West Indies great, Brian Lara, believes India can bring the best out of the West Indies when they square off in a two-match Test series beginning on July 12 in Dominica.
“It’s a young group, ably led by Kraigg Brathwaite, of course, but I feel like some of the guys can really come into their own in this series,” Lara, who is with the team as a performance mentor, said in a CWI interview on Saturday.
“It’s a tough opposition but I believe that’s the way we can get the best out of them,” he added.
The West Indian selectors have started to look to the future in the batting department with the selections of 22-year-old Kirk McKenzie and 24-year-old Alick Athanaze.
Jamaica’s McKenzie earned his selection on the back of some good performances in the inaugural Headley Weekes Tri-Series and in a subsequent A-team tour of Bangladesh.
He had scores of 221 and 50 in the Headley Weekes series and followed those up with scores of 91 and 86 against Bangladesh A.
Athanaze captained the Windward Islands Volcanoes in this season’s West Indies Championship and scored 647 runs in five matches at an average of 64.70 with a pair of hundreds and four fifties.
“They’re both young, capable players. Of course, you’d hope they had a little more experience in the first-class arena but, looking at their style of play and their attitude, I believe they do have what it takes to perform at the highest level,” Lara said.
“It may take some time but, obviously, as an international cricketer, if you’re entering this stage it doesn’t matter what age you enter; you’ve got to learn very quickly and I think they have that sort of attitude to want to learn and be willing to listen. I look forward to good things in the future,” he added.
These matches will mark the start of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle for both teams.
“Obviously, we’ve got two very important Test matches against India that start the two-year cycle for us. We know, whether it’s at home or away from home, they’re one of the top teams in the world,” Lara said.
“I think the guys are moving in the right direction in terms of where we started the camp and where we are at this present moment only a few days out from the first Test match in Dominica,” he added.
The two teams had very different results in the 2021-23 cycle. India, currently the top-ranked Test team in the world, finished the cycle second behind Australia, who they recently lost to in the World Test Championship Final.
On the other hand, the West Indies ended the cycle in eighth, only finishing ahead of Bangladesh.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced the squad for the first match of the Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by Yes Bank against India.
The Panel named 13 squad members and two traveling reserve players for the match which will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica from 12 to 16 July.
There is a first-time call-up for left-handed batter Kirk McKenzie, while fellow left-hander Alick Athanaze is the other uncapped player in the squad. There are recalls for allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who played his last Test in November 2021, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican who was in the squad which toured Zimbabwe but missed the last tour of South Africa in February.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is unavailable for selection as he is undergoing rehabilitation from injury.
“We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh. These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity,” said Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes.
“We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin bowling department. They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job.”
Haynes added: “We had Jayden Seales here in the camp and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery. However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we don’t want to risk him at this stage. Kyle Mayers was also considered but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigors of a five-day match at this stage.
“Looking ahead to the series we know it will be a challenging one as we start the new cycle of the ICC Test Match Championship. We want to build and improve and strive to move up the ladder.”
West Indies squad will travel to Dominica on Sunday following their ongoing pre-series camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. They will have training sessions on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in the build-up to the match.
The Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by Yes Bank will be the first fixtures for both West Indies and India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first match bowls off on Wednesday at 10am (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India). The second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will be historic – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.
Fans can purchase tickets in their preferred viewing locations from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, at tickets.windiescricket.com – where they will be able to download tickets securely to their mobile device, or print out their ticket to present for scanning at the entrance point.
FULL SQUAD
Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)
Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Rahkeem Cornwall
Joshua Da Silva
Shannon Gabriel
Jason Holder
Alzarri Joseph
Kirk McKenzie
Raymon Reifer
Kemar Roach
Jomel Warrican
Traveling Reserves:
Tevin Imlach
Akeem Jordan
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE:
Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by Yes Bank
12-16 July: 1st Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica
20-24 July: 2nd Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
CG United ODI Series powered by Yes Bank
27 July: 1st CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
29 July: 2nd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
1 August: 3rd CG United ODI, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
T20 Internationals
3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
6 August: 2nd T20I, National Stadium, Guyana
8 August: 3rd T20I, National Stadium Guyana
12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida
Sri Lanka geared up for their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 final against the Netherlands with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over West Indies.
