ST. JOHN’S, Antigua– Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel has named an eighteen (18) member T20I squad for the Sandals West Indies Women’s Tour of England 2020. The West Indies Women will play five (5) T20 Internationals (T20I) against England Women from September 21-30, at the Incora County Ground, Derby.
The touring party, who will all be tested for COVID-19 this week, are scheduled to fly to England on a private charter on August 30.
The West Indies Women’s squad will live, train and play in a “bio-secure” environment during the four weeks of the tour, as part of the comprehensive medical and operations plans to ensure player and staff safety which will restrict movement in and out of the venues.
All players were given the option to decline selection for any Covid-19 related concern. Anisa Mohammed was the only potential selectee who declined the invitation to travel to England. CWI fully respects her decision to choose to do so.
Kaysia Schultz is the only uncapped played in the squad. Fourteen players of the touring party were part of the West Indies Women’s squad that participated at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, earlier this year.
Lead selector for women and girls’ cricket, Ann Browne-John said, “It is with pleasure that we are able once again to have our West Indies women’s team involved at the International level. This tour to England gives our players a great opportunity. The larger eighteen (18) member squad also gives an opportunity to have young developing players involved; like the two players from Guyana, left-arm bowler Kaysia Shultz and all-rounder Shabika Gajnabi. It also gives the opportunity to the young Trinidadian off spinner Karishma Ramharack to get some international experience.”
CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams told CWI Media, “CWI is pleased to be restarting its international women’s program with a tour to England, where the standard of women’s cricket has grown tremendously. We thank the ECB for their invitiation and the added opportunity to travel with a larger squad affords us the chance to introduce a few younger players to this level of the game, and fast track their development. With so much uncertainty surrounding cricket scheduling currently, this is a timely opportunity for our women to resume competitive cricket at the highest level.”
West Indies Women are scheduled to arrive in Derby on August 31 and will be based in at the Derbyshire Cricket Ground for the duration of the tour.
The tour will be broadcast here in the Caribbean across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Play platforms and in the UK on Sky Sports with a live simulcast on both the BBC and Sky Sports for the third T20I.
The full squad reads: Stafanie Taylor, Afi Fletcher, Hayley Matthews, Aaliyah Alleyne, Cherry Ann Fraser, Natasha Mc Lean, Shemaine Campbell, Shabika Gajnabi, Chedean Nation, Britney Cooper, Sheneta Grimmond, Karishma Ramharack, Shamila Connell, Chinelle Henry, Kaysia Schultz, Deandra Dottin, Lee Ann Kirby and Shakera Selman.
