QUEENSLAND, Australia – The West Indies Women’s team arrived in Noosa Heads, Queensland to start their acclimatization and training for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which starts for them in just under three weeks. Our girls will be chasing their second title when they bowl off against Thailand at the famous Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) in Perth, on the afternoon of Sunday, February 22. First ball is 3pm (3am Eastern Caribbean Time/ 2am Jamaica Time).

The team was greeted with stifling humidity at the Tewantin Sports Ground, which is the training base for the West Indies Women. Despite the unfamiliar conditions they ready and rearing to go. A full training session in the nets and fielding drills was conducted and at the end of it they were all past the fatigue of the jet lag from the long journey from the West Indies to the east coast of Australia.

Three members of the team with the knowledge and experience of the Aussie pitches, Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews, who all play or played in the Women’s Big Bash League for several seasons, were quick to advise their teammates of the conditions. Head Coach, Gus Logie praised these players for sharing their knowledge and walkthrough of the conditions to the team, as he put it, “help the players to adjust faster and know sooner what to except and how to adapt their techniques”.

During their first week in Tewantin, the players met with a group of children who are part of the Noosa cricket programme. The West Indies Women, had a fun session of cricket with the little boys and girls, after which they signed autographs and posed for photos with them and the Mayor of Noosa, Tony Wellington.

The West Indies Women will take on Pakistan Women in three warm-up matches in Tewantin.

These fixtures will be played on Friday, Sunday and next Tuesday ahead of the official ICC warm-up matches in Brisbane against Australia on Saturday, February 15 and against India in Tuesday, February 18.

The team, as indicated by the Head Selector for Women’s and Girls cricket, Ann Browne-John, is an almost perfect balance of experience and youth.

Bowling allrounders Aaliyah Alleyne, and uncapped Cherry-Ann Fraser along with Lee-Ann Kirby who is back in the squad after a 12-year absence from the top flight will be making their T20 World Cup debuts.

So far the team has settled and have adjusted relatively quickly to the 14-hour time difference from back home and all are looking forward to the practice matches, but more importantly looking for that first win in the first group stage match against Thailand, then returning to the Caribbean in March with a second ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title.

See SCHEDULE for WI Women official warm up matches and Group Stage matches:

SEE SQUAD below: