get here and you’re in that tournament mentality of ‘this is what it’s all about’ you need to stand up and deliver.

“It’s a different frame of mind and that really helped me coming out here. You’ve got a real purpose to what you’re doing. I do enjoy playing cricket in India. It suits my game quite nicely.”

Chris Woakes rejoined training after a day off with sickness, meaning England once again have a full compliment of bowlers.
They could go in unchanged following their win over Bangladesh in Dharamshala, but will consider Surrey’s Gus Atkinson if they decided to rest Mark Wood.

Shane Dowrich, the experienced wicket-keeper/batsman, has been named to captain the Combined Campuses and Colleges in the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup. Dowrich is one of two Test players in the 14-member squad. The other is fast bowler Chemar Holder.

The squad also includes two members of the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 team which recently toured Sri Lanka. They are Jordan Johnson, the left-handed batsman and Isai Thorne, the strongly-built fast bowler. The team was announced on Friday following a preparation and selection camp at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Grounds of the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) at the St. Augustine Campus.

Head Coach Floyd Reifer gave an assessment of the team’s preparation for the region’s premier List A 50-over tournament which will feature a new eight-team league format followed by Semi-Finals and Finals to determine the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup Champions.

“We had a really good camp at UWI SPEC and the players all look ready for the tournament. Last year it was good to be back, and we are happy to be here once again this year in the regional tournament,” Reifer said.

“What we want to do is to start planting the seed, so they can blossom. I know the brand of cricket we want to develop in West Indies cricket so we looked to inculcate that in our preparations and when we take to the field.” 

The 50-over tournament will officially bowl off in Trinidad on the morning of Tuesday 17 October with the opening match between home side Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and the CCC at the Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) at 9am (8am Jamaica). Also on Tuesday, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will face the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in the first televised match at 1pm (12 noon Jamaica).

The Tournament will feature 31 matches to be played at three venues: the BLCA, the QPO and UWI SPEC – with the final on Saturday 11 November under lights.

FULL SQUAD

Shane Dowrich (captain)

Kadeem Alleyne

Jediah Blades

Romario Greaves

Chemar Holder

Johann Jeremiah

Jordan Johnson

Kirstan Kallicharan

Abhijai Mansingh

Shaqkere Parris

Akshaya Persad

Shatrughan Rambaran

Demario Richards

Isai Thorne

Team Management Unit

Floyd Reifer (Head Coach)

Pedro Collins (Assistant Coach)

Keno Mason (Assistant Coach)

Ryerson Bhagoo (Team Manager)

Kelly Coonjah (Physiotherapist)

Candace Joseph (Strength and Conditioning Coach)

Avenesh Seetaram (Analyst)

India could welcome back Shubman Gill as they bid to continue their World Cup stranglehold over Pakistan in front of more than 100,000 fans and an audience of up to one billion viewers worldwide.

Fraught relations between the neighbouring countries mean their only showdowns in the last decade have been at multi-team events, with India winning seven out of seven contests at the 50-over World Cup.

They are favourites to extend that record at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will be a sea of blue as thousands of Pakistan fans have been unable to secure Indian visas.

Gill, the leading run-scorer in ODIs this year, may return for the tournament’s marquee fixture, having sat out India’s wins over Australia and Afghanistan after being laid low by a bout of dengue fever.

He batted in the nets on Thursday and India captain Rohit Sharma, a centurion against Afghanistan on Wednesday, said of his fellow opener: “99 per cent he is available. We’ll see.”

If Gill, who possesses an incredible average of 66.1 and 102.84 strike-rate from 35 ODIs, is selected then Ishan Kishan will almost certainly make way as the hosts look to make it three wins from three.

Rohit, though, refused to divulge whether India will restore Ravichandran Ashwin to the line-up and go with a three-prong spin attack also including left-armers Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “We are ready for whatever combination we want to play. If the requirement is there for us to play three spinners, we will play three spinners.”

Rohit also rejected the notion home advantage could count against India, adding: “You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is.

“My overall experience playing, not just in India, even outside India, we get massive support. I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But you’ve got to play good cricket to win the game.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam needed no reminding of the one-sided nature of the rivalry, with India winning by 89 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in their last fixture in Manchester in 2019.

But Babar insisted Pakistan can take comfort from their 2017 Champions Trophy final win over their adversaries as well as a stunning 10-wicket triumph at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

“I don’t focus on the past, I try to focus on the future,” Babar said. “Such records are made to be broken and I try to break them.

“We were not able to execute in the past, but we changed it in 2021 and 2017. We won against India in the World Cup. We hadn’t done that before, but we did it.

“We believe that we can do it and we will go with full confidence.”

Babar is the top-ranked ODI batter in the world but has had a modest start to the tournament with innings of five and 10 in Pakistan’s wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

“My World Cup till right now has not been as it should have been,” he added. “But hopefully you will see some difference in the next matches.”

