Tomorrow, West Indies Women will clash with their England counterparts in the first of five T20Is. The Caribbean captain, Stafanie Taylor says they are ready for the challenge.
This series marks the first female series to bowl off since the T20 Women’s World Cup back in March. Speaking to the media yesterday during the pre-series conference, Taylor expressed optimism about the series.
Having settled in just about a month in England and a few practice matches under their belt, Taylor explained, “The thing is we have been here for quite a while now, it feels like home.Normally when you go on a tour it’s like we are the away team but this time it feels like we are the home team.”
The captain pointed out that the squad is high in confidence and has settled in well with the environment.
“The girls are in a great spirit. We’ve had a few weeks to get out there and get used to the condition and everything is going well,” she said.
Taylor debunked any speculation about the batting being a concern, stating, “No it’s not a concern at all, it’s not we had basically played against ourselves and if you split the team you really have to try and balance it and if you check the scorecard you would see most of the batters were actually getting runs which is actually good. “
The captain related that the time in the middle after a five-month period away from the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been fulfilling.
Ideally, the team has gotten some intense practice sessions with the 29-year-old all-rounder revealing that most of the players were marked on a high standard.
As such, the selection of the playing XI is a tough task and Taylor admitted that this is an area where they have not yet reached and may do so soon.
Taylor amplified the selection dilemma by saying “I don’t even know if Hayley [Matthews] is going to open the batting,” when asked about Matthew’s opening partner.
Meanwhile, looking at the England side, Taylor was familiar with the squad, pointing out that she expects them to come hard judging from their “balanced” side.
“Most of the players I’ve seen were from the World Cup squad. Not much changes to it and it was expected so I think they have a pretty good team and I expect them to come hard at us at home, we are in their back yard and I find they have a pretty balanced team,” she said.
West Indies Women Stafanie Taylor (Captain), Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle, Afy Fletcher, Hayley Matthews, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Chedean Nation, Natasha McLean, Chinelle Henry, Aaliyah Alleyne, LeeAnn Kirby, Sheneta Grimmond, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Kaysia Schultz
England Women Squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Katie George, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
