The last time Trinidadian pacer Shannon Gabriel bowled a ball in a Test match for the West Indies was November in the year 2021, with the strapping speedster only sending down four overs in the second innings of the Test, which the regional side lost in Galle, Sri Lanka.
Fast-forward to the present, and Gabriel has once again received the nod to don the maroon colours, with interim coach Andre Coley keeping his fingers crossed that the 34-year-old can hold up for the two Test matches against Zimbabwe. Pacers Kemo Paul, Jeremiah Louis, and Colin Archibald took 20, 18, and 14 wickets, respectively, in the last West Indies championship, but with fast bowler, Jayden Seales sidelined and having completed knee surgery, the Jamaican Coley believes having Gabriel back is the right call, despite the fast bowler picking up only one wicket in four first-class four-day games last season.
“There is no doubt that the players that are mentioned would have been in consideration, but the eventual decision was to go with Shannon (Gabriel) because of that pace that he offers, and we all know that a fit Shannon offers that edge,” said Coley.
POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa- New Zealand got the better of the West Indies Rising Stars, defeating them by 10 wickets in their final Group C match of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Steve Liburd was pleased with the team’s performance in the group stage, “We came up short today, but we had two good victories against Ireland and Indonesia, which qualified us into the Super6s of the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 World Cup, so for us that in itself is a big achievement.”
Liburd added, “Our focus now is the two games we have in the Super6s to secure one of the semi-final spots. But to me, one of the biggest positives is to see the girls continue their growth and development in their cricket journey in this tournament and after we leave South Africa.”
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Following their comprehensive review of matters related to the performance of the West Indies Men’s team, and their early exit from at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year, the independent three-member group appointed by Cricket West Indies (CWI) has submitted their report to CWI President Ricky Skerritt.
The group was chaired by Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and included Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend and current IPL T20 Head Coach, and South African international cricket coach, Mickey Arthur.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes his new opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul is well on the way to becoming a world class player, following an impressive debut last month.
The 26-year-old Chanderpaul, the son of legendary West Indies player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, earned plenty of plaudits after beginning his senior career against top Test team Australia last month.
On debut against the Aussies, Chanderpaul scored 160 runs, which was the second most behind the in-form Brathwaite, and had a top score of 51. In addition to his scoring, however, the player's relative comfort against top-class bowling on a good pitch was also of note.
“I think he’s world-class, when you even look at a thing like the ‘leave alone’ that he has,” Brathwaite told member of the media, ahead of the team's tour of Southern Africa.
West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews is relieved to have the additional firepower of players returning from injury, heading into the team’s upcoming T20 series against South Africa and India.
Ahead of its three-team series, the Windies Women will be bolstered by the return of former captain and star all-rounder Stafanie Taylor, bowler’s Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman and Britney Cooper. Cooper was not injured, but the experienced middle-order batsman will be playing in the team for the first time since 2021.
Taylor, in the meantime, has not featured for the team since the second ODI against New Zealand in September. It’s safe to say Matthews has noticed the absence of the team’s more experienced players.
“It’s really good to have a lot of our players back. We had a couple of injuries over the past couple of months which at the same time would have given some of the younger players really good opportunity,” Matthews told members of the media.