Opening batters Pathum Nissanka (104) and Dimuth Karunaratne (83) did the bulk of the damage to chase down 243 after Keacy Carty (87) had dragged Windies to a respectable target.
Victory means Sri Lanka remain unbeaten in Zimbabwe, and now face one final hurdle in Netherlands to be crowned Qualifier champions.
Openers fire Sri Lanka to victory
Pathum Nissanka hit the third ODI century of his career as Sri Lanka cruised to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies.
Nissanka hit 104 runs off 113 balls as part of a 190-run opening stand with Dimuth Karunaratne that took the game away from West Indies.
Kusal Mendis (34) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (17) did the rest to easily reach their target of 244, for which Windies had Keacy Carty (87) to thank after Maheesh Theekshana (4/34) had ripped through much of their top order.
West Indies had started strongly, racing to 31 from their first four overs before Theekshana conceded just two from his first over and cleaned up Brandon King (10) in his second.
The spinner struck again in his third, Shamarh Brooks (2) nicking behind before captain Shai Hope (2) became his third victim from his fourth over, pinned leg before.
Opener Johnson Charles (39) was next back to the hutch an over later, trapped leg before by Matheesha Pathirana to leave Windies floundering on 62 for four.
But Carty and Nicholas Pooran (14) led the fightback, as the pair stopped the flurry of wickets until Dushan Hemantha accounted for Pooran to further drag West Indies into the mire at 81 for five.
Carty, having survived a dropped catch on nine, kept the scoreboard ticking over and dragged his side to 123 for seven by the time Sahan Arachchige bowled Kyle Mayers (18) and Hemantha trapped Roston Chase (1) leg before.
Late contributions from Romario Shepherd (26) and Kevin Sinclair (25) then pulled Windies towards 250 before Carty fell 12 balls from the end to leave his side 243 all out.
Having perhaps been disappointed to let West Indies reach almost 250, Sri Lanka began their chase quickly, bringing up 50 inside nine overs before Nissanka reached his 10th ODI half century in as many balls in the 16th over.
Opening partner Karunaratne soon followed, bringing up his 50 with four as Sri Lanka cantered towards their total.
Windies tried mightily to break the partnership, rotating through six bowlers in search of a way through, but the pair proved impenetrable as they brought up the 150 stand in the 28th over.
Nissanka then brought up his century with just under 20 overs remaining before eventually holing out to mid-wicket off the bowling of Kevin Sinclair.
But the fall of the first wicket failed to stem the flow of runs, as Mendis picked up the scoring baton, bringing up the 200 with a four before Karunaratne was trapped leg before by Akeal Hosein.
It left Mendis and Samarawickrama to bring the chase home, doing so in style with 34 balls remaining to send Sri Lanka into Sunday's final with their unbeaten record intact.
Sri Lanka and Netherlands face off in final
After almost a month of absorbing action, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 comes to a close on Sunday, as Sri Lanka and the Netherlands fight it out for the right to be crowned champions.
Both sides have already claimed their main prize, a place in India next October for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 but neither will want to end their time in Zimbabwe with defeat.
Sri Lanka were comfortable victors when the two sides met in the Super Six just over a week ago, but Netherlands are fresh from their thrilling victory over Scotland and will hope their momentum can help them to victory.
Scores in brief
Sri Lanka beat West Indies by eight wickets at Harare Sports Club, Harare
West Indies 243 all out in 48.1 overs (Keacy Carty 87, Johnson Charles 39; Maheesh Theekshana 4/34, Dushan Hemantha 2/49)
Sri Lanka 244/2 in 44.2 overs (Pathum Nissanka 104, Dimuth Karunaratne 83; Kevin Sinclair 1/52, Akeal Hosein 1/54)
Sunday 9 July – Fixtures
Final
Sri Lanka v Netherlands at Harare Sports Club
For the first time since 2019, the West Indies will battle India in the game’s longest format with the first Test of India’s tour of the Caribbean set to bowl off on July 12 in Dominica.
