Wednesday November 21, 2018
PAGE 37
Kaieteur News
Praise for organizers as preliminaries wind up GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – Tournament director Jennifer Nero has hailed the organizing committees of the ongoing ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in St. Lucia and Guyana, following the completion of group stages in those two territories. Nero, who is also a dir e c t o r o f C r i c k e t We s t Indies, said the tournament has attracted record numbers of spectators and the hard work done in the preparation stage had paid huge dividends. ”We launched the amazing ‘Watch This’ campaign back in June and it has caught the imagination of the cricket world,” said Nero. ”We are delighted with the number of fans coming to the matches and we want to applaud everyone who came out – men, women and c h i l d r e n . We h a d h u g e turn-outs in both venues – the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground and the Guyana National Stadium – which
West Indies players celebrate one of their four victories during the preliminary round. provided an electrifying atmosphere.” Nero added: “We want to say a special ‘thank you’ to the governments and people of St Lucia and Guyana for their support and help in putting on a wonderful show in the opening rounds.”
The tournament is a historic one as the first ICC stand-alone Twenty20 tournament. In the past, both the men’s and women’s events have been run alongside each other. Eight years ago, the Caribbean also hosted the T20 World Cup, with much
success. ”I must commend the officials and staff who worked on this event – everything was well-organized and went according to plan. We h a v e a c a d r e o f competent, skilled and highly-motivated profes-
sionals who executed a seamless operation,” Nero continued. “Of note, if the work of the ground-staff in both venues, who did yeoman service to get the pitches and out fields in top condition. ”No stone was left unturned and we have seen a new level of excitement and organization in the women’s game. We e n d e d t h e f i r s t round with an amazing crowd of close to 10,000 in St. Lucia and it was a great occasion. We have seen t h e r i s e o f w o m e n ’s cricket.” Tickets sale have surpassed previous expectations, with an average of close to 4,000 fans per match day. With the momentum, organisers are expecting capacity crowds for the final phase in Antigua. With hosts WINDIES Women storming into the semi-finals alongside England, Australia and India,
Nero urged the fans in Antigua to come out and be part of history. The semi-finals of the global event will be contested tomorrow at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, where the final takes place two days later. We s t I n d i e s t a k e o n three-time champions Australia while England face India in the other semi-final. ”We are now into the last lap with the top four teams sharing the limelight. The spotlight will now switch to Antigua and we expect the same levels of operations and delivery,” said Nero. ”This tournament has opened the eyes of the world and demonstrated that the women’s game can stand alone – the ladies are standing proudly with athletic and dynamic displays on the field backed by superb organization and leadership off the field. This is a boundary-breaking, history-making event.”
WEIGHT OF HISTORY BEHIND ICC WOMEN’S WORLD T20 SEMI-FINALS With the ICC Women’s World T20 in just its sixth edition and with this being the first stand-alone tournament, the legacy of this tournament can be said to still be in its beginning. And yet the last three matches arrive with the weight of history behind them, thanks to the way the draws have fallen. The semifinals will be re-enactments of two of the most famous finals in the history of women’s cricket, both of which have come in the last two years. In the first game tomorrow, 22 November, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will host the home team as they face pre-tournament favourites Australia. The Windies claimed their title by beating the same team in the final of the ICC Women’s World T20 2016. That game could lay claim to the most groundbreaking victory ever, as it was the first time that a team outside of the axis of Australia-England-New Zealand won a global title since 1973. In the later game, tabletoppers India will take on England, a re-match of the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: On that occasion the home team crowned a year of upheaval with a title in front of their fans, while India fell short of a first ICC Women’s World Cup title by an agonizing 10 runs. The match
was the pinnacle of a record-breaking tournament, one that could be said to have forever changed how the world viewed women’s cricket. In this tournament, the home side have looked mercurial yet steely; there are questions about the consistency of their batting, having posted low scores in three of their four games. But when they beat England, it was runs from lesser known players that saw them home, proof that the side is more than its top-three. Their bowling line-up has shown the ability to defend low scores, but most electric has been their fielding. “If you score a low total and you have the best
