GROS ISLET, St. Lucia- West Indies Women defeated Ireland Women by 2 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
Batting first, Ireland were restricted to 112/7 in their 20 overs, thanks to economical and accurate bowling by Hayley Matthews 4-0-22-3, Cherry-Ann Fraser 3-0-22-2 and debutant Ashmini Munisar 4-0-16-1. Ireland captain Laura Delany top-scored with 34 followed by Eimear Richardson with 22.
In their run-chase, the West Indies lost wickets in consistent periods which slowed their scoring and forced it down to the last ball for a result. Skipper Hayley Matthews top-scored with 37 followed by Afy Fletcher with a valuable 19 when the game looked like it was slipping away from the home team. But Vice-Captain Shemaine Campbelle guided the team to a final ball single and take victory by 2 wickets.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies players Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph will depart early from the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The experienced duo will miss the last two Super Six matches as they return to the Caribbean.
This is with the view of managing the workloads of the two bowlers ahead of the upcoming Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series against India. West Indies have two matches remaining in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers against Oman on Wednesday and Sri Lanka on Friday.
Lead Selector, the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “Jason and Alzarri are two of our leading bowlers in all formats. We have a full schedule for the upcoming series against India, where we begin the new ICC World Test Championship, then followed by the CG United ODIs and the five T20Is. Therefore, we had dialogue, and it was felt the best move at this time is to have two of our leading bowlers return early from Zimbabwe.”
There’s no point in crying over spilt milk. The exercise now is to analyse and evaluate the reason for the cricketers of the West Indies’ poor performances and to rescue West Indians from further disgrace.
The administration, which includes the coaches and the captain, is as much at a loss as the fed-up fan who is quite angry at the bad cricket being played by a group of small islands that conquered the world with their rise to the top, playing scintillating cricket and becoming very popular wherever the game is played.
The question now remains, why was the milk spilt?
There are many explanations, factors and excuses but it boils down to one reason and one alone, and that is a lack of practice, driven by indiscipline from all concerned.
One could have noticed the wobbling of the virtues that make a team successful. Those in charge never detected the small cracks appearing in its body. They did not know enough cricket to understand.
Success is based on being better than one’s opponent.
Incumbent West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite said his side was eager to return to action after a four-month layoff.
Brathwaite and company will start the new ICC World Test Championship cycle with two Tests against India, beginning on July 12 in Dominica and July 20 in Trinidad.
He and many of the other Test team hopefuls are currently attending a training camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua to prepare for the series, which also features the 100th Test between the two sides.
“It’s important to start well,” Brathwaite said in an interview with CWI Media. “We are playing against India, so you know the guys are really looking forward to it.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies Men will tour England in the summer of 2024 where they will play three Test matches. The series will bowl off at Lord’s on 10-14 July, followed by the second Test at Trent Bridge on 18-22 July and final contest at Edgbaston on 26-30 July.
The tour will mark the second occasion that the two teams will compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy – named in honor of cricket icons Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. West Indies are the current holders having won the inaugural series which was played in the Caribbean in March 2022. The series will also form part of the ICC’s World Test Championship 2023 to 2025.
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies said: “West Indies and England have had many enthralling duels on the field over the last 95 years and we expect another great series in 2024– which will mark the 40th anniversary of the famous tour of 1984, when West Indies won 5-0. This series next year will see us defending the Richards-Botham Trophy, as we continue to celebrate the relationship of the teams and honor the legacy of two of the game’s greatest players.”