Since that 2019 series which India won 2-0, also in the Caribbean, the West Indies have played 12 series. Out of those 12, they have won four, drawn two and lost six. Three of those series wins have come in their last five series.
On the other hand, India, have won eight out of 12 series since then, including three of their last five.
West Indies vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, hopes the West Indians can step up to the plate against the mighty Indians.
“India is the number one team in the world right now,” Blackwood told SportsMax.tv.
“We, as a team, for the past year or two, have been playing some good cricket and now we just want to take it to another stage,” he added.
From an individual standpoint, the middle order batsman has had a rough time of it against his upcoming opponents.
In five matches, Blackwood has scored 184 runs at an average of 28.26 with a pair of fifties.
The Jamaican says he’s hoping to rectify that in this series.
“That’s why I’m here working so hard. Me and the captain spoke about wanting to lead the team with the bat and we’ve been doing that for the last year or two. That will be more important now playing against a team like India,” Blackwood said.
Brathwaite has also had a tough time of it against India, averaging just 22.40 in 11 matches.
With all that in mind, the pair will have to come good for the West Indies to have any chance of knocking off the number one Test team in the world, a sentiment which Blackwood echoes.
“We have to make sure we score the bulk of the runs. I know that we’re going to play against a tough opponent and I know that I want to score some runs for myself and the team,” Blackwood said.
“Whenever I score runs, the team normally feeds off that so that is the mentality I want to take into this series,” he added.
Player of the Match Brandon King scored his second ODI century as the West Indies defeated Oman by seven wickets with 62 balls to spare in the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
Chasing 222 for victory the West Indies reached their target in the 40th over. King scored an even 100 and Captain Shai Hope, an unbeaten 63 to secure their first win in the Super Six stage of the tournament.
With both teams already eliminated from contention from qualifying for the ICC World Cup in India later this year, the match was of academic interest.
However, the West Indies were looking to save face after losing to the Netherlands and Scotland in consecutive matches. After winning the toss, Hope asked Oman to take first strike.
The bulk of the scoring came from Suraj Kumar, whose unbeaten 53 and Shaoib Khan, an even 50, helped Oman to 221-9. Opener Kashyap Prajapati got 31 and Aayan Khan, 30, in the face of accurate bowling from Romario Shepherd who took 3-44 and Kyle Mayers 2-31 from seven overs.
Kevin Sinclair, who replaced the injured Yannic Cariah in the West Indies squad finished with 1-42.
With the West Indies looking for their first points of the Super Six stage, they Caribbean side lost Johnson Charles for four with only seven runs on the board.
However, Keacy Carty and King settled nerves with an 80-run second wicket partnership before the latter was run out for 29. From there the West Indies were cruising as King and Hope steered the West Indies to the brink of victory with a third-wicket partnership of 96 that was broken when King feathered a catch through to wicketkeeper Kumar off the bowling of Bilal Khan for 100.
His second ODI century came off 104 deliveries and included 15 sublime boundaries.
Hope and Nicholas Pooran scored the remaining runs without much bother with Hope scoring his 23rd ODI 50 along the way. Pooran was unbeaten on 19 at the end.
The West Indies will play their final match of their failed campaign against Sri Lanka on Friday. Sri Lanka has already qualified for the ICC World Cup.
A strong all-round performance from Captain Hayley Matthews helped the West Indies Women pull off a thrilling two-wicket victory over Ireland in the first T20 International at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Tuesday.
The win means the Caribbean women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Batting first, Ireland were restricted to 112-7 in their 20 overs, thanks to economical and accurate bowling by Matthews, who took 3-22 from her four overs and Cherry-Ann Fraser, who returned figures of 2-22. Debutant Ashmini Munisar took 1-16.
Ireland captain Laura Delany top-scored with 34 and got support from Eimear Richardson with 22.
In pursuit of 113, the West Indies lost wickets regularly which slowed their scoring and forced it down to the last ball for a result.
