West Indies Women have roped in the services of two of their most experienced campaigners as they face Pakistan in the first One-Day International (ODI) today to begin their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers.
The two giants returning are explosive all-rounder and captain, Stafanie Taylor, and wicketkeeper batter, Shemaine Campbelle.
Taylor has been out owing to a personal leave of absence while Campbelle suffered a freak accident that forced her to sit out recent matches.
Taylor is the second most-capped ODI women’s player in West Indies history, with 130 matches while Campbelle is fifth on that list with 83 matches under her belt.
Taylor is also one of two West Indian ladies with over 100 ODI wickets and the third leading run-scorer in the world.
During a press conference yesterday, Taylor said, “It was really disappointing not being in the last ODI series. I had to take some personal leave of absence but I am back and it’s really good to be back and in Pakistan, it is my first time being here.”
West Indies Women have so far faced a roller-coaster of outcomes, winning 3-2 against Pakistan in the Caribbean but losing to South Africa 1-4 in their last series. The Caribbean ladies have also lost 2-1 to India prior to that.
“It’s obvious we struggled against South Africa. We had some time to go back and reflect on the things that we needed to improve and improve our game, we were fortunate to have a few weeks’ camp in Antigua to rectify some of those areas so hopefully starting tomorrow something new,” a rejuvenated Taylor expressed.
With the World Cup qualifiers just around the corner, the Jamaican `Wonder Woman’ was cognizant that the matches will serve as preparation but did not downplay the importance of winning the series and boosting the team’s confidence.
She said, “They are very important. We are using these games to get preparation going for the qualifiers but not looking too far ahead. We definitely want to take away winning of course so not just practice, but for us personally to get some runs under our belt and I think looking at not just the qualifiers but the World Cup as well, you never know, we might play Pakistan again as well so…”
The 30-year-old acknowledged Pakistan as good competitors and revealed that while the hosts are coming off on a high, West Indies are prepared to go the distance and turn around their fortunes.
While West Indies Women have boosted their chances, Pakistan faces a setback with captain, Javeria Khan and seamer, Diana Baig ruled out of the first match. A Covid-19 outbreak has also severely hampered the squad’s preparation.
As a result, Sidra Nawaz will take up the role as leader of the side. Pakistan Women head coach, David Hemp expressed recently that the batting unit will try to build on their exploits in the Caribbean in order to bolster their chances.
Pakistan squad for first ODI: Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (captain and wicketkeeper), Anam Amin, Ayesha Zafar, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin
West Indies squad for Pakistan tour and World Cup Qualifier: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman, Rashada Williams; Reserves: Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Karishma Ramharack
