Karishma Ramharack among 15 selected for Windies women India tour

RIGHT-ARM off-spinner Karishma Ramharack was the only Trinidad and Tobago player selected for the West Indies women’s team tour of India, for a multi-format series in December.

On November 27, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced its 15-member squad for the tour which comprises three T20Is and three One-Day Internationals.

Captaining the maroon women once more is Bajan all-rounder Hayley Matthews while Guyana’s Shemaine Campbelle serves as vice-captain. Stafanie Taylor is currently rehabilitating from an injury sustained and will be absent from this tour.

The CWI statement said the T20I series bowls off at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on December 15, followed by the ODI series at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara from December 22.

“This ODI segment carries crucial points for the ICC Women’s Championship.”

Currently ranked sixth in both T20Is and ODIs, the Windies women will face third-ranked India in a compelling series.

The teams’ last white-ball encounter in India in 2016 saw the West Indies triumph 3-0 in the T20Is before India claimed the ODI series 3-0. ​

Following their semi-final appearance at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai, the Caribbean team now face an Indian side that recently secured a 2-1 ODI series victory against reigning ICC Women’s T20 World Cup champions New Zealand. ​

Head coach Shane Deitz was pleased with the combination of talent and wants to take the good momentum gained at the T20 World Cup into this series.

“We showed that we can compete against the top teams which was pleasing,” Deitz said. “Since I’ve taken over, I’ve seen improvements in all areas, but we still have a long way to go. The consistency of high-level performance is what we need to keep working towards and this is a good opportunity to play six matches against one of the best teams in the world.”

Deitz stressed they wanted to get more girls involved with franchise cricket moving forward and looking towards India.

“It’s always good to play in front of the Indian IPL teams. It is good for our ladies to start getting their names in front of those people, to hopefully open some opportunities in the future.”

The West Indies Women will begin their series on December 15, preceded by a 10-day acclimatization camp in India.

West Indies Women’s Squad:

Hayley Matthews (captain), ​Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Nerissa Crafton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi , Chinelle Henry, Zaida James , Qiana Joseph, ​Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Rashada Williams ​

Team Management:

Shane Deitz (head coach), Sheena Gooding ​(manager), Ryan Austin (assistant coach), Damien Wright (assistant coach), Gary Belle ​(analyst), Angelica Holder (physiotherapist), Antonia Burton (strength and conditioning), Dr. Nadine Sammy (performance), Nicholas Maitland ​(media officer)