The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
Cricbuzz is reporting that
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has decided to permit its players to complete their IPL engagements even though the Caribbean side will be involved in international matches. The CWI decision should be a huge relief for franchises like Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are missing out on a few key players due to their international commitments.
New Zealand levelled the T20 series 1–1, but the West Indies stayed in the fight before falling just short. After winning the toss and bowling, WI’s seamers and Roston Chase kept a lid on things early. Matthew Forde bowled Devon Conway and Romario Shepherd removed Tim Robinson, before a burst by Mark Chapman’s pushed NZ to 207/5. Chase was the standout with 2/33, while Jayden Seales and Shepherd chipped in around the edges.
The chase stuttered to 94/6 as spin bit through the middle overs, but then Rovman Powell detonated a counterattack: 45 off 16 balls with towering leg-side sixes. Romario Shepherd (34 off 16) matched the tempo and Matthew Forde (29* off 13) kept the pressure on, flipping the equation from dead-and-buried to very gettable.
But with West Indies needing 16 off the last over and one clean strike from pinching it, Kyle Jamieson’s variations proved just enough as WI finished on 204/8, just three runs short. Powell’s surge, Shepherd’s clean hitting and Forde’s calm finish underlined the depth of WI’s lower-order power even on a tricky night for the top six.
With the series tied after two tight finishes at Eden Park, the big positive for WI is how often their bowlers and finishers have kept them in winning positions - momentum they’ll want to carry into the deciding match on Saturday.
West Indies opened the T20I series with a seven-run win over New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, on 5 November. Batting first, the visitors posted 164/6, anchored by Shai Hope’s 53 (39) and a brisk 33 (23) from captain Rovman Powell; Jacob Duffy (2/19) and debutant Zakary Foulkes (2/35) were the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers.
New Zealand’s chase closed at 157/9. Mitchell Santner counter-attacked with an unbeaten 55 off 28 balls to keep the hosts in touch, but West Indies closed it out at the death. Roston Chase (3/26) and Jayden Seales (3/32) did the bulk of the damage with the ball, supported by Matthew Forde’s control through the middle overs.
Chase was named Player of the Match for his allround impact, having also chipped in with 28 with the bat. The result gives West Indies a 1–0 lead in the five-match series.
Cricket West Indies have opened a High-Performance preparation camp in Antigua (Nov 4–18) as the red ball group gears up for the three Test series in New Zealand, Dec 2–22. Sessions are at Coolidge Cricket Ground and blend technical work, match simulations, sports-science load monitoring, and strength & conditioning, all under CWI’s high performance protocols.
The camp is led by Ramesh Subasinghe (WI Academy Head Coach) with Rohan Nurse (Assistant), supported by Senior Talent Manager Jamal Smith and pathway coach Shane Dowrich. CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe says the focus is on sharpening batting against NZ-style movement and dialing in bowling lengths while managing workloads - purposeful prep to "compete with confidence and intent".
The players in camp include Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell (fresh off a maiden Test ton vs India), Tevin Imlach, Anderson Phillip, Johann Layne, Kevlon Anderson, Kavem Hodge, Kemar Roach, and Ojay Shields. More senior and developing names may be filtered in as the tour party finalizes.
Winning in New Zealand demands discipline: leave well, play late, hit lengths. Banking two focused weeks now looks like smart skills prep for a squad blending experience (Roach) with emerging quicks and openers still building Test miles.
Source - CWI news
Cricket West Indies has named a 15-man squad for the five T20Is in New Zealand from Nov 5–12. The core from the Bangladesh sweep stays intact, with Matthew Forde returning from a shoulder injury and Shamar Springer added to bolster a seam unit hit by knocks. Gudakesh Motie sits out to work on technical adjustments ahead of the SA20 and the 2026 T20 World Cup. CWI also adds Clinical Psychologist Krisnan Hurdle as Mental Skills & Performance Coach starting this tour.
What’s new
“Success is as much about mindset and composure as it is about technical ability,” said Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe, welcoming the mental skills role.