fielding, then you have a chance at defending that total”, said Deandra Dottin ahead of the semi-finals. “We’ve been working very hard on our fielding, our basic stuff, and it certainly helps. I think it’s pretty strong at the moment.” With the wind in the Caribbean offering some unique challenges to fielders, the home side look distinctly advantaged. Australia come in with some questions: after having been anointed far-andaway favourites before the tournament, the loss against India in their final group game has left many pondering their vulnerability. But they still sport formidable depth, and captain Meg Lanning believes her
bowling attack has developed a resilience that wasn’t there before. “We were staying relatively calm out there knowing that India would come hard at us and they would have the momentum at some point. I thought we were able to hold them back pretty well,” she said after that loss. The three-time champions have the best support system, the best domestic structure, and some world-class players, but have not won a world title since 2014, and will be keen to correct that. India seem to have shed their skin in the last six months. Doubts about their chances in this competition arose when they lost twice to Bangladesh in the Asia
Golden Jaguars go down to French... From back page teams continue their quest to qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup next year.The Golden Jaguars have dropped to 15th in the 34 nation league while French Guiana has moved to 11th overall. Haiti is at the top followed by Canada, Cuba, Jamaica and Martinique in that order with 9 points apiece. Bermuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, French Guiana, Belize, El Salvador and Montserrat are next in this order on 6 points apiece separated by goals.
Followed by Guyana, Suriname, St Lucia, Barbados, Aruba, Guadeloupe and Dominica all on 4 points separated on goal difference. Antigua and Barbuda at 22nd along with St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada and Turks & Caicos Islands are all on 3 points followed by Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Anguilla on a point apiece. Yet to get off the mark are Puerto Rick, British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, Saint Martin, US Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten.
Guyana will play their final match of this stage on March 23rd at the Leonora Track and Field Stadium where a win will be a must. French Guiana on the other hand would be playing away to Canada on March 26th. The starting X1: 1 Kai McKenzie-Lyle, 14Terence Vancooten, 21Colin Nelson, 3Kevin Layne, 5Walter Moore, 11Kadell Daniel, 12Daniel Wilson, 16Neil Danns (Captain), 23Elliot Bonds, 20Trayon Bobb, 9Sheldon Holder.
Cup, but since then they have found a winning h a bit and formula, one with a heavy dose of spin. Under a new coach, they have now won eight T20Is in a row - their best ever run - and carry critical momentum into the game, having just beaten Australia. “I think it’s important not just because it’s Australia, but for ourselves and our team,” said Jemimah Rodrigues, one of the young players who has been key to India’s resurgence. “I think it plays a huge impact on our team and I think we look forward to it, but are not carried away by it, and we will try to do even better in the semifinals.” England were unchallenged and their middle-order undercooked going into their last group match, but that changed as they were beaten in a thriller by the Windies. “To have a tight game like
that and to see how we fought, how we stayed in the game, how we scrapped, that’s what the team is about,” said Knight. “And that’s all I can ask for the girls. It’s really pleasing obviously, going into the semi-final.” They have bet heavily on their spinners in this tournament, but it has been their pace bowlers who have won them critical moments in the group games, in conducive conditions in Saint Lucia. The challenge now for Heather Knight’s side will be to replicate that at a different venue, against opposition who play spin well. Antigua’s coast might boast white sand beaches and azure blue sea, but come tomorrow, the interior will be the place to be. The best cricketing talent will converge on the green grass of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, as this tournament takes its last few steps towards legacy.
Crawford Memorial Turf Club horserace meet set for Sunday... From page 38 $170,000 and trophy. There are two events for three year old horses. One is for animals classified L and 3 years and up for fillies and mares over 1400M for a winner’s take of $100,000 and trophy.The other is for animals classified L and 3 years and up for colts and geldings also over 1400M for
a first prize of $100,000 and trophy.The other event is for L class animals that have not earned any money since racing over a distance of 1000M the winner will get $50,000 and trophy. There will be trophies and other incentives for outstanding individual performers. Race time is 12:00hrs.