Cricket West Indies awards annual contracts to female players

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has marked a groundbreaking milestone in West Indies cricket by awarding year-long annual contracts to fourteen female players across the region. This first-time initiative is a significant step forward in CWI's strategic commitment to Elite and High-Performance cricket and signals a continued investment in the growth of the women's game in the Caribbean. This expansion brings the total of contracted regional players to 104 for the year and 164 in total including Senior and Academy players, a release said.

"Awarding contracts to these talented female players underscores CWI's commitment to advancing cricket in the region. We are extremely proud of the Maroon Warriors, who are on their way back from an impressive semi-final showing at the Women's T20 World Cup. The only way to ensure that West Indies teams, both men and women, have consistent showings at the international level is to ensure the development and growth at the regional level. CWI is dedicated to making this further investment in our regional talent and building a strong foundation for future success, which is in line with our strategic plan," CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, noted the significance of this initiative.

These contracts reinforce CWI's goal of supporting players as they progress along the pathway to elite performance, creating a sustainable pipeline of talent that can perform on the global stage. Alongside the female contracts, CWI has also renewed annual contracts for 90 male players across six territories, maintaining its commitment to building regional strength across both men's and women's cricket.

Contracted Regional Players List 2024/25:

Fourteen female contracted players:

Barbados: Shanika Bruce, Alisa Scantlebury

Guyana: Shenetta Grimmond, Plaffiana Millington, Mandy Mangru

Jamaica: Celina Whyte

Trinidad & Tobago: Shalini Samaroo, KD Jazz Mitchell, Reniece Boyce

Leeward Islands: Melicia Clarke, Kimberley Anthony

Windward Islands: Earnisha Fontaine, Abini St. Jean, Nerissa Crafton,

90 male contracted players (by territory):

Barbados: Kadeem Alleyne (U25*), Shaquille Cumberbatch, Dominic Drakes, Jonathan Drakes, Matthew Forde, Chaim Alexis Holder, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Smith, Jomel Warrican and Kevin Wickham (U25*).

Guyana: Kevlon Anderson (U25*), Ronaldo Alimohamed, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Matthew Nandu, Ashmead Nedd, Raymond Perez, Veerasammy Permaul Kemol Savory, Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Isai Thorne (U25*), Sylus Tyndall and Sachin Singh.

Jamaica: Andre Bailey, Brad Barnes, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brown, Gordon Bryan, John Campbell, Jordan Johnson (U25*), Abhijai Mansingh, Kirk McKenzie (U25*), Odain Orland McCatty, Marquino Mindley, Romaine Morris, Jeavor Royal, Peat Salmon and Ojay Shields

Leeward Islands: Jewel Andrew (U25*), Colin Archibald, Jaleel Clarke, Rahkeem Cornwall, Daniel Doram, Karima Gore, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Kofi James, Jeremiah Louis, Mikyle Louis, Cameron Pennyfeather, Javier Spencer, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh.

Trinidad and Tobago: Navin Bidaisee (U25*), Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Cephas Cooper (U25*), Shannon Gabriel, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Amir Jangoo, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Kjorn Ottley, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Isaiah Rajah and Tion Webster.

Winward Islands: Sunil Ambris, Darel Cyrus, Kenneth Dember, Shadrack Descartes, Johnnel Eugene, Keon Gaston, Khamal Hamilton, Ryan John, Noelle Leo (U25*), Darius Martin, Kimani Melius, Stephan Pascal (U25*), Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer and Gilon Tyson. (ANI)