West Indies Women face Pakistan in 1st T20

WEST Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor plans to take “each game at a time” as her team face Pakistan in the opening game of a three-match T20 International series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.

The other matches in this series will take place on July 2 (Coolidge Cricket Ground, Coolidge, Antigua) and July 4 (Sir Vivian Richards Stadium).

There will also be a three-game T20 series between the A teams of both WI and Pakistan, with those matches each preceding the T20 Internationals. The A team matches will get going at 9 am, with the Internationals bowling off at 2 pm.

During a media conference held via Zoom on Tuesday, Taylor said, “We have a lot of games coming up. For us, it’s taking each game at a time.”

Taylor added, “We’ve not played for a while. This is something new. We’ve been in camp for about two months. I know that expectations (are) a bit high but we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves.

“Pakistan (have) been playing some good cricket so we’re not underestimating anybody. For us, it’s about one step at a time.”

This will be the first taste of international action for the West Indies Women since they were whitewashed 5-0 in their T20 series away to England last September.

Since then, former WI captain and fast bowling great Courtney Walsh replaced his former teammate Gus Logie as WI Women’s coach.

The WI Women have been involved in a camp in Antigua since April. The regional players who were not selected on the squad for the T20 and subsequent five-match One Day International series will be involved with the A team for the trio of T20 games and three one-dayers.

Touching on the A team series, Taylor said, “I’m really excited about that. I remember saying, when we won the (2016 T20) World Cup, that we need to start developing the young players.

“They are excited as well and we’re going to come out and support them. It’s good for West Indies cricket. The improvement and the development (are) what we want to see going forward.”

Experienced batter Javeria Khan will be at the helm of the Pakistan squad for the international matches, with spinner Rameen Shamim and wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz leading their A teams for the one-dayers and T20s respectively.

Khan said at Tuesday’s media conference, “We’re really excited to be here. The girls have prepared really well over the past two days. They have had some intense training sessions and we’re looking forward to playing the West Indies and, we’ll try to get good results.”

The West Indies A team will be skippered by Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper Reniece Boyce.

The 23-year-old listed a few players who she thinks can stake a claim for higher honours.

“(Vice-captain) Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Cherry Ann Fraser, Japhina Joseph, Rashada Williams,” said Boyce. “We have a number of girls with international experience, so they are definitely the ones we’re looking (at).”

Reflecting on the training camp, Boyce said the players worked on “mostly technique, when it comes to batting, bowling, everything…batting longer periods.”

Her opposite counterpart Nawaz noted, “We’re very excited to be here in this beautiful land, excited to play, in Antigua, very good cricket.”

SQUADS –

WI Women International – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Anisa Mohammed, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman.

WI Women A Team – Reniece Boyce (captain), Shabika Gajnabi, 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.

Pakistan Women squad: Javeria Khan, Rameen Shamim, Sidra Nawaz, Aliya Riaz, Aiman Anwar, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Jaweria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi (wicketkeeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah.