Cricket West Indies (CWI) president, Ricky Skerritt, insists the organization will find some appropriate way to honour legendary batsman Chris Gayle after the player was left out of the team's T20 squad for Ireland and England.
Shortly after the team’s unceremonious exit from the World Cup, the hard-hitting left-hander had let on that the reason that he had not announced his retirement at the World Cup was that plans were already underway for a final farewell match.
"We're not defining what such a game (farewell) will look like. The planning has not yet commenced," Skerritt told Cricbuzz.
West Indies head coach Phil Simmons is expecting more energy and enthusiasm from a new-look squad as the team bowls off the year with series against Ireland and England.
The Caribbean team has endured a disappointing few months on the back of a disastrous showing at the T20 World Cup, followed by defeats in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
“The way we started in Pakistan is the way we want to play now, have a lot more energy, more enthusiasm,” Simmons told members of the media earlier this week.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Interim Selection Panel today announced the squads for the upcoming series against Ireland and England. The West Indies will start the new year at Sabina Park, Jamaica as they host Ireland in the three-match CG Insurance One-Day International (ODI) Series and a one-off CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) from January 8 to 16. The two-time World Champions will then travel to Barbados to face England in five T20Is at Kensington Oval from January 22 to 30.
“We have tried to maintain the general make-up of the squads from the Pakistan Tour before Christmas, with the captain and some senior players coming back in. COVID-19 has also played a part in the final make-up of the squad. The challenges in the next couple of months are getting the young players in both squads to not only improve on their skills but maintain the attitude and desire we saw in Pakistan,” Head Coach Phil Simmons said.
Veteran all-rounder Paul Stirling is one of two Ireland players who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are likely to miss the opening matches of the four-match white-ball series against West Indies (WI), starting next month in Jamaica.
The 31-year-old, a right-hander with over 7,000 runs in the white-ball format who also bowls off-spin, returned a positive test, along with fast bowler Shane Getkate, in the final round of testing before the contingent’s scheduled departure for the Caribbean on New Year’s Eve.
West Indies Women’s all-rounder, Hayley Matthews, is part of a three-woman shortlist nominated for the ICC One Day International (ODI) Female Cricket of the Year award.
The past year saw the talented 23-year-old put in brilliant performances with both the bat and ball. In 14 matches Matthews scored 380 runs at an average of 29.23, with one century and one half-century. She claimed 18 wickets at an average of 22.44 and had an economy rate of 3.33.
