The West Indies selection panel will continue its search later this month in St. Vincent for players to fortify the West Indies Women’s squad heading to the ICC Women’s World Cup to be staged from June 24 to July 23 in England.
The WICB Regional Women’s Super50 Tournament will take place this year between April 16 and May 1, giving the region’s best female players a final opportunity to showcase their talent in the hope of making the Windies Women’s team.
Stafanie Taylor’s side earned automatic qualification to the Women’s World Cup following their fourth place finish in the ICC Women’s Championship – a tournament contested between the top eight sides in the World over the last two years.
During the upcoming regional tournament, the selection panel will have an eye open for any player that could help to ensure that the most competitive unit possible can be assembled to make a serious assault on the World title.
“Having reached the Final of the last ICC Women’s World Cup and following up by winning the World T20 title, a lot is expected of our women’s team at this year’s World Cup in England, so we’ve got to have the right combination of players that will give us a strong side that will be tough to beat,” said Josina Luke, the WICB project officer for women’s cricket.
“The success of our women’s team over the last few years should hopefully burn on the inside of the players during the regional tournament, inspire all of them and make them hungry to be a part of another successful campaign on the World stage, when they see the excitement and benefits that were generated, especially after our team won the World T20 title.
“They should all be eager to play well and the players should see this upcoming regional tournament as an opportunity to get into the selection frame. No one is ever guaranteed a spot in any squad, so it’s about the players putting in the hard work as they prepare for the tournament over the new few weeks and doing it on the field when the time comes.”
Trinidad & Tobago Women are the defending champions, and on the opening day of this year’s tournament, Thursday, April 20, they will face regional sporting arch-rivals Barbados Women at Sion Hill, at the same time that traditionally-strong Jamaica Women meet Leeward Islands Women at the rural venue of Park Hill and hosts Windward Islands Women battle Guyana Women at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.
Each of the teams will play the other once in a round-robin competition featuring five rounds, with the two teams accumulating the most points qualifying for the Final to determine the tournament winner on April 30 at Arnos Vale.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 20
Barbados vs Trinidad & Tobago – Sion Hill
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – Park Hill
Windward Islands vs Guyana – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
Saturday, April 22
Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – Park Hill
Trinidad & Tobago vs Guyana – Sion Hill
Jamaica vs Barbados – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
Monday, April 24
Guyana vs Barbados – Park Hill
Jamaica vs Windward Islands – Sion Hill
Leeward Island vs Trinidad & Tobago – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
Wednesday, April 26
Guyana vs Leeward Islands – Sion Hill
Barbados vs Windward Islands – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
Trinidad & Tobago vs Jamaica – Park Hill
Friday, April 28
Windward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
Barbados vs Leeward Islands – Sion Hill
Guyana vs Jamaica – Park Hill
Sunday, April 30
The Final – Arnos Vale Sports Complex
(Taken from windiescricket.com)