West Indies women's coach Courtney Walsh seeks improvement against Pakistan

LACK OF competition and player fitness remain top priorities for West Indies women’s cricket coach Courtney Walsh ahead of the squad’s three-match T20 International series against Pakistan on Wednesday.

The regional squad make a welcome return to the international competitive circuit after an eight-month hiatus from the sport owing to the pandemic. The WI women last competed in England in September 2020.

Heading into the series, Walsh and lead selector Ann Browne-John agreed that the recent training camp allowed the players to get back into some form. According to Walsh, the team will return to their competitive consistency once they get back out in the middle against real opposition.

“I’m looking for all-round performances and all-round improvement in all departments. We have had two (training) camps since then (September) to put some stuff together.

“It’s focusing now on awareness and consistency, especially in this camp and then with the Pakistan tour in a couple days’ time to see how well we have improved and get ready for international cricket again,” he said.

The former WI fast bowler and captain said there will be a bit of “rustiness” from some players but they remain committed to fine-tuning ahead of the series. He was, however, happy to have women’s cricket return to the region.

This series will be used as gauge for the team moving forward as they continue to work on rebuilding confidence, a good brand of cricket and batting performances. Self-belief, Walsh said, will play an instrumental role in returning the squad to top form.

Although the camp has served as a major motivational boost for the players, the coach does not want to overwhelm the team with too many areas to focus on. Gradually, he said, they will get there.

“Not playing enough cricket is going to take away some of the confidence because if you’re not playing, you’re not sure how you’re going to perform. But I think in the camp has helped us to come together, have some good practice sessions, practice matches and some good scenarios.

“It gives them a feel of things so things so they’re not going to be as rusty as before. But everyone knows the main test is when you’re in the middle and competing. Pakistan is not a walk over team so it’s going to be a good test for us,” he added.

Walsh said they want to win as many games as possible. He called on the women to do their best so Cricket West Indies (CWI) selectors would have a “headache” when the selection process comes around again. This, he thinks, would mean the team is in a “healthy position”.

Additionally, he said that they have had serious discussion with the player about fitness levels. He credited them however, for showing that never-say-die spirit. The fitness levels are getting better, he said, and that’s where they want to be.

He continued, “We know if they’re not fit and strong enough then the skillset is going to suffer. We have had frank and open discussions and that level has stepped up. There’s improvement in all the testing that they have done.

“The fitness level is not where we want it to be as yet but it’s heading in the right direction. Once we get up to where we should be then that’s one area we don’t have to worry too much about as it would be just maintenance then. We have done a fair amount of work on the fitness aspect of it and that will have to continue.”

For the forthcoming series, veteran all-rounder Deandra Dottin makes a return to the squad after recently recovering from an injury. She however, is not yet ready to return to bowling since she is still doing rehabilitation work on her injury.

Also, Shemaine Campbell and Afy Fletcher are unavailable for selection owing to personal reasons. The senior team will be led by Stafanie Taylor, with Anisa Mohammed as her deputy.

The CWI’s women’s selection panel also chose a women’s ‘A’ team to play their first-ever three-match T20I series on the same dates. The ‘A’ team matches precede the senior team matches in back-to-back double header fixtures.

WI women’s T20I squad – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Anisa Mohammed (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman.

WI women’s ‘A’ T20I squad – Reniece Boyce (captain), Shabika Gajnabi (vice-captain), Shanika Bruce, Cherry Ann Fraser, Jannillea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Caneisha Isaac, Zaida James, Japhina Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Kaysia Schultz, Steffie Soogrim, Rachel Vincent, Rashada Williams