India 199 for 5 (Samson 97*, Varma 27; Holder 2-38) beat West Indies 195 for 4 (Chase 40, Holder 37; Bumrah 2-36) by 5 wickets
The West Indies were eliminated from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup following a 5-wicket loss to India at Eden Gardens on Sunday. The Caribbean side overcame a slow start to set the hosts 196 for victory, before a monster innings from Sanju Samson set up an India win.
Samson was at the heart of everything India did in the chase. The opener’s 50-ball unbeaten 97 meant he featured in every partnership before taking 10 runs from the first two deliveries of the 20th over to secure a semi-final spot for the home team.
He and India were watchful to begin, before the right-hander targeted Akeal Hosein in the 3rd over. He hit two sixes and a four before Hosein responded with the wicket of Abhishek Sharma (10). Jason Holder then got rid of Ishan Kishan for a similar score, to leave India 53 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.
Samson shared in a 58-run partnership (from 35 balls) with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (18) for the 3rd wicket before putting on 42 runs (26 balls) with Tilak Varma (27) for the 4th.
Cricket West Indies has confirmed its decision to forgo the one-off Women’s Test, which was set to highlight Australia’s tour of the Caribbean, bowling off in March. CWI’s Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe says the move is strategic and will assist in focusing on the shorter formats with an eye on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup beginning in June.
"Our planning this year prioritizes maximizing white-ball readiness ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “This series forms a central part of that preparation, allowing us to concentrate resources and build combinations.”
The Test, initially scheduled as part of the ICC Future Tours Program, would have been West Indies’ first since 2004, and Bascombe revealed that CWI is already seeking other opportunities for the Caribbean side to return to the format.
“We remain committed to the long-term growth of women’s Test cricket, and discussions are already underway for a future red-ball opportunity, including a highly anticipated series against England in 2027,” Bascombe said.
In this two-part series, former Windies seamer Shakera Selman talks about the state of the current team as well as the challenges facing women’s cricket in the Caribbean
Is it then reasonable to expect players to transition quickly, given the limited number of games they play?
I think maybe what we need to do is not be so harsh on them when they don't improve at the rate the players from other countries are improving. They aren't playing enough cricket at the regional level. And our players need to play more cricket outside of the Caribbean as well.
If there's no way for us to support them playing more cricket here because we don't have the finances, then we must have relationships with counties in England, Australia, or wherever, where we can send them on some type of program overseas.
You made a point when you were talking about Gajnabi, who just played a regional competition of six T20s and then three 50-over games. If she's not selected for the West Indies team, then she doesn't play again until the CPL begins. And that is not enough for an international cricketer. So we need to find ways for them to play outside [the region].
You think back to Jannillea Glasgow and Shanisha Hector, amongst other girls, who were given the opportunity to go to Australia for a season. You’ve seen how it helped Glasgow. I'm not saying it's all because she went to Australia, but she would have gotten the opportunity to play more games, and this was when she was not in the West Indies setup. She came right out of Tasmania and got back into the team. And now she's scoring runs. I believe it helped that she got the opportunity to play a few more games than the other girls.
If they don't have international commitments, they need to be playing cricket. Going back home to train is not going to be enough. I strongly believe they need to play men’s cricket as well. If you examine the players historically who have been our best, especially the batters, they all played against men. Whenever there’s time, both those coming through the ranks and those already in the senior side should. It’ll give them a greater challenge, and it’s likely to speed up their development.
In this two-part series, Selman talks about the state of the current Windies team as well as the challenges facing women’s cricket in the Caribbean
Following her retirement in 2024, Shakera Selman has become a staple voice in the commentary box for Cricket West Indies. The former seamer also holds an administrative position in the game, after undertaking the role of Women’s Cricket Officer with the Barbados Cricket Association that same year. She shared her perspective on the different issues facing the West Indies team as well as those plaguing the women’s game in the region.
What do you make of the West Indian seamers struggling to threaten with the new ball?
It is a worry, but they have quality. We've seen what Chinelle Henry can do. And Aaliyah Alleyne has taken at least one wicket in the last 12 ODIs she's bowled in (before Wednesday). So she's obviously a threat as well. I don't think the West Indies utilize her in the best way; I think there is an opportunity for her to bowl with the new ball. I really hope that the think tank eventually sees that.
Deandra Dottin has skill, but you don't want to rely on her too much. She is an all-rounder, and you don't want to step into a game expecting Deandra to bowl ten overs or to take four or three wickets every game. There is the odd occasion that she'll take a wicket, and she's done wondrous stuff for the West Indies over the years, but the plans can't be around Deandra as a seamer.
So you're hoping that someone can partner with Henry from the other end. They identified Shawnisha Hector coming out of a good regional season, but it hasn't worked in these conditions (against Sri Lanka in Grenada). Jannillea Glasgow has not bowled for the series as yet. So there are options.
I think the bigger picture is that seamers need to be given more opportunities to bowl more overs. We've relied too much on our spinners across conditions, and the only way our seamers are going to get better is by being given more opportunities.
They now have all to play for against India on Sunday
South Africa 177 for 1 (Markram 82*, de Kock 47; Chase 1-46) beat West Indies 176 for 8 (Shepherd 52*, Holder 49; Ngidi 3-30) by 9 wickets
The West Indies were comprehensively beaten by South Africa in their second Super Eight encounter at the ICC T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The defeat, which was the Caribbean side’s first of the tournament, means their hopes for a semi-final berth now rest on their matchup against India on Sunday.
With 177 runs to defend, the West Indies struggled to find an early breakthrough, much like the series between the two sides just prior to the competition. The South African openers thrashed 95 off 48 deliveries to snatch any hopes the West Indies had of making the target a tricky one.
Quinton de Kock scored a rapid 47 (24 balls), alongside player of the match Aiden Markram, who batted through the chase in an unbeaten knock of 82 from 46 balls. The Proteas needed only two partnerships to confirm the win, after Ryan Rickelton (45*) joined Markram at the fall of de Kock’s wicket to share in an unbroken 82-run stand (50 balls), which saw them home at 177 for 1 with 23 balls to spare.