Matthews led from the front with a top score of 37. Afy Fletcher added a valuable 19 when the game looked like it was slipping away from the home team but Vice-Captain Shemaine Campbelle guided the team to a final ball single and take victory.A
Speaking after the match, Matthews said, "A lot of nerves coming down to the end but still a lot of positives we can take from today’s game. We did a good job restricting Ireland to 112 on a really good batting wicket. Personally, I was happy to contribute to the win. Ashmini Munisar, making her debut, how economical she bowled and taking her first wicket was one of the positives and it’s a good sign for the future.”
The West Indies Women will be looking to go 2-0 up in the series when the teams meet again at the same venue on Thursday, July 6.
West Indies Men will tour England in the summer of 2024 where they will play three Test matches. The series will bowl off at Lord’s on 10-14 July, followed by the second Test at Trent Bridge on 18-22 July and final contest at Edgbaston on 26-30 July.
The tour will mark the second occasion that the two teams will compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy – named in honor of cricket icons Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. West Indies are the current holders having won the inaugural series which was played in the Caribbean in March 2022. The series will also form part of the ICC’s World Test Championship 2023 to 2025.
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies said: “West Indies and England have had many enthralling duels on the field over the last 95 years and we expect another great series in 2024– which will mark the 40th anniversary of the famous tour of 1984, when West Indies won 5-0. This series next year will see us defending the Richards-Botham Trophy, as we continue to celebrate the relationship of the teams and honor the legacy of two of the game’s greatest players.”
West Indies played their first Test matches against England at Lord’s in June 1928. Since them the two teams have met on 163 occasions – West Indies won 59, England won 51 with 53 drawn.
MATCH SCHEDULE
10-14 July: 1st Test at Lord’s, London
18-22 July: 2nd Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
26-30: July 3rd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham
The region’s best young cricketers will assemble in Trinidad and St Vincent for Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Women's Under-19 Championship and the Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 Championship.
The women’s event will be 30-over matches played from 4 to 12 July at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), UWI Sports & Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC), and Gilbert Park Cricket Ground (GPCG) in Trinidad. This is the second year of the tournament and players will be identified with a view developing talent and participating in international events such as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 to be played in Malaysia and Thailand.
The men’s event will be played in St Vincent from 4 July to 1 August. It will feature five rounds of 50-over white ball matches and four rounds of three-day red ball matches. These will be played at Arnos Vales, Sion Hill, Park Hill and Cumberland.
Following the tournaments, West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team will be selected for a tour of Sri Lanka where they are due to play a four-day match as well as 50-over matches. This will be part of preparations for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka early next year.
These tournaments serve as a pivotal platform for showcasing and identifying talent and facilitating their progression. CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources into developing the game at every level and these tournaments therefore play a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies players.
During the tournaments LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of matches will be available on the www.windiescricket.com match centre.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Women’s 30-over in Trinidad
Tuesday 4 July
Windward Islands vs Guyana at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at UWI SPEC
Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados at NCC
Thursday 6 July
Jamaica vs Trinidad and Tobago – GPCG
Guyana vs Barbados – UWI SPEC
Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – NCC
Sunday 9 July
Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at GPCG
Jamaica vs Barbados at UWI SPEC
Guyana vs Leeward Islands at NCC
Tuesday 11 July
Jamaica vs Guyana at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago at UWI SPEC
Barbados vs Windward Islands at NCC
Thursday 13 July
Leeward Islands vs Barbados at GPCG
Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana at UWI SPEC
Jamaica vs Windward Islands at NCC
Saturday 15 July
5th and 6th play-off at GPCG
3rd and 4th play-off at NCC
FINAL at UWI SPEC
Men’s Under 19 50-over in St Vincent
Tuesday 4 July
Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale
Trinidad and Tobago v Barbados at Sion Hill
Jamaica v Guyana at Cumberland
Thursday 6 July
Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Arnos Vale
Leeward Islands v Guyana at Cumberland
Windward Islands v Barbados at Sion Hill
Saturday 8 July
Guyana v Barbados at Arnos Vale
Windwards v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Sion Hill
Monday 10 July
Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill
Windward Islands vs Jamaica at Sion Hill
Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Arnos Vale
Wednesday 12 July
Windward Islands v Guyana at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill
Barbados v Jamaica at Arnos Vale
Men’s Under 19 three-day in St Vincent
15-17 July
Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale
Barbados v Guyana at Park Hill
Jamaica v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill
20-22 July
Barbados v Trinidad and Tobago at Park Hill
Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Cumberland
Windward Islands v Guyana at Arnos Vale
25-27 July
Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Sion Hill
Windward Islands v Jamaica at Arnos Vale
Leeward Islands v Barbados at Park Hill
30 July to 1 August
FINAL at Arnos Vale
3rd and 4th play-off at Park Hill
5th and 6th play-off at Cumberland
Brandon McMullen shone with bat and ball as Scotland earned another landmark victory over West Indies to keep their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup dreams alive.
