Jamaican teenager makes Windies squad for Pakistan tour

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

TEENAGE JAMAICA Women’s pacer Kate Wilmott was the only newcomer named in a West Indies Women’s 15-member squad for an eight-match, white-ball series to be contested from April 18 to May 3.

At the same time, evergreen compatriot Chedean Nation and burly St Lucia and Windward Islands Women’s left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Qiana Joseph earned recalls to the squad, which will play three One-day and five Twenty20 Internationals against the hosts.

Lead selector Ann Browne-John said Wilmott, as well as Nation and Joseph were rewarded for creditable performances in the West Indies Women’s Super50 Cup and Twenty20 Blaze that were contested over the past month in St Kitts.

“The return of experienced player Chedean Nation will strengthen the batting, and 19-year-old fast bowler Kate Wilmott will be making her [first appearance],” Browne-John said in a CWI news release.

“The players have just completed the regional tournament where some of the experienced players had encouraging performances, and it is hoped this will continue into the Pakistan series.”

Wilmott ended with only five wickets at 20 runs apiece in the Super50 and took only one wicket at 71 in the T20 Blaze for double-crown champions Jamaica Women, but it is clear she was selected based on talent and the selectors are trying to continue to build the fast-bowling stocks of the team.

Nation, 37, made 192 runs – the second-highest aggregate – in the Super50, averaging exactly 48, hitting two half-centuries. Nation also amassed 66 runs at 16.50 and bagged six wickets at 13.16 with her medium-fast bowling in the T20s for the Jamaicans.

Joseph, 23, bagged eight wickets at 16.25 in the Super50 Cup, and made 98 runs, including a top score of 56, and took three wickets at 22.33 in the T20s for the Windwards.

Several familiar faces fill in the rest of the squad, which will be led again by world-rated Barbadian all-rounder Hayley Matthews, although she missed both regional tournaments because of playing commitments elsewhere.

They include Guyana captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Shemaine Campbelle, who will be deputy to Matthews, successful Jamaica captain and former West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor, and Windwards captain and leg-spinner Afy Fletcher – all of whom were among the leading performers in the tournaments.

Both white-ball series will be crucial to the West Indies Women because the ODIs will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which results in direct qualification for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup next year in India, and the T20Is will be preparation for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in September-October in Bangladesh.

“The upcoming series against Pakistan is extremely important for the team as they return to international competition after almost six months,” Browne-John added. The last series being against Australia.

“Apart from the three ODIs, the team will get some much-needed T20 matches as they prepare to participate in the T20 World Cup later this year.”

West Indies Women will assemble from 6 April in Dubai for a one-week training camp before travelling on April 14 to Pakistan for the matches.

Windies women squad:

Hayley Matthews (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Jannillea Glasgow, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams, Kate Wilmott.