While most of the attention was focussed on the fractured men’s game, the largely neglected women were doing West Indies cricket proud in St. Kitts over the past two weeks.
They prevailed over England, current World Cup and World Twenty20 champions, in both one-day international and Twenty20 series.
If England was without Claire Taylor, presently the best bat in the women’s game, it was a significant triumph for the West Indies all the same, a boost to a sport that trails well behind netball and hockey in popularity and participation in the Caribbean.
While the 40-year-old veteran Pamela Lavine of Barbados was the player of the series in the Twenty20s, it is a basically young squad under captain and wicket-keeper Merissa Aquilleira, of Trinidad and Tobago, and coach Sherwin Campbell, the former West Indies opener.
The batting stars are two 18-year-olds, Stefanie Taylor of Jamaica and Deandra Dottin of Barbados.
Taylor, now in the top 10 in the ODI rankings, scored 90 off 49 balls against Ireland in a Twenty20 last June and hit an unbeaten 108 against South Africa in Paarl last month. Hard-hitting Dottin has the overall record for the fastest 50 in Twenty20s, off 22 balls against No.2 ranked team Australia in the World tournament in England in June.
Women’s cricket has long since been established in England which contested their first Test, inevitably against Australia, in 1934.
England, Australia, New Zealand and India are the big four with the West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ireland, all late international starters, trying to catch up. But it is growing all the time with the likes of Qatar, Oman, China, Malaysia, Iran, Canada and Argentina fielding teams. Jamaica, where the women’s association was established in 1966, and Trinidad and Tobago participated separately in the first World Cup in England. They became part of the West Indies team for the subsequent tournaments in 1993 (sixth), 1997 (ninth), 2005 (fifth) and 2009 (fifth).
Sparingly reported, or not at all, the West Indies have hosted series against Australia and England and toured India, England, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
This year alone, they have gone to Australia for the World Cup, to Europe for preparation for the World Twenty20 in England, to South Africa and now hosted England.
There is now an annual regional tournament (although no team from the Leewards has yet entered).
Next assignment? The World Twenty20 in the Caribean next April and May. It’s something for West Indians starved for success to look forward to.