England’s World Cup bolter Harry Brook admits he is still trying to “figure out the format” after being asked to fill a Ben Stokes-shaped gap in the one-day side.

Just six weeks ago Brook was making plans to watch the tournament from home after being left out of the provisional squad, but things have moved fast since then.

He replaced Jason Roy just before the deadline after an eye-catching response to being left out and, when Stokes suffered a hip injury shortly after arriving in India, Brook found himself promoted from reserve batter to first-choice for games against New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Stokes looks set to miss out again on Sunday, when they face Jonathan Trott’s Afghanistan in Delhi, but was running more freely in training at the Arun Jaitley Stadium two days out.

That would give Brook another chance to make the most of his unexpected opportunity in a version of the game that has taken a back seat in the Yorkshire batter’s formative years.

Already a rising star in the Test arena and a T20 world champion, he has played a grand total of 23 List A fixtures, with eight of those on the international stage.

With the advent of The Hundred relegating the Metro Bank Cup’s status, he is representative of a generation of upcoming English talent with limited 50-over experience and finds himself in the unusual position of learning the ropes at the highest possible level.

“I’m very inexperienced in this format. It does make a big difference having not played it, I think,” he said.

“Hopefully I can pick it up fairly quickly after the last couple of games and, if I get another go, then try and make a big score.

“You’ve just got to try to construct an innings better than I have done in the games I’ve played, just keep on trying to learn and figure out the format.”

Brook has made bright starts in both Ahmedabad and Dharamshala only to be dismissed for 25 and 20.

The numbers tell a story – with his 45 runs comprising 34 in boundaries and coming off just 31 balls. In a side famed for its relentless commitment to attack, there is a suspicion that the 24-year-old may have gone too hard, too soon.

“Everybody’s just said ‘you’ve got a lot more time than you think’,” he said.

“It’s almost approaching the start of your innings like a Test match and then, the longer you’re in, the easier it gets and the less the ball’s moving around.

“I’ve played so much T20 cricket over the last couple of years, if you see a ball go above your eyeline your eyes light up and you want to smack it. But I’ll just give myself a bit more time and make a big one soon.”

England are taking Stokes’ fitness on a day-by-day basis, but the next game against an in-form South Africa is likely to be a greater priority than Afghanistan. Either way, there is no question that a place awaits as soon as he gets a green light.

“Obviously Stokesy has to come back in. He’s one of the best players to ever play for England,” was Brook’s assessment. “Whether it’s me or someone else missing out, he’s 100 per cent coming back in the team.”

Chris Woakes was absent from Friday’s floodlit training session due to sickness, with Gus Atkinson and David Willey standing by.

The pacy Atkinson has an even thinner track record in 50-over cricket than Brook, playing just five times in the format and taking just six wickets, but has impressed England with his direct, attacking style and has the pace to trouble top batters.

Former West Indies cricket captain Dwayne Bravo is calling for the youth of Trinidad and Tobago to follow their dreams and stay away from a life of crime.

Bravo, who turned 40 on Saturday, took to Instagram this week to share his thoughts on the crime situation.

"To the youths out there, please find your passion and follow your dreams! Drugs and guns (are) not the way forward,” said Bravo.

The two-time T20 World Cup winner made the plea under an excerpt of his song "Sad Place".

At the end of September 2023, the twin island republic had recorded 454 murders for the year. Crime statistics on the police website show this is an increase from the 436 murders reported for the same period in 2022.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed the squads for seven of the eight teams that will compete in the CG United Super50 Cup.

The Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) squad will be named after their ongoing preparation and selection camp in Trinidad.

The 50-over tournament will officially bowl off in Trinidad on the morning of Tuesday 17 October with the opening match between home side Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and CCC at the Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) at 9am (8am Jamaica).

Also on Tuesday, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will face the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in the first televised match at 1pm (12 noon Jamaica).

The Tournament will feature 31 matches to be played at three venues: the BLCA, the QPO and the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Grounds of the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) at the St. Augustine Campus.

Additionally, there has been a change to the match schedule. On 4 November the fixture between CCC and Leeward Islands Hurricanes has been moved from the QPO to UWI SPEC at 9am (8am Jamaica).

The captains of the squads named are: Shai Hope (Barbados Pride), Veerasammy Permaul (Guyana Harpy Eagles), Rovman Powell (Jamaica Scorpions), Alzarri Joseph (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Darren Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago Red Force), Nyeem Young (West Indies Academy) and Andre Fletcher (Windward Islands Volcanoes).

 Johnny Grave, CWI’s CEO said: “The countdown is on to the first ball of this year’s CG United Super50 Cup and we are delighted to announce all but one of the squads for the tournament. The teams have all had an intense period of preparation and we know this will lead to an action-packed and entertaining tournament for our fans – from the first ball on Tuesday to the last ball on the night of 11 November.”

