Historic Test return for West Indies women

WEST Indies women make a welcome return to Test cricket after a 20-year hiatus from the sport’s longest format.

This was confirmed on November 4, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its line-up for the Blockbuster Women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025-2029.

The maroon women reignite the region’s Test status when they play host to Australia for one match in 2026; 50 years after the Caribbean team made their Test debut against the Australians in 1976.

England women play against the Windies in 2027 and this will be the first meeting between the squads in this format since 1979. It was also confirmed that the WI women will travel to South Africa for an away Test in 2028.

WI women have not played a Test match since 2004. Their short record from four Test series stands at three draws and one loss to England. The maroon team played Australia (0-0) in 1976, India in 1977 (1-1), lost to England (2-0) in 1979 and drew against Pakistan (0-0) in 2004. The 1976 match against Australia was the last time West Indies played a Test match at home.

Former West Indies and TT women’s captain Ann Brown-John expressed elation with the West Indies’ reintroduction to Test cricket and said it can bring all-round benefit to the region and its players to improve their overall competitiveness.

“It’s a very positive step for West Indies women’s cricket to be a part of world Test cricket. It augurs well for our cricketers that they can get back into playing the longer format of the game,” said the former West Indies women’s lead selector.

“I believe once you’re playing the longer format it will also assist us with 50-over cricket, learning to stay and bat long at the wicket.”

Browne-John believes this new dimension of cricket will be an eye-opener for the region’s new generation of players, who have never competed at such a level.

“It will also help the younger players because most of them have been exposed a lot to T20s, so it would be good to get back into the traditional form of cricket and building from there. I only see positives about (it) and am looking forward to the first Test match in 2026 and all other which follow.”

Browne-John added that WI women would have to start to play some longer forms of the game here, whether two-day or three-day cricket, to prepare for these Tests. She relished the opportunity to return to such an elite level of competition.

She expressed confidence that Cricket West Indies had already begun looking into these steps towards preparing a well-equipped squad for the 2026 opener.

“I’ve looked at Test players all over the world within recent time, and I’ve seen even some of the players who have been (playing) limited overs cricket, they were able to somehow transfer that knowledge and change into the Test cricket style.

“I am sure we would be able to do that and it also gives the opportunity for some young ones to come through. And even if they are not T20 or ODI cricketers, we’re developing for Test cricketers...will give more players opportunities to think that I can make a West Indies team. There are only positives that come from this.”

A November 4 BBC report said Johnny Grave, whose tenure as Cricket West Indies CEO ended last week, raised the prospect of the Windies playing a Test at the iconic Kensington Oval, Barbados.

“When you have an iconic player, who will go down in history of our game, in Hayley Mathews (Barbados), it seems right she will have the opportunity to wear a maroon Test cap and lead her team out, hopefully at her home ground of the Kensington Oval at some point in a Test,” he told the Stumped podcast.

“Our philosophy has been that red-ball cricket is where you can build your technique, hone your defence and look to score all around the wicket. If that is what we believe for the men then it has to be the case for the women,” Grave said.