The Women’s ICC 2022 World Cup, the Antigua-hosted West Indies-England first test and Cricket West Indies’ plans for the creation of a new Emerging Players Academy are the primary topics of interest that would have garnered the attention of Caribbean cricket fans within recent days. As such they are now most deserving of this article’s attention.
First and foremost, however, regular readers would have noticed the absence of `Reds’ Perriera’s photo and name from this article’s byline. `Reds’ is currently addressing some legal and health issues which require his full attention. He has, therefore, requested that he be excused from participating as he’s done before.
His valuable contributions to previous articles have been gratefully appreciated and will now surely be missed. As the theatrical saying goes, however, “the show must go on.”
The West Indies Women’s ICC 2022 World Cup campaign got off to the most wonderful start imaginable with somewhat surprising victories over both the tournament hosts New Zealand, as well as the defending champions England. It has, however, subsequently suffered the setback of a comprehensive March 11 loss to India by the massive margin of 155 runs.
Despite the setback, after three matches played and with four remaining, the West Indies Women are still on equal four points footing with India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. And with two of their remaining four matches scheduled to be against the lowly ranked Pakistan and Bangladesh Women’s teams, our ladies are still very much in contention for one of the coveted semi-final spots.
The manner with which the West Indies Women played in winning their first two matches was most commendable. Having disposed of their Kiwi hosts by 3 runs in their very exciting opening encounter, the Caribbean Women then fashioned a remarkable seven-run victory over the defending champions England in their second match.
What was most admirable about both victories was the refusal to succumb fighting spirit displayed by our Caribbean ladies. Equally admirable was the impression they created of their total committed willingness to play for each other and to always put the team’s best interests ahead of any other considerations.
Hopefully, despite the minor setback of the loss to India, they will now be able to quickly recapture their sense of self-belief and competitive team spirt. So much so as to generate the required, semi-final qualification, success in their remaining matches.
While our ladies have been engaged in their quest for ICC World Cup glory, their male counterparts have been taking on England in the Antigua-hosted first test of the 2022 Apex series. After five days of at times pedestrian cricket, played on a very flat Sir Vivian Richards Stadium pitch, the eventual result was predictably a draw.
There were, however, some meaningful takeaways for the West Indies from the test, particularly in terms of the batting. Nkrumah Bonner demonstrated his continuing consistency by registering his second test century during the West Indies’ first innings.
Bonner’s 355 balls 123, rescued the West Indies from a somewhat perilous position of 127/4. The innings having declined considerably from the promising start it had been given by an 85-run opening stand, between skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (55) and the reincarnated John Campbell (35)
Bonner and Jason Holder added 79 very valuable runs for the fifth wicket. There were also other useful Bonner-featured lower-order partnerships as well. He added 73 with wicket-keeper Joshua DaSilva for the sixth wicket, combined with Kemar Roach (15) in adding 44 for the eight wicket, then posted a further 46 with Veerasammy Permaul (26) before his was finally the ninth wicket to fall.
The West Indies Desmond Haynes-led selection panel would also have been disappointed by the double-innings failures of three of the team’s top-order batsmen. Campbell (35,22), Shamarh Brooks (18,5) and Jermaine Blackwood (11,2) all recorded sub-par match scores that must have caused the selectors considerable concern.
While the West Indies would have been relatively happy with their overall batting efforts during the Test, much the same cannot be said of the bowling. Albeit the pitch having been flat, and of not much assistance whatsoever, the West Indies bowling still suffered from far too inconsistent lines and lengths.
There were centuries from three of England’s batsmen. Johnny Bairstow (140) in the first innings, followed by those from Jack Crawley (121) and Joe Root (109) in the second, as the West Indies bowlers failed to make any meaningful inroads to England’s batting.
The West Indies’ overall cause in fulfilling the ultimate objective of winning the test, would not have been helped by either the number of dropped catches during England’s first innings or by their own pedestrian batting in their second and third-day response. They simply batted too slowly to give themselves any realistic chance of winning the test. The eventual result of a draw had, therefore, become predictable from as early as the fourth day’s rain-affected premature close of play.
The West Indies may now have to rethink the composition of its bowling attack for the all-important Barbados 2nd Test, which bowls off on March 16 at the famed Kensington Oval. It will indeed be very interesting to see what they decide on as the chosen squad for the test.
While they await the announcement of the second test squad, West Indies cricket fans all over the world, should now be overjoyed with the most wonderful news of Cricket West Indies’ announced intentions for the creation of an Antigua Coolidge Cricket Centre based Emerging Players Annual Academy. That announcement must now arguably rank very highly as one of the best ever to have emanated from Cricket West Indies Antigua Factory Road Headquarters since the incumbent Ricky Skerritt first assumed his presidential duties some three-plus years ago,
According to Cricket West Indies official media release the primary aim of the academy, which will be launched July 22 with a student body of 30 U23 players, will be to “bridge the gap after the West Indies Under-19 level and assist their progression into one of the six Territorial Board Franchise squads, with the intention that they will graduate to earn one of the fifteen (15) retainer contracts available in each team!”
Full kudos for this most wonderful initiative are now full deserving of immediate bestowal on all who were directly involved in its development and pending implementation. Particularly Cricket West Indies Development Manager, Jimmy Adams, who was most likely its primary architect.
With the news of the academy’s creation having been made, many a West Indies cricket fan will now, however, be hoping for further immediate announcements about its faculty members. Many will be hoping that the former legendary West Indies players such as Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Vivian Richards, Mikey Holding, Joel Garner, Ian Bishop, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be invited to be involved with the academy in their respective roles, as renowned experts in bowling and batting.
Sir Andy Roberts should indeed be appointed as the Academy’s Bowling Dean and Sir Vivian Richards as its Batting Dean. In addition to the aforementioned, there should also be fielding coach related roles for the likes of Roger Harper and Gus Logie.
Here’s to our receipt of such further suggested announcements in the immediate future!
About The Writer:
Guyana-born, Toronto-based, Tony McWatt is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted towards Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
