Darren Sammy wanted West Indies to win the ODI series 5-0, but his team's batting revealed a self-destructive ability in the opening game in Khulna that shut out any hopes of a clean sweep. Instead, it was Bangladesh who were the winners, having beaten West Indies comprehensively despite the absence of their best player, Shakib Al Hasan, to injury. On a safely negotiable pitch, West Indies imploded against spin and lacked intensity in their defence of 199 after Tamim Iqbal delivered an attacking start to the chase. Offspinner Sohag Gazi shone again, picking up four wickets on ODI debut to follow up an impressive start to his Test career, and he was well supported by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who chipped in with three.
St John’s, Antigua – World Twenty20 champions West Indies will face Zimbabwe in six-match series in the Caribbean next year.
The Windies, who lifted the ICC World T20 trophy in Sri Lanka two months ago, will take on the African visitors in two Test matches, three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals to kick-off the international cricket programme in the Caribbean for 2013.
The tour will run from February 20 to March 20 with matches with the ODIs at the Grenada National Stadium, the T20s at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, followed by the Test matches at Kensington Oval in Barbados and Windsor Park in Dominica.
The tour will see a return of international cricket to the Grenada National Stadium after a four-year absence. The last matches at the picturesque venue were back in 2009.
The series will also signal a resumption of Test cricket between the Windies and the Zimbabweans. The two teams last met each other in the Caribbean in 2010 when they played only limited-overs matches.
FULL TOUR SCHEDULE
Wed, February 20: Zimbabwe v UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI, Grenada (venue to be confirmed)
Fri, February 22: 1st ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
Sun, February 24: 2nd ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
Tue, February 26: 3rd ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
Sat, March 2: 1st T20I – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
Sun, March 3: 2nd T20I – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
Thu, March 7 to Sat March 9: Three-day warm-up – 3Ws Oval, Barbados
Tue, March 12 to Sat March 16: 1st Test – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Wed, March 20 to Sun, March 24: 2nd Test – Windsor Park, Dominica
Reliable West Indies batsman Shiv Chanderpaul has moved to the number three position, while teammate Marlon Samuels has broken into the top 20 for the first time in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.
Chanderpaul, ICC's Cricketer of the Year in 2008, moved up to third after rising two places following his 150 not out in the West Indies' 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Khulna.
Samuels and another teammate, Darren Bravo, have also been rewarded for posting big scores.
Samuels, who scored 260, entered the top 20 for the first time in his career after rising 11 places to 20th, while Bravo gained three places following his 127 and is now in 22nd position.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The West Indies Cricket Board, at a meeting of the Board of Directors, on Saturday November 24 and Sunday November 25 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, expressed grave concern at the length of time it is taking for a resolution to be had to the situation in Guyana.
The Board further implores all parties involved to use their best endeavours to ensure that the situation with regard to cricket in Guyana returns to a level of acceptability in the shortest possible period.
The WICB also reminds the public that at a meeting of the CARICOM Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket held in Antigua in September 2012, the Sub-Committee recommended that all efforts be made towards resolving the ongoing issues between the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Cricket Board, and appointed the Prime Minister of Barbados the Honourable Freundel Stuart as mediator.
The Board awaits the outcome of this critical process; however restates its commitment to play its role in finding resolution and has acted in accordance with this commitment in the past.
The Board reiterates its position that it recognizes the Guyana Cricket Board as the sole governing body responsible for the administration, management and development of cricket in Guyana. Further the Board reminds that the Guyana Cricket Board is a shareholder of the WICB.
The WICB has used its best endeavours to ensure that the players and match officials have participated in every regional tournament under the auspices of the WICB since the situation in Guyana developed.
The deadline for submission of squads to participate in the Caribbean Twenty20 2013 was November 22, 2012. The GCB did not submit the Guyana team by this deadline and has not submitted the Guyana team to date.
The Board has therefore directed the WICB Management to again request the GCB to provide a Guyana team to participate in the Caribbean Twenty20 and for WICB Management to set a date by which the Guyana team is to be submitted.
The WICB Management will set the date and once finalised will communicate same to the GCB and the public.
The International Cricket Conference, the ICC, the governing body for cricket around the world, is rethinking its stance on governments' interference in cricket. Just about a year ago, the ICC said it would be following the well-established principle of other national federations which states that federations should be autonomous and free from governments' interference in the administration of their affairs.
It stated some of those interferences and it gave them one year in which to comply with the new rules.
The new rules, as stated then, include the following:
Members should be elected by free and fair election of the membership body, be appointed by the membership of the elected body, or be appointed from outside the membership by members of the executive body.
Government officials should not be involved in the selection of teams and coaches, etcetera, etcetera. They should not be involved in ratifications, recommendations, selections or appointments of individuals and the setting of things like the dates of matches and the outcome of disciplinary enquiries.
