BRISBANE, Australia (CMC) — West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said yesterday he was not too worried by his side's ongoing challenges in the ongoing tour match against Cricket Australia XI, and has warned detractors not to underestimate the Caribbean side in the three-Test series starting next week.
The tourists have been unconvincing over the two days of the four-day match at Allan Border Field, dismissed for 243 in their first innings and then struggling as a youthful CA XI side coasted to 244 for four at the close yesterday.
"That's the thing with young teams, it is easy for people to do that and write off teams. I don't take any notice of it," Simmons told reporters.
"It might encourage us to do better and push ourselves. It's good when people do that. England did that at their peril."
Even Mother Nature could not stop the West Indies from being on the verge of an embarrassing loss to an inexperienced Cricket Australia XI in their four-day tour match in Brisbane. Rain appeared the Windies' best hope of avoiding blushes against the young CA XI after showers on Friday twice interrupted their second innings. But it seems nothing can help the Windies save face at Allan Border Field after being reduced to 7-125 in their second dig, still trailing the hosts by 76 runs with a day's play left. It is their sole tour match before starting a three-Test series from Thursday against world No.2 Australia in Hobart. A near full-strength Windies Test team are trying to avoid an innings defeat against the CA XI with six first-class debutants and an average age of 21. Only rested bowling spearhead Jerome Taylor is missing from the Windies XI in Brisbane.
Taylor is the third West Indian to sign on for WBBL|01, joining Hayley Matthews (Hurricanes) and self-proclaimed ‘female Chris Gayle’ Deandra Dottin (Scorchers).
The Sydney Thunder have landed one of the biggest names in Women’s Cricket, signing West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor for the inaugural rebel Women’s Big Bash League season. One of world’s best players with both bat and ball, Taylor is the latest in a string of internationals to announce they will be part of WBBL|01. Taylor’s impressive cricketing resume includes an average of 45.62 in ODIs, while her 87 international appearances to date have produced five centuries and 22 half-centuries. With the ball the 24-year-old yields just over 16-runs for every wicket she takes in T20 internationals. Taylor bowls sharp off-spin which has seen her take 56 T20I wickets from 50 innings. She starred for the Windies against Pakistan earlier this year with scores of 98no and 87no, while she posted scores of 95, 78 and 52 against the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars last summer.
Cricket Australia XI's top order all chipped in with handy knocks, helping the team secure the lead against West Indians on the second day of the tour match in Brisbane.
West Indians, who began the day precariously placed at 154 for 6, were led by Carlos Brathwaite's patient 47, but received little by way of support from the other players, as the team eventually folded for 243. Medium-pacer Simon Milenko was the pick of the hosts' bowlers, collecting 5 for 76, while James Bazley and Cameron Boyce shared two scalps apiece.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Not a single West Indies player has made it onto the International Cricket Council’s Test or One-Day International team-of-the-year for 2015.
Players from five nations comprise the Test side while those from seven nations make up the one-day side but no players from the Caribbean have found favour with the selection panel headed by legendary former India spinner Anil Kumble.
West Indies languish at number eight in the ICC Test rankings and number nine in the ODI tables. Significantly also, there are no West Indies players in the top 10 of either the Test or ODI player batting rankings.
Discarded veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul is the highest ranked West Indies Test batsman at 14th while fast bowler Kemar Roach lies 15th in the bowling rankings.
In ODIs, West Indies batsmen do not feature inside the top 30 with stroke-maker Marlon Samuels the highest ranked at 33rd.
Ironically, off-spinner Sunil Narine tops the ODI bowling rankings but was on Sunday banned from bowling by the ICC because of an illegal action.
