Wellington’s Tom Blundell will make his Test debut in the BLACKCAPS first match of the summer against the West Indies this week. Blundell replaces BJ Watling in the side, who is unavailable to wicketkeep in the match due to a hip injury. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has also joined the squad to add depth to the seam bowling department.

Selector Gavin Larsen said Blundell had shown a lot of improvement. 

Patience and persistence, they say, are the providers of progress which Rahkeem Cornwall continues to learn every time he takes the field.

The 24-year-old from Antigua was the most successful Windies “A” bowler in the second “Test” against Sri Lanka “A” which ended in three days last Saturday at the Trelawny Multiplex.

The Windies women completed a double series whitewash over Sri Lanka after they won the third and final T20 International by 31 runs at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua yesterday.

The victory was extra special, as Deandra Dottin struck her second T20 century, becoming the first woman to achieve such a feat. She scored 112 from 67 balls. Hayley Matthews hit 34, as the Windies Women posted 159/6 from their 20 overs. 

So far it has been a case of living by the sword, dying by the sword in this first Test between Zimbabwe and the Windies at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. After Zimbabwe had deployed spin bowling so effectively to bundle out the Caribbean side for 219 on the first day – with captain Graeme Cremer leading the charge with a four-wicket haul – the visitors simply returned the favour on Sunday, skittling the home side for 159 just before tea.

Legspinner Devendra Bishoo was the chief tormentor, claiming five wickets, while there were two each for the captain Jason Holder and Kemar Roach.

Hayley Matthews struck an unbeaten 37 and took 1 wicket to lead the Windies Women to a 71-run victory over Sri Lanka to win game 1 in the 3-match series in Antigua last night (Thursday, October 19).

Sri Lanka won the toss and sent the Windies in to bat. Matthews and Captain, Stafanie Taylor opened the batting for the home team in front of a decent sized crowd at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. The pair posted 67 runs before Matthews fell for 37 and then Taylor 31. 

Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis are set to make their return to international cricket when Zimbabwe face West Indies in a two-match Test series scheduled to start this weekend. The two players, who recently returned to the national fold after spending some seasons in English county cricket, are part of the 16-man squad selected for the series in Bulawayo.

Solomon Mire is in line to make his Test debut, while the uncapped wicketkeeper Nyasha Mayavo has also made the cut.

The Windies Women completed a whitewash 3-0 over Sri Lanka with a 40-run victory in the final ODI in Trinidad, as part of the ICC Women’s Championships for qualification to World Cup 2021. It was a total team effort with batting, bowling and fielding, which allowed for the home team to take all 6 Women’s Championship points available this series.

Despite a 5-overs per side reduction due to rain, the Sri Lankans asked the Windies to bat first.