ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies women will assemble in St Kitts next month for a training camp and a series of matches, as they intensify their preparation for the upcoming World Twenty20 Championship.
The camp will bowl off on April 11 before the Caribbean girls face Sri Lanka and Pakistan in a specially arranged series of matches.
At the camp, they will work specifically on strength and conditioning, fitness and agility, tactical awareness, match simulations, as well as improving their skill levels.
The Windies lasses will then play two One-Dayers and three T20 warm-ups against the Sri Lankans from April 17 to 23 before hosting the Pakistanis in three T20s from April 26 to 29.
Captain Merissa Aguilleira said the camp would form a major part of the buildup to this year’s World Twenty20 tournament.
“We want to continue from where we left off last November when we beat England in St Kitts,” said Aguilleira.
“That was a great tour and a wonderful experience so we want to continue the good work which we have started. The matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be crucial as we want to win and get into the habit of winning.”
West Indies will be hoping for an improved performance over their outing in last year’s T20 Championship in England when they failed to reach the second round of the tournament.
They made a promising start when they won their opening match against South Africa but lost their two remaining first round games to fall out of contention.
“We believe we will do well in the tournament, and the overall aim of the team is to win at home for our fans,” said Aguilleira who led the team to England last year.
“The camp is a key period as we want to make sure we get fully prepared and have everyone in the squad going in the same direction. To win, there are several processes you have to go through as a team and the camp will be part of the ‘totally preparation’ stage.
“We want to be there on May 16 to lift the trophy, but to do that we know we have to go through the stages and work really hard.”
The first round of the women’s tournament will be played exclusively in St Kitts from May 5-10 with the semi-finals scheduled for the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on May 13 and 14.
Kensington Oval in Barbados will be the venue for the final on May 16, the same day as the men’s final.