Grave added: “As we look towards the future in West Indies cricket, we are again pleased to have our West Indies Academy players participate in this year’s edition, which will provide them with strong, quality competition along their pathway to hopefully future international cricket. We wish all the teams the best in their quest to glory and being crowned the champions of the CG United Super50 Cup in 2023.”

This year, the region’s premier List A 50-over tournament will run until Saturday 11 November with a new eight-team league format followed by Semi-Finals and Finals to determine the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup Champions.All 13 matches at the BLCA, including the Semi-Finals and Final, will be televised live on ESPN Caribbean, with 12 of those matches being day/night games.

CONFIRMED SQUADS

Barbados Pride: Shai Hope (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Akeem Jordan, Javed Leacock, Kyle Mayers, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Roshon Primus, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Smith, Jomel Warrican; Vasbert Drakes (Head Coach)

Guyana Harpy Eagles: Veerasammy Permaul (captain), Tevin Imlach (vice-captain), Kevlon Anderson, Ronsford Beaton, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Kemol Savory, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith; Ryan Hercules (Head Coach)

Jamaica Scorpions: Rovman Powell (captain), Fabian Allen, Brad Barnes, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Dennis Bulli, Sheldon Cottrell, Nicholson Gordon, Andre McCarthy, Kirk McKenzie, Shalome Parnell, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Chadwick Walton; Nikita Miller (Head Coach)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Alzarri Joseph (captain), Rahkeem Cornwall (vice-captain), Jewel Andrew, Keacy Carty, Terrence Warde, Daniel Doram, Karima Gore, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Kofi James, Jeremiah Louis, Kieran Powell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.; Stuart Williams (Head Coach)

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo (captain), Joshua Da Silva (vice-captain), Yannic Cariah, Mark Deyal, Shannon Gabriel, Terrance Hinds, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kjorn Ottley, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Tion Webster; David Furlonge (Head Coach)

West Indies Academy: Nyeem Young (captain), Ackeem Auguste, Joshua Bishop, Teddy Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, McKenny Clarke, Matthew Forde, Leonardo Julien, Johann Layne, Kimani Melius, Matthew Nandu, Ashmead Nedd, Kelvin Pitman, Kevin Wickham; Andre Coley (Head Coach)

Windward Islands Volcanoes: Andre Fletcher (captain), Alick Athanaze (vice-captain), Sunil Ambris, Johnson Charles, Darel Cyrus, Kenneth Dember, Shadrack Descarte, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Ryan John, Shermon Lewis, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Tevyn Walcott; Kenroy Peters (Head Coach)

CG United Super50 Match Schedule:

Venues: Queen’s Park Oval (QPO); Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA); UWI SPEC

Matches in bold are televised matches, exclusively live on ESPN Caribbean

All other matches are streamed live on the windiescricket YouTube channel

 17 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs CCC at QPO – 9am

17 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA – 1pm

18 October: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions at BLCA – 1pm

19 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at QPO – 9am

19 October: CCC vs West Indies Academy at BLCA – 1pm

20 October: Barbados Pride vs Jamaica Scorpions at UWI SPEC – 9am

21 October: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy at QPO – 9am

21 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA – 1pm

22 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am

23 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at QPO – 9am

23 October: Barbados Pride vs West Indies Academy at UWI SPEC – 9am

25 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Barbados Pride at BLCA - 9am

25 October: West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions at QPO – 9am

25 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am

26 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at BLCA – 1pm

27 October: Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am

28 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy at QPO – 9am

29 October: Barbados Pride vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at UWI SPEC – 9am

29 October: Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA – 1pm

31 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at QPO – 9am

31 October: CCC vs Barbados Pride at UWI SPEC – 9am 

1 November: West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at UWI SPEC – 9am

2 November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Jamaica Scorpions at QPO – 9am

2 November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride at BLCA – 1pm

3 November: West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at UWI SPEC – 9am

4 November: CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at UWI SPEC – 9am

4 November: Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA – 1pm

5 November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride at BLCA – 1pm

8 November: Semi-Final 1 at BLCA – 1pm

9 November: Semi-Final 2 at BLCA – 1pm

11 November: Final at BLCA – 1pm 

Chris Woakes believes home advantage stacks the odds in India’s favour at the World Cup but insists his England side are motivated to “knock them off their perch”.

The last three editions of the tournament have all gone the way of the host nations, with India lifting their last global title in Mumbai in 2011, followed by Australia in Melbourne in 2015 and England at Lord’s four years ago.

India have done little to reduce their status as pre-competition favourites, kicking off their campaign with heavy wins over Afghanistan and Australia, while Asian rivals Pakistan also have two wins from two.

