Once upon a time, Saint Lucians hit the firmament of West Indies women’s cricket. Between 1998 and 2004, Helens of the West won five regional titles and finished runner-up four times.
Verena Felicien captained the West Indies for five years from 1998 and was named Sportsperson of the Year twice. In 1993, Eugena Gregg was one of the first two Saint Lucians to play for the Windies, along with Patsy Felicien. And in 2004, Nadine George became the first West Indian woman to score a hundred in a Test match, scoring 118 on Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi.
These achievements feel like a lifetime ago, and they literally are for the island’s rising stars. Qiana Joseph, a left-handed gymnast from Gros Islet, was born in 2001. She first played for Saint Lucia’s senior team at the age of 13. Her senior West Indies debut came at the tender age of 16 and she has been on and off the side ever since, most recently featuring in the Pakistan tour in 2021. But the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) and 6IXTY for Women have given her a chance to show what she’s made of, and so far, she’s seized that chance.
Joseph’s research and accurate average pace down the left wing is a significant asset. She tends to be extremely humble with the ball, generating surprising pace from a short approach, lifting the ball high and conceding very little width. With Saint Lucia Kings opting not to enter a team, Joseph played a crucial role in helping Barbados Royals win the inaugural Women’s 6IXTY in August. She took a team-high four wickets and her tournament average of 14.75 runs conceded per wicket was second in her team.
But it was in the final against Deandra Dottin’s Trinidad and Tobago that she really shined. Under the leadership of West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, the Royals had to defend just 65 runs to win the trophy. Thanks in no small part to Corinth High graduates, they were more than up to the task. Joseph dismissed both opening batsmen (including the dangerous Dottie himself) giving up just five runs in her two overs, before sealing victory with the final catch. A powerful hitter who deals with boundaries, she has not had many opportunities to showcase her stroke.
On the strength of her outings for the Royals so far, and working directly under the West Indies captain, Joseph is placing herself firmly in the shop window. She has already helped the Royals to a title, and her skills could be vital in the longer format as the ladies in pink aim for the double. The Royals lost their WCPL opener, but they also got off to a bad start in 6IXTY. Between the experience of senior players like Matthews, Afy Fletcher, Shakera Selman and Chloe Tryon of South Africa, and the talent of younger players like Joseph, they will be confident of another title.
While Joseph is rapidly rebuilding her reputation, Zaida James is now making a name for herself. Just 17, she was among the bowlers in the 2022 West Indies U-19 tournament, earning her a place in the regional team to face the USA in Florida. Although the Caribbean women were not covered in glory against the Americans, James had a few starts with the bat, as she had done earlier in the year for the Windward Islands against the same opposition. A West Indies team player in 2021, the top-order left-hander was picked by the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the Women’s 6IXTY and WCPL. She has hardly featured for Satafanie Taylor’s side so far, but she will be hoping that she can move in between the runs at some point.
The inaugural season of professional women’s cricket in the Caribbean is a platform for young players like Joseph and James. During the three-team tournament in Warner Park, St Kitts and Nevis, they take on world champions and seasoned veterans. It is also a great opportunity for growth and development for this dynamic duo, who are sure to form the vanguard of the next generation of Saint Lucian women’s cricket legends.
