WI stars line up for Women’s Super50

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

Veteran batsman Stafanie Taylor, along with fellow West Indies teammates Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell and Britney Cooper, will headline the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Super50 Cup and T20 Blaze but West Indies captain Hayley Matthews will miss the tournament bowling off here Monday.

Taylor will lead the Jamaica squad, Campbelle captains Guyana, and Cooper takes charge of Trinidad and Tobago, while Connell will feature for reigning double champions Barbados led by Kycia Knight, who quit international cricket last month.

Matthews, 25, will be absent for Barbados because of her commitments in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which runs from February 23 to March 17.

The stylish right-hander is turning out for Mumbai Indians.

“We will miss Hayley’s profile and impact in the regional tournament,” said CWI’s director of cricket, Miles Bascombe.

“She is our gold standard. I am sure she will make us proud at the WPL, which will be excellent preparation for her ahead of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup later this year.”

Taylor, who Matthews replaced as captain two years ago, will oversee a side which includes the likes of Rashada Williams, Natasha McLean, Vanessa Watts and Chedean Nation, all of whom have played international cricket.

Campbell, an aggressive right-handed batsman, will also have at her disposal the services of several international players, with Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Ashmini Munisar, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Mandy Mangru and Kaysia Schultz all selected.

Cooper, a veteran of 49 One-Day Internationals and 76 Twenty20 Internationals, will be supported by current West Indies players Karishma Ramharack, Djenaba Joseph and LeeAnn Kirby, while the 36-year-old Kirbyina Alexander played the last of her 26 internationals 14 years ago.

The uncapped Amanda Edwards will lead Leeward Islands, whose only international is Shawnisha Hector, even though Jahzara Claxton has played for West Indies-A.

Windward Islands will be captained by West Indies leg-spinner Afy Fletcher and will boast the international trio of Zaida James, Jannelia Glasgow and Qiana Joseph.

Pearl Etienne, at age 41, will also feature in the tournament, having last played the last of her 21 internationals 12 years ago.

“It’s an exciting period for women’s cricket in the region,” Bascombe continued.

“This year’s CG United Women’s Super50 and T20 Blaze has a whole new context as we seek to professionalise the women’s pathway with the first cohort of regionally contracted women being signed on from October 1, 2024.”

The Super50 Cup will be played at Warner Park, Conaree Cricket Centre, and St Paul’s Sports Complex, starting Monday, with the T20 Blaze set to get underway at Warner Park on March 17.