Having beaten the same opponents in last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Scotland repeated the feat with a seven-wicket success which had McMullen at its heart.
The all-rounder claimed three for 32 before scoring 69 in the successful reply as Scotland got home with 6.3 overs to spare, Matthew Cross hitting the winning runs to finish unbeaten on 74.
The defeat ends West Indies’ chances of making it to India while Scotland now face two crunch encounters, starting against hosts Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Richie Berrington opted to field upon winning the toss and the decision was quickly vindicated with four wickets falling inside the opening powerplay.
McMullen removed both Johnson Charles and Shamarh Brooks without scoring, Chris McBride and Mark Watt respectively taking sharp catches, before holding on to a return catch to dismiss Brandon King (22) as Windies slipped to 25 for three.
That became 30 for four when Chris Sole got in on the act, sending Kyle Mayers’ off stump cartwheeling out the ground.
Captain Shai Hope (13) and Nicholas Pooran (21) led a brief recovery but when the latter picked out McBride at deep mid-wicket, West Indies were reeling on 81 for six in the 21st over.
A 77-run stand between Jason Holder (45) and Romario Shepherd (36) carried the score towards respectability but both fell in consecutive overs, Safyaan Sharif holding on to a superb diving catch to dismiss Shepherd and hand Watt his second scalp.
Sole and Chris Greaves also finished with two wickets apiece as they accounted for the tail, leaving West Indies bowled out for 181 with 6.1 overs unused.
Knowing they needed to defend it to keep their qualification hopes intact, West Indies made a perfect start with the ball as McBride chipped the first ball of the run chase to mid-wicket.
That was as good as it got for the fielding side, however, as McMullen and Cross took control.
The pair were happy to rotate the strike and quick to punish anything loose, with McMullen first to his half century, which came from 85 deliveries.
Cross followed suit shortly afterwards, boosted by three consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Kevin Sinclair, but he lost the company of McMullen when he holed out to long-on with 57 required.
George Munsey (18) also picked out a boundary fielder but captain Berrington joined Cross to complete the job, the wicketkeeper-batter sealing the deal with a pull through deep mid-wicket to seal Scotland’s first-ever ODI victory over West Indies.
At a Board of Directors meeting on Friday 30 June 2023 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has appointed Miles Bascombe as the new Director of Cricket, on a three-year contract. Bascombe will take over from Jimmy Adams, who had been in the role for the past six years.
Bascombe, 37, played one T20 International for the West Indies in 2011 and played first-class cricket between 2007 and 2017, for both the Windward Islands and the Combined Campuses and Colleges. He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with both Bachelor's and Master’s degrees and is a certified coach.
Bascombe, who was a CWI Men’s Selector between 2019 and 2021, has been the Technical Director at the Windward Islands Cricket Board over the last two years. Under his technical leadership, there have been a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for both male and female cricket across different levels, including an unbeaten first-class season in 2023.
Johnny Grave, CWI Chief Executive Officer said: “Following a thorough recruitment process, Miles stood out to the panel with his skills, experience and intimate knowledge of our cricket system, especially at Territorial Board level. His passion and understanding of the game at all levels are outstanding. He is a critical thinker with a strong analytical and strategic mindset, which will be hugely beneficial to us as we embark on formulating our new 4-year strategic plan. I have no doubt he will hit the ground running and will relish the challenge before us to develop higher standards and better structures within our cricket system.”
