Guyanese medium-pacer Subrina Munroe gained the regional selectors’ nod as one of two newcomers in the 14-member West Indies Women’s squad that will contest the International Cricket Council Challenge in Potchefstroom, South Africa next month.
Munroe, who has not yet played at the international level, becomes the third Guyanese in the squad, joining compatriots Shemaine Campbell and Tremayne Smartt. The squad will be led by regular skipper Merissa Aguilleira.
In an email from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Chairman of Selectors Clyde Butts said that the selection panel has picked a very good team for the tournament and he expects them to do well. “We have two newcomers to the squad – Subrina Munroe and Pearl Etienne. The two new players are both very good seam bowlers and they performed very well in the recent WICB Women’s Tournament in St Vincent. Both can also bat and they can be expected to make good contributions in the lower order.
“They have been knocking at the door for sometime and have managed to work their way into the team. We have the nucleus of the team which has been playing together for the last couple of years … most of the players who have done well at the international level. There is a good balance in the squad and we have a lot of all-rounders,” Butts said.
He added that the players are growing in experience and the Challenge is being seen as part of the build-up to the next ICC Women’s World Cup. He pointed out that it is a young team, with a number of players in their teens and early 20s, and the panel is looking to build with the future in mind.
He believes that even though it is a young team, the players are quite experienced at the international level and the trip will be a chance to gain more experience in foreign conditions. “We have played in South Africa before so the girls should be familiar with the conditions and know how to adapt when they get there,” Butts said.
Barbadian Pamela Lavine did not make it into the final squad. Butts noted that she is still a good batter and she has done well for Barbados and West Indies in the past, but her general fitness worked against her on this occasion and at other options were explored. “Not making the team for this tour does not mean she has been discarded nor has she been retired. She is still part of the overall plans in West Indies Women’s cricket,” he emphasized.
The full team comprises: Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Anisa Mohammed, Shemaine Campbell, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Pearl Etienne, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt and Stafanie Taylor.