ONE:
WICB President, Mr Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron’s Message, October 2013
This is a special occasion as we celebrate Women’s Cricket in the West Indies and across the world. The game has developed rapidly in the last five years and it will continue to grow, will earn respect and admiration, and win over millions of fans. At the WICB we are particularly pleased to see the development of our players and our team in women’s cricket. Since 2009 we have moved up the rankings and are now in the top tier of women’s cricket in both the 50-over format and the T20 format. We reached the semi-finals of the 2010 and 2012 ICC World T20 and placed second in the 2013 World Cup. We have in our team some of the leading players in the world at the moment and also a crop of young players who we believe will take the world by storm in the not too distant future.
The West Indies will be hosting the ICC Women’s World T20 in 2018 and want to make sure we put on a world-class tournament on and off the field as well as see team come out victorious.As part of our commitment to women’s cricket we at the WICB took the bold initiative to broadcast the ongoing Women’s T20 International Tri Series “LIVE” on television across the region.
The matches are also available to viewers on the websites of the WICB and the ECB and fans all across the region and anywhere in the world will be to see West Indies and England in action at Kensington Oval in the Grand Final on Saturday night. The well-put-together coverage has attracted large viewership and we will continue to look at other ways of bringing the women’s game to the supporters who continue to be impressed with the style of play and dedication of our girls.
As we look forward to the ICC World T20 2014 Tournament in Bangladesh next year, I want to urge everyone to continue to support women’s cricket. From a West Indies perspective, I am sure Merissa Aguilleira and her team will give it their all as they look to win their first ever international title. They have the full support of the WICB and the entire cricket-loving family of the West Indies.
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TWO: Richard Pybus to be Director of Cricket in West Indies, Courtesy of ESPNcricinfo
The former Pakistan and Bangladesh coach, has been appointed West Indies’ director of cricket. Pybus will provide cricketing expertise to help develop West Indies’ regional and international cricketers, over a three-year period starting November 1.
WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead said Pybus was chosen after reviewing several applicants. “Securing the services of Richard is a major coup for the WICB,” Muirhead said. “I look forward to Richard joining us in Antigua and enhancing the work which we are doing, so as to ensure that all the necessary structures are in place to allow West Indian cricketers to develop and flourish. He has extensive knowledge in designing and managing successful cricket development systems both at the grassroots and elite levels, and we look forward to him building on the work we have already done.”
Pybus, who was set to fly out to the West Indies on Friday, said he was keyed up for the job. “I am particularly looking forward to working with the West Indies teams, the first-class sides, the High Performance Programme and the educational structures, to ensure a rigorous, competitive system that feeds through elite players to international level.”
Apart from two stints with Pakistan, and most recently a very short one with Bangladesh, Pybus has coached extensively in South Africa, at the franchise level. In the West Indies, he will be based at the WICB secretariat in Antigua.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.