Miles Bascombe said: “West Indies Cricket is at a critical stage with an urgent need to improve performances. We have made significant progress with establishing a central High-Performance system that now needs to be rolled out across all of our Territories. I am looking forward to working as a member of the CWI senior leadership team and closely with the Territorial Boards to bring about the necessary improvements that I am confident will lead to more success by implementing a robust system based on achieving world-class standards and by driving a winning culture.”
CWI High Performance Manager, Graeme West will act as the interim Director of Cricket until Bascombe takes up his new role on 1 August 2023.
In May, SportsMax.tv published a story where CWI President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, said that opening new academies across the region was “high on the agenda.”
This was in reaction to the West Indies Academy coming out victorious in the inaugural Headley Weekes Series that same month, a tri series played directly after the conclusion of the West Indies Championship.
Cost and sustainability were the only concerns mentioned by Shallow about the initiative while he also said that the matter had to be discussed further by the CWI’s cricket development and performance and finance management and strategy committees.
On Thursday, Shallow was contacted by SportsMax.tv regarding developments the opening of the new academies.
The Vincentian said that, due to recent developments in West Indies cricket, they have had to focus their attention on other, more urgent matters.
Those matters, according to Shallow, are the recruitment of a new Director of Cricket as well as a new permanent head coach for the West Indies Women’s Team.
“What we are currently doing now is focusing on the recruitment of personnel. One of those positions being the director of cricket and the other being a new head coach of the women’s team,” Dr. Shallow said.
“Over the next few weeks, once we have finalized these two things, then we’re going to address the academy and all other components under the cricket,” he added.
On May 31, CWI announced that Jimmy Adams would not return as Director of Cricket while Courtney Walsh was sacked as West Indies Women’s head coach in April. Robert Samuels, who was an assistant coach during Walsh’s tenure, is currently serving as interim head coach of the team.
Sri Lanka were truly tested for the first time at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023, but big performances from Dhananjaya de Silva and Maheesh Theekshana got them out of trouble against the Netherlands.
Dhananjaya made 93, his best ODI score, to help Sri Lanka recover from 96 for six to make 213.
And Theekshana then took three wickets in the space of two overs to derail the Dutch chase in a 21-run victory.
The Netherlands signalled their intent from the very first ball of their clash with Sri Lanka, with Pathum Nissanka sent on his way for a duck by Logan van Beek.
That was part of a dream start for the Dutch, who quickly had the Sri Lankans 34 for four as Van Beek (3/26) showed his skill with the ball four days on from his heroics with the bat against the West Indies.
It required a sensational knock from Dhananjaya de Silva to get Sri Lanka to 213 all out, and even that did not look like it would be anywhere near enough.
However, just as the Netherlands seemed to be on track in reply, Maheesh Theekshana (3/31) swung the momentum with three quick wickets as the Netherlands eventually fell 21 runs short.
They had started so well. Nissanka departed after just one ball, before Ryan Klein had Kusal Mendis (10) trapped in front in the fourth over.
Van Beek added Sadeera Samarawickrama (1) and Charith Asalanka (2), bringing Dhananjaya to the crease.
He began to rebuild with Dimuth Karunaratne, who then fell for 33, with skipper Dasun Shanaka then departing for five, Saqib Zulfiqar (2/48) accounting for both men.
Wanindu Hasaranga provided some useful runs, making 20 in a 35-run stand with Dhananjaya. And after he fell LBW to Bas de Leede (3/42), Theekshana joined Dhananjaya.
The duo added 77 runs, taking Sri Lanka past 200 before both getting out in the space of three deliveries.
A target of 214 was certainly in reach for the Dutch, albeit on a tricky wicket for the batters.
Their cause was not helped by both openers falling for ducks, Lahiru Kumara removing Vikramjit Singh and Dilshan Madushanka accounting for Max O’Dowd.
However, a 77-run partnership between Wesley Barresi (52) and De Leede (41) got the chase back on track. It was ended by some sharp work in the field by Shanaka, with Barresi short of his ground while trying to steal a single.
