St John’s, ANTIGUA – Cricket West Indies (CWI) will begin its 91st year today, with a new name and website as part of a comprehensive rebranding programme. From today the West Indies Cricket Board will be renamed Cricket West Indies and formally recognise all representative teams as the WINDIES.
CEO Johnny Grave, commented:
“Cricket West Indies better reflects how the organisation operates, as there are many different stakeholders who we work in partnership with, under the unifying aim of improving cricket at all levels within the region. We plan to work even more closely with them over the next few years and consultation will begin immediately as we develop a new strategic plan for 2018-2023.”
President Dave Cameron added:
“Whilst the Board of Directors has an important role, we feel that the new name is more inclusive and appropriate, as we want to recognise the valuable role that our players, territorial boards, staff, supporters, governments, coaches, match officials and volunteers, play in the organisation. For Cricket West Indies to operate effectively and efficiently we need all of our stakeholders to work in partnership and the name change is an important first step in our strategy.”
The WINDIES name has long been associated with the representative teams within International cricket and this new brand will be used on all team playing shirts along with a new website focused on providing all WINDIES supporters more user-friendly information including live scores, team updates, videos and player information.
The new website is www.cricketwestindies.org and the new match centre will launch on www.windiescricket.com ahead of the first International T20 against Afghanistan on Friday, June 2.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Off-spinner Sunil Narine remained the highest ranked West Indies bowler in the latest ICC Player rankings as South Africa seamer Kagiso Rabada became the youngest player in nearly two decades to claim the number one spot.
In the latest rankings released Tuesday, Trinidadian Narine dropped one place to fourth, and is still the only West Indies bowler in the top 10.
The 29-year-old, however, has not played for West Indies since the three-match one-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last October, and with West Indies failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy, his ranking is expected to fall further.
He missed ODI series against England in March and against Pakistan last month, after failing to meet the eligibility requirement of making himself available for the Regional Super50 domestic limited overs tournament.
AS the eight leading ODI nations convene for the ICC Champions Trophy, one side is conspicuous by its absence. Over the next two and a half weeks, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka will do battle in world cricket’s second most prestigious 50-over tournament. But missing the party are West Indies, ranked only ninth in the ODI standings. The game in the Caribbean has been on the slide for a number of years – gone are the glory days of Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Brian Lara – as the row between the nation’s cricket board and its star players continues to undermine the fortunes of the team. Winners of the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, the Windies were the standard-bearers of limited-overs cricket following its inception, but their absence from this year’s Champions Trophy is the culmination of a slow and steady decline. Since the retirement of their last superstar Lara in 2007, West Indies have struggled – without success – to produce a side capable of challenging the traditional powers in both the Test and ODI arenas.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Emmanuel Stewart will have five new caps to lead when the West Indies Under-19 squad embark on a tour of southern Africa in July. The West Indies Cricket Board yesterday announced a 15-member squad that will take on South Africa in five Youth One-day Internationals and Zimbabwe in three. “The squad is well balanced with a number of multi-dimensional players which will provide depth in all departments,” said head coach Graeme West. “This team is still very young in comparison with the previous squad, but it’s already a very united group that works well together and has a great desire to learn and improve.” Stewart and vice-captain Kirstan Kallicharran are the only two remaining members from the World Cup-winning squad of last year. The new players are: Trinidad & Tobago left-handed batsman and part-time off-spinner Keegan Simmons, nephew of former West Indies batsman and head coach Phil Simmons and cousin of West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons; Guyanese wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Persaud, along with pacer Cephas Cooper of Trinidad & Tobago, Darren Nedd from Grenada, and Barbadian Nyeem Young. The remaining eight players were part of the team that played in the Regional Super50 Tournament in January/February in Antigua, including Bhaskar Yadram.
The sport’s world governing body announced on Thursday that the Committee, under the chairmanship of current India coach Anil Kumble, will recommend that teams will not lose a review when an lbw review comes back as “umpire’s call”.
“Should that be adopted however, the 80-over top-up of reviews in Test cricket would be removed,” said an ICC media release.
“The Committee will (also) recommend to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee that DRS should be able to be used in all Twenty20 International games.
“If the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee approves these recommended changes, the new ICC playing conditions will come into effect from October 1 this year.”
Presently, each team may make no more than two unsuccessful review requests per 80 overs during a Test, and no more than one unsuccessful review request an innings during a One-day International.
Under the DRS rule, only clearly incorrect decisions are reversed; if the video replay umpire’s analysis is within established margins of error or is otherwise inconclusive, the on-field umpire’s original call stands, hence the term “umpire’s call” for lbw verdicts specifically.
