Twenty-four leading West Indies Women cricketers will gather in Antigua from this weekend, for training camp, which bowls away on Sunday at The Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG).
The camp will be the first face-to-face assignment with players for new Head Coach Courtney Walsh and his technical support team, who will run a three-week high performance program for a mix of senior and new players.
West Indies Cricket (CWI) has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sport in Antigua and Barbuda to organize logistics and agree the safety protocols for the start and duration of the camp.
All players and support staff were tested twice with negative COVID-19 results before traveling to Antigua.
The players and support staff will train and live in a biosafety bubble throughout the camp, when four more tests will be conducted.
The preparation camp, which runs from January 9 to February 1, kicks off the year’s activities for the Women’s team, and will feature the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup Qualifiers, taking place in Sri Lanka in July.
Walsh said: “It’s really nice that the camp can be held during this challenging period of COVID-19, as the players are excited about getting down to work. We have a good mix of youth and experience coming into the camp and I am particularly looking forward to working with some of the younger talents we have come through. ”
Coach Walsh will be joined by an experienced team of qualified coaches including former West Indies players Robert Samuels and Corey Collymore, and the camp will also be overseen by High Performance Manager Graeme West.
Walsh added: “Also on the coaching side, we have Samantha Lynch joining us and she did her Level 3 coaching certification training at the same time as me, so I know her very well. This camp will be a good experience for her, and I expect her to quickly become an asset to the team. We also have Steve Liburd who went to England with the team last September, to help with the pitch, and Ryan Austin to focus on our spinners. I think we have a good combination of players and coaches and I’m looking forward to a great camp. “
Among the 24 players who have called for the camp are some world-class performers: Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed and Shakera Selman.
Japhina Joseph, right hand batter of St. Vincent and The Grenadines, are the newest member to be invited to training camp. He impressed the selectors during the CWI Under-19 tournament in 2019.
Qiana Joseph from the Windward Islands returns to the training squad along with teenager Steffi Soogrim from Trinidad and Tobago.
FULL SQUARE: Aaliyah Alleyne, Reniece Boyce, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Shawnisha Hector, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Japhina Joseph, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Natasha McLean, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman, Steffi Soogrim and Stafanie Taylor.
TEAM MANAGEMENT UNIT:
Courtney Walsh – Head Coach
Robert Samuels – Assistant Coach
Corey Collymore – Assistant Coach
Ryan Austin – Assistant Coach
Steve Liburd – Assistant Coach
Samantha Lynch – Assistant Coach
Neil Barry – Physiotherapist
Shayne Cooper – S&C Instructor
Amanda Johnson – Thinking Skills Trainer
Gary Belle – Team Analyst
Sheena Gooding – Team Manager
Naasira Mohammed – Media and Content Officer