Teja Nidamanuru then became the third Dutch batter to go for a duck, bowled by Hasaranga. In came Scott Edwards and the skipper quickly settled in alongside De Leede, the pair adding 36 in six overs.
Sri Lanka were in desperate need of a breakthrough and it came from Theekshana, who snuck one through the defences of De Leede.
He added two more in his next over, including the vital wicket of Van Beek, before another run-out saw Shariz Ahmed depart for two, leaving the Netherlands on 151 for eight.
Edwards and Ryan Klein added 25, inching closer with the required rate not an issue, but a perfect wrong’un from Hasaranga was too good for Klein (5).
That left the final pair with 38 to get in 17 overs and the in-form Edwards helped get them close, but the skipper was left stranded unbeaten on 67 when Aryan Dutt was clean bowled by Shanaka.
With Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe both on six points, the West Indies will have to beat Scotland on Saturday to stay in contention to make it to the World Cup. If they lose, the most points they can end up with is four.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel has announced the squad for the preparation camp ahead of the start of the two-match Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series against India in the Caribbean.
Jayden Seales will return to West Indies training following his rehabilitation. The fast bowler last played for West Indies in the first Test at the Perth Stadium, last December. He had knee surgery in December and has subsequently been working on a rehabilitation programme overseen by the CWI Medical Team.
The training squad includes several players who are uncapped at the Test level – including batsmen Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, and Kirk McKenzie; as well as fast bowlers Akeem Jordan, and Jair McAllister.
The camp will be held at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua with training starting on Friday 30 June. The squad for the opening Test will be named at a later date and will travel to Dominica on Sunday 9 July.A
The Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test series will be the first fixtures for both West Indies & India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be at Windsor Park, Dominica from 12-16 July which will be followed by the historic second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.
SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican
TEST MATCH SCHEDULE:
Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Matches (start at 10am local time, (9am Jamaica time))
12-16 July: 1st Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica
20-24 July: 2nd Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
West Indies legend Chris Gayle has said that West Indies' situation in the Cricket World Cup Qualifiers is quite upsetting and that he will be disappointed if they do not play the World Cup in India.
The World Cup is set to be played in India in the months of October and November.
The Caribbean side, who did not make it to the ODI World Cup via direct qualification (top 8 teams) are struggling to cope in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe and are on the brink of getting knocked out from the race.
Captained by Shai Hope, Windies faltered and lost to Zimbabwe and Netherlands in back to back matches that has almost assured their exit from the race.
"It is upsetting. I have been a part of Qualifiers before. Sad to be in such a situation. Things have not gone our way going into the Super Six. It is going to be tough. I will be very, very disappointed not seeing the West Indies in the World Cup here in India," Gayle told Press Trust India (PTI) in an interview.
West Indies head coach, Darren Sammy, lashed out at the side after their losses to Zimbabwe and Netherlands and said that it was the true reflection of the level the team are playing their cricket on.
Against Zimbabwe, Windies failed to chase down a below-par total, while against the Netherlands they failed to defend 374 runs and lost via a Super Over, courtesy of a once-in-a-lifetime performance of all-rounder Logan van Beek.
Gayle was also asked about his retirement, to which the 43-year-old replied that he was supposed to get a farewell game.
"I don't think there will be any international cricket from my point of view. After the World Cup (in 2021), I was supposed to have a farewell game. It did not happen. We have a new president in place, so I don't see it happening. But I have not made an announcement as yet. I am still active but won't be playing so often," Gayle concluded.
Rain forced a no-result in the second One-Day International between West Indies Women and Ireland Women at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, on Wednesday.
During the short period of action that was possible in the match reduce to 20 overs per side, West Indies bowlers, were spot on with fast bowlers Shamilia Connell and Aaliyah Alleyne, both grabbing four wickets in quick succession, leaving the Irish reeling at 36 for five after eight overs, before the weather interrupted.
Alleyne had 2-4 off two overs, while Connell bagged 2-14, off her two.
West Indies lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first game by 56 runs.
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