The Trinidad and Tobago under-19 men’s cricket team had a disappointing end to the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-over Championships when they fell to a heavy 65-run defeat to Jamaica at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, Kingstown, St Vincent on July 30.
TT entered the fifth and final round of the competition in third spot with two wins and two losses, with their previous game on July 28 being a nerve-wracking one-wicket win against hosts Windward Islands in a low-scoring affair.
TT were unable to replicate the last-gasp heroics against Jamaica, though, who sauntered to their second win in the tourney.
Opting to bat first, Jamaica were restricted to 181 for nine, with lower-order batsman Odel Samuels (36 not out off 50 balls) leading a miraculous fightback with the bat. Samuels came to the wicket with Jamaica on 99 for six at the end of the 30th over, and he batted smartly with the tail to help his team score 82 runs in the last 20 overs. Samuels also frustrated the TT bowlers with an unbeaten 34-run partnership or the final wicket with Tamarie Redwood.
Andrew Rambaran (three for 22) led TT with the ball, with leg-spinner Aneal Rooplal grabbing two for 39.
Samuels appeared to carry his momentum into Jamaica’s bowling innings, and he grabbed figures of three for 29 to help bowl TT out for just 116 after 39.3 overs.
Hayley Matthews knows West Indies Women's cricket has fallen off the pace in recent years but, as their captain, she isn't afraid to do "double the work" of opposition sides to catch up.
The 2016 T20 world champions are now ranked sixth, just two months out from the next edition of the tournament, but Matthews, who takes pride in leading her side by example, believes they are on the right track.
"The reality of it is that we probably dropped behind a bit in the Caribbean," Matthews tells ESPNcricinfo's Powerplay podcast. "But it's also something that Cricket West Indies have noticed and I do see them making and taking steps in order to get that growing again.
"There's so many programmes that are starting to form in the Caribbean. We have an academy team in the West Indies now and, within the islands, islands are starting to do their own thing.
What is the TT Cricket Board doing for the improvement and development of cricket in the country? It doesn’t matter from what angle one views its performance, cricket in this country is not advancing to where it should be at this time. Now, they want to get rid of the TT Cricket Umpires Council (TTCUC), a body that has served faithfully on the TTCB for a number of years, 50 plus. I don’t know if I have missed something, but it is so far without explanation.
There’s a 2023-24 quarterly meeting on August 3 where there is a constitutional amendment being proposed by the TTCB to take away the affiliate member status of the umpires council. Although it requires a two-thirds majority vote to remove them, it could be assumed the lobbying has already been done to successfully pass this amendment.
It is very interesting indeed as to the reasons for this move. For instance, what has the TTCUC done to the TTCB to hurt or upset cricket administration in the land? This must be explained, as information for the move presently, is hard to come by.
The organisation seems to be in the dark itself according to their president, Kellman Kowlessar. A member of this body for more than 50 years, it is passing strange why the TTCB would suddenly object to their presence in the administrative structure of TT’s cricket. The umpires have an important role to play in the decision-making process of the board.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is pleased to announce the West Indies Championship XI, set to compete in a warm-up fixture against South Africa from 31 July to 3 August. This is a crucial opportunity to engage several talented players who have either demonstrated consistent performance over multiple seasons or have shown impressive emerging talent.
The selection of these players is part of CWI’s strategy to evaluate the readiness of potential squad members for the upcoming West Indies vs South Africa Home Test Series. The focus is on assessing their battle readiness and potential contributions to the men's Test team.
The West Indies Championship XI includes:
Justin Greaves (c), Keacy Carty, Jediah Blades, Joshua Bishop, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Bryan Charles, Amir Jangoo, Anderson Phillip, Nial Smith, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Isai Thorne, Kevin Wickham, Kemar Roach
St. John’s, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) is delighted to announce that Deandra Dottin has decided to come out of retirement and will be available for selection to represent the West Indies Women's international cricket team once again.
In a heartfelt letter to CWI, Dottin expressed her enthusiasm to return to the game, stating: "Representing West Indies in international cricket has always been a matter of great pride and passion for me. After a period of reflection and thoughtful dialogue with various parties within Cricket West Indies, including Cricket West Indies President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, I am pleased to inform you that I am eager to return to the game that I love, and contribute my utmost to the West Indies women’s team across all formats, with immediate effect."
She continued, "I am confident that my experience, maturity, and skills will add value to the team as it has done in the past, and I am prepared to furnish my best efforts in every match and training session to ensure the team’s winning trajectory in international cricket. Moreover, I am enthusiastic about mentoring younger players and contributing to the overall development of women's cricket in our region."
