Reifer: “You don't want to bat last on a pitch like that.”
West Indies 194 for 3 (Hodge 83*, Hope 39*; Mohammad Abbas 2-44) vs. Pakistan
A Kavem Hodge half-century dictated the West Indies’ batting on Saturday’s Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago. A rain interruption, which limited the first session to 14.1 overs, meant only 67 overs were possible on the day.
Hodge batted through to finish unbeaten on 83* after walking to the crease in the ninth over with the score on 13 as opener Brandon King played-on Mohammad Abbas for 12 runs.
Hodge shared in an unbroken 88-run fourth-wicket stand with Shai Hope (39*), taking Windies from 106 for three to 194 without further loss at close of play.
Given the nature of the wicket, batting coach Floyd Reifer says Windies, who elected to bat, are satisfied with their efforts.
“It's been a good day for us,” Reifer began. “At the start of play, we always knew that the pitch would have been a bit slow, a bit difficult to score. But once you get past that first 15, 20 overs of the day's play, it can become a bit easier. So it's important for us to continue tomorrow and build those partnerships, take it session by session, break down each session into hourly time, and try to build big partnerships tomorrow.”
West Indies Head Coach Daren Sammy hints Cricket West Indies has been presented with a dilemma after contracted fast-bowler Alzarri Joseph declined selection to be part of the squad that will contest a two-match Test series against Pakistan beginning in Tarouba on Saturday.
In a press release confirming the team, CWI stated that Joseph “was unavailable for selection due to personal reasons.” However, Sammy has since declared that “Mr. Joseph has declined selection.”
Joseph made his debut in 2016 and is the fastest West Indian to claim 100 One-Day International wickets, getting to the milestone in 60 games. The 29-year-old has long established himself as a key member of the Caribbean side’s pace unit across all three formats.
The Antiguan has progressed from his title as a successor in a bowling attack spearheaded by Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, and Jason Holder to the man the current Windies pacers look to as a leader. With 130 wickets in 42 Test matches, Sammy describes Joseph’s absence as a “big loss.”
Left-arm orthodox spinner Joshua Bishop has been named in the West Indies’ 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to be played in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to August 6.
Bishop claimed 91 wickets for the Barbados Pride and the West Indies Academy across the past three West Indies Championship seasons, the highest tally by any bowler during that period.
The 26-year-old has so far claimed 116 First-Class wickets at 23.90 apiece while scoring 1046 runs with an average of 30.76. Cricket West Indies has described the Barbadian’s inclusion as “rewarding strong domestic performances.”
Defending champions Barbados completed a flawless round-robin campaign in the 2026 Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over Championship, winning all five preliminary matches to book their place in Wednesday's championship final against Jamaica.
The Barbadians finished comfortably atop the standings on 35.6 points, continuing the dominance they displayed from the opening round and positioning themselves as favourites to successfully defend the title they captured in 2025.
While Barbados' place in the first-place playoff was secured with a round to spare, the battle for the second finals berth went down to the final day of round-robin action.
Jamaica ultimately claimed second place on 20.2 points, despite falling to Barbados in their final preliminary fixture. The result was enough to edge both Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands, who each finished on 19.2 points, and earn a chance to challenge the defending champions for the title.
Trinidad and Tobago kept their hopes alive until the very end, producing an impressive four-wicket victory over the Leeward Islands after successfully chasing 270. However, despite securing the win, they fell just short of overtaking Jamaica in the standings.
That outcome sets up an intriguing rematch between Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands in the third-place playoff, while Guyana and the Windward Islands, both of whom recorded their first victories of the competition during the fourth and fifth rounds, will contest the fifth-place match.
West Indies 269 for 8 (Hetmyer 69*, Rutherford 61, Lennox 3-35) beat New Zealand 268 for 9 (Latham 69, Kelly 64, Joseph 2-38) by 2 wickets
Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 69 helped the West Indies secure a tense 2-wicket victory over New Zealand in the 5th and final One-Day International in Kensington, Barbados, on Tuesday.
The West Indies needed to recover following a deflating defeat in the 4th ODI. While that result secured the series for New Zealand, points were still on offer for the Caribbean side.
Hetmyer shared in a crucial 95-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford. The Guyanese pair came together in the 26th over when the hosts had lost their main contributors, captain Shai Hope (39 from 52) and Keacy Carty (20 from 54), in the span of 14 balls, slipping from 118 for two to 123 for four.
The 90-ball fifth-wicket stand between Hetmyer and Rutherford not only laid the platform for what could be two crucial points for Daren Sammy’s men, but it also triggered a series of what-if scenarios in the mind of Caribbean fans. More so for Hetmyer.
The last time the left-hander crossed three figures in ODIs was against India at the Chidambaram Stadium in 2019. His 139 then was his 5th century in the format, and at the age of 22, it made him the youngest West Indian to score five ODI hundreds.
