The Maroon Warriors return to the Caribbean after a difficult tour of England, where they were unable to secure a win in the six-match ODI and T20I series. Now back on home soil, the team is focused on regrouping, resetting, and reigniting their campaign in more familiar conditions as they aim to deliver stronger, more consistent performances on the international stage.
Despite the disappointing results in England, the West Indies Women showed glimpses of their potential especially from international debutants Jahzara Claxton, the first woman from St Kitts to play international cricket, and Guyanese Realeanna Grimmond, who scored a half century on her ODI debut. Captain Hayley Matthews emerged as the standout performer with 177 runs and three wickets in the T20I series and was duly named player of the series.
The Proteas Women arrive in the Caribbean ranked higher than the West Indies in both formats, with South Africa positioned 5th in both ODI and T20I rankings while the Maroon Warriors are ranked 9th in the former and 5th in the shortest format.
Matthews will once again lead the squad, which sees one change from the England tour, with experienced all-rounder Chinelle Henry coming in for Cherry-Ann Fraser.
Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back:
“After a challenging tour, this home series offers the perfect opportunity for the team to regain their footing and reestablish their confidence playing in familiar conditions and in front of West Indian fans. We believe in this group’s talent and resilience, and we look forward to seeing them play purposeful, passionate cricket.”
Head Coach Shane Deitz echoed the importance of the upcoming matches:
“Obviously, England’s results didn’t go how we wanted, but it was a great learning opportunity and a chance to bring some young players into our team and give them their first taste of international cricket.”
“We had five players aged 21 and under in our last ODI against England, so it was great to see a young team go out there and mix it up with one of the best teams in the world. All those younger players learned some valuable lessons during that series which we hope they will bring into this series to contribute some more for the team and put in some match-winning performances.”
“It’s great that Hayley is now available for this series – her home series in her hometown and she’ll be really excited to put on a great show in front of her family, friends and supporters of West Indies cricket. It’s also great to welcome back Chinelle Henry. In the last 12 months she has been a world class player, so it’s great to have her back in the team, on and off the field.”
“This is going to be wonderful series and a great opportunity for our girls to test their skills and abilities against one of the best teams in the world, so I am looking forward to getting out there putting on a great show for our West Indies supporters. We can’t wait to hear and feel their support when we go out to play on Wednesday.”
The team arrived in Barbados on Sunday, 8th June ahead of the first ODI on 11 June.
The second T20I on Sunday, 22 June, will be particularly special as it coincides with the prestigious CWI and West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) Awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of Caribbean cricket stars across both men’s and women’s cricket.
Admission to the games is free and all matches will be broadcast live across the Caribbean and internationally on ESPN Caribbean.
West Indies Women’s Squad vs South Africa:
Hayley Matthews (Captain)
Shemaine Campbelle (Vice-Captain)
Aaliyah Alleyne
Jahzara Claxton
Afy Fletcher
Shakiba Gajnabi
Jannillea Glasgow
Realeanna Grimmond
Chinelle Henry
Zaida James
Qiana Joseph
Mandy Mangru
Ashmini Munisar
Karishma Ramharack
Stafanie Taylor
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Shane Deitz
Team Manager: Sheena Gooding
Assistant Coach: Ryan Austin
Assistant Coach: Damien Wright
Team Analyst: Gary Belle
Physiotherapist: Angelica Holder
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Hector Martinez Charles
Performance Coach: Dr. Nadine Sammy
Media & Content Officer: Nicholas Maitland
Series Schedule: (All matches will be played at the 3W’s Oval)
1st ODI – Wednesday, 11 June – 10 AM
2nd ODI – Saturday, 14 June – 10 AM
3rd ODI – Tuesday, 17 June – 10AM
1st T20I – Friday, 20 June – 2PM
2nd T20I – Sunday, 22 June – 10 AM
3rd T20I – Monday, 23 June – 2PM
Source: Cricket West Indies
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