But Woakes, who was part of Eoin Morgan’s triumphant team in 2019 and is looking for a repeat performance, is not overawed.

“It’s an incredibly tough challenge to win in India. Naturally, I think the sub-continental teams will feel more at home with the conditions,” he said.

“That makes it extremely hard for us to knock them off their perch, so to speak. But we’ve got the squad and the players to be able to compete. People have looked at us for a while and we’ve had a little bit of a target on our back as a white-ball team, around the world.

“It’s a tough competition to win isn’t it? Especially here. But we’ll give it a good crack. We’re taking it each game as it comes.

“Naturally, people have got expectations of us and we’ve certainly got our own expectations of ourselves.”

England’s defence is back on track after they followed an opening defeat to New Zealand with a 137-run success over Bangladesh, with their shifting fortunes exemplified by Woakes’ own figures.

The 34-year-old was off the pace against the Black Caps, leaking 45 runs in six wicketless overs, but warmed to his work on Tuesday night, opening his account with the wickets of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tigers top-scorer Liton Das.

Unfancied Afghanistan are next, in Delhi on Sunday, with Woakes eager to continue his upward trajectory.

“It’s the start of a long tournament,” he said. “I certainly feel that I would’ve liked to have bowled a little bit better but they are long competitions and you don’t want to peak too soon, I suppose.

“I have built into tournaments in the past and into series, which I suppose holds me in good stead moving forward. But you contribute every time you go out in the field so I’ll be working hard in practice to try and make sure that I’m on the money when I get the opportunity.”

Woakes also had his say on the news that cricket was on the cusp of making its return to the Olympic Games, having last appeared as a one-game showcase in 1900.

The Warwickshire all-rounder does not expect to be around for Los Angeles 2028, but is enthusiastic about the sport moving onto a new stage.

“I don’t think I’ll be playing at that age, but I think it would be great,” he said.

“Getting the game in front of more people is what we need to do. For a sport that I’ve played since I was a child, to be a part of the Olympics would be amazing for me.

“To be sat at home watching the lads taking on the rest of the world as an Olympic sport would be massive for the game. The more people that we can get watching it and maybe looking to take it up the better, and growing the game around the world is hugely important.”

Senior counsel and former advisor to the West Indies Cricket Board, Anthony Astaphan, has raised concerns about the legality of Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) president Dr Kishore Shallow’s recent reprimand of Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) boss, Conde Riley.

In a letter dated October 5 and signed by Dr Shallow, it was alleged that Riley, a seasoned cricket administrator, exhibited recent deeply unsatisfactory conduct in his roles as a director of CWI and chairman of a CWI Committee.

While CWI did not take any action against Riley, it cautioned him of the possibility of future repercussions if his behavior was not addressed.

However, in the absence of a CWI Ethics Committee, Astaphan, a prominent legal figure in the Caribbean, believes that it is challenging to definitively determine the situation between Riley and Dr Shallow.

He contends that it raises more questions than answers regarding Dr Shallow’s legal authority to reprimand Riley without due process.

“I think some questions need to be asked and some questions need to be answered. For example, was there a board of director’s decision in relation to the letter that the chairman or the president sent to Mr. Riley authorizing it?” Astaphan asked while appearing on the popular Mason and Guest radio programme on Tuesday night.

Astaphan cited several similar instances, including the removal of attorney-at-Law, Calvin Hope, as BCA’s director on the CWI Board last year during Ricky Skerritt’s tenure as the head of the regional cricket body.

“The director, who at the time faced the prospect of an ethics complaint made by the then president (Skerritt), is that the rules seem to require a complaint to be made to the Ethics Committee first and for the director against whom the complaint is made to be given the opportunity to be heard before an independent and impartial board, which is the Ethics Committee,” Astaphan pointed out.

Astaphan, who served as CWI’s advisor on recommendations for the CARICOM final report on cricket governance in 2015, suggested that the absence of an Ethics Committee raises serious procedural questions about whether there was due process, or if the letter was the result of an impartial and independent action.

“Putting all of that aside, whether or not Mr. Riley was given the opportunity to be heard by the chairman, I think that’s an empty question because I do not think the chairman has the authority to act on his own in these matters. I mentioned earlier that I think the only decision the board could have made or could make was to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee so it could be dealt with in accordance with due process, without impartiality and the possibility at least of the appearance of bias,” the attorney-at-law added.

Astaphan stressed that those issues need to be addressed to ascertain whether there were procedural irregularities, an abuse of authority, or the potential for bias in the Dr Shallow’s letter, particularly if Riley was not granted the opportunity to present his side.

The conflict between Riley and Dr. Shallow became public during their appearance on the Mason & Guest radio show where they clashed over the hosting of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final.

At the time Dr Shallow criticized Riley for his alleged inaccurate public statement concerning a letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to the BCA, claiming that Kensington Oval had been awarded the final.