The selection panel of the West Indies Cricket Board announced on Tuesday, a 13-member West Indies Women’s squad for their opening series in the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) against New Zealand Women on home soil.
The squad includes two Guyanese all-rounder Shemaine Campbelle and fast bowler Tremayne Smartt- and Hayley Matthews, the lone newcomer. The 16-year-old Matthews bats right-handed and bowls off-spin.
All-rounder Britney Cooper makes a return to the squad. Her previous ODI was against India Women three years ago at the same venue for the upcoming matches.
Talismanic batter Deandra Dottin also makes a return, after missing the previous ODI series against the White Ferns last February in New Zealand.
The inaugural edition of the IWC will see the top eight sides in the women’s game lock horns in a multi-year, bilateral qualifying competition that will lead into the pinnacle event in women’s cricket, the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Developed in order to create a more extensive and meaningful bilateral playing programme for women’s cricket, the IWC will see the eight sides play each other in three One-Day Internationals, either at home or away, between 2014 and 2016.
Points will be awarded for each game, with the top four sides at the conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship gaining automatic qualification to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, to be hosted by the England & Wales Cricket Board.The bottom four sides will have a second chance to qualify for the marquee event through the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2017, details of which will be announced in due course.
The bottom four will join six regional qualifiers and face off for the final four positions at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
In this forthcoming series, West Indies Women and New Zealand Women will play four One-day Internationals – the results of the first three matches counting towards their IWC tally – all at Warner Park in St. Kitts.
This will be followed by three Twenty20 Internationals – all at the Arnos Vale Multiplex in St. Vincent.
The squad is with jersey numbers: 11. Merissa Aguilleira (Captain), 7. Stafanie Taylor (Vice Captain), 30. Shemaine Campbelle, 31. Britney Cooper, 35. Shanel Daley, 5. Deandra Dottin, 42. Kycia Knight, 50. Hayley Matthews, 44. Natasha McLean, 14. Anisa Mohammed, 43. Shaquana Quintyne, 33. Tremayne Smartt and 4. Shakera Selman.
The team management unit comprises Sherwin Campbell (Head Coach), Ann Browne-John (Manager), Ezra Moseley (Assistant Coach), Jacqui King (Physiotherapist), Shannon Lashley (Fitness Trainer) and Trent Sargeant (Video Analyst).