West Indies are all set to lock horns against Australia in a three-match T20I series beginning on 1st October. While Australia can be considered favorites to win the series, West Indies have come for the tour all set to topple the cricketing juggernauts.
There will be an Australian influence on the West Indies side with former South Australian wicketkeeper-batter Shane Deitz coaching them. In his career, Deitz had amassed 3753 runs in 66 first-class matches and had taken 89 catches and 6 stumpings. As a coach, he has trained the Bangladesh and Netherlands sides. This tour will be his first assignment as coach of the West Indies team.
Playing against the best side in the world can be intimidating and challenging but Deitz has a simple message for his team. “Got out there and enjoy it. Enjoy the challenge and play with freedom…We’ve got nothing to lose. Australia has been the world’s best team for a long time now. We’ve got to find an identity for how we want to play. Using that natural ability and talent and letting that flow is the way I’m looking to do it. Play with a smile on your face, have fun.”
Deitz’s philosophy is something that Captain Hayley Matthews stands by and hopes to emulate. Matthews was elevated to the position of captaincy last year and has been performing exceedingly well. In her T20I career, she has amassed 1716 runs in 85 matches and has taken 86 wickets. This year she is averaging 43.33 with the bat and 15.78 with the ball and was West Indies’s leading run scorer and wicket-taker in the 2022 ODI World Cup. She is also coming into the tour on the back of a match-winning performance in the WCPL final.
Deitz, praising her said, “Her performances over the last 12 months or longer have been unbelievable…She’s one of the best in the world, for sure. I’ve been so impressed with her leadership and captaincy within the group. It’s amazing for her age to be such a great leader. We are enjoying our time working together, we think along the same lines. Think the team’s in good hands with her.”
Deitz and Mathews’s vision about the future of the team aligns and this is a great sign for the team. Mathews said that Deitz has spoken about, “progressing in the right direction and getting the youngsters to a certain standard and becoming a more consistent team.” Deitz wants to ensure that the team plays at a high international level and is ready for the upcoming tournaments.
He said, “There’s definitely a lot of youth coming through, [it’s about] harnessing that talent and putting in a world-class high-performance programme around them to produce international standard players…There’s definitely lots to work with. We want to win every game, but you have to have a longer-term vision to develop players and allow them to make mistakes along the way.”
The series will be a chance for Australia to bounce back after the Ashes where they lost both the white-ball series. While they have a slight edge, Alyssa Healy and her side will not be taking the West Indies team lightly.
About the West Indies team, Healy said, “I think they are a really damaging side…Maybe the results over the last 12 months don’t quite represent the side they are and how much damage they can do. They’ve got two of the best players in the world at the top of the order and some really damaging new-ball options as well. If Hayley Matthews gets going at North Sydney Oval it will be really hard to stop.”
The T20I series will be played between 1st and 5th October, with the first two T20Is at the North Sydney Oval and the third one being played at the Allan Border Field.
Australia Women’s Cricket Squad:
Alyssa Healy (C), Tahlia McGrath (VC), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is only), Jess Jonassen, Alana King (ODIs only), Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
West Indies Women’s Cricket squad:
Hayley Matthews (C), Shemaine Campbelle (VC), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams
Vaishnavi is a passionate author with an unwavering love for cricket, particularly women’s cricket. Her writing reflects her deep admiration for the sport and her dedication to promoting women’s participation in it. When she’s not following the latest cricket matches, Vaishnavi can be found engrossed in books or enjoying movies.