Despite finishing as runners-up in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Under-19 T20 Championship, the Trinidad and Tobago team bagged the lion’s share of the prizes during the tournament’s closing ceremony at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Wednesday.
T&T captain Shalini Samaroo took home the Tournament MVP trophy after scoring 121 runs and taking nine wickets as she led her team to second place behind USA.
Meanwhile, Shunelle Sawh took the award for most dismissals by a goalkeeper, while Djenaba Joseph was the top goalscorer and Guyana’s Niveena Ramnauth along with Samaroo were joint leaders.
Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) President Azim Bassarath lauded the good performances by women cricketers and also said that T&T will once again be at the forefront in preparing women for the longest format of the game.
Bassarath congratulated the CWI for hosting a “very successful” tournament and also commended the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Cricket Association (TTWCA) for the “smooth” execution of the competition.
“I have visited the venue and would have noticed the way the tournament was conducted and the organisation, the attitudes of the players and everything that goes along with organizing a tournament of this magnitude,” said Bassarath.
“From what I saw at the tournament, it was of a very high standard. People would have thought that the U-19 girls were now starting to get involved in cricket participation, but we would have seen an incredible tournament,” he continued.
However, he told the players to continue raising their game and said the TTCB will do its part to help them reach greater heights.
“To all the players, the future is very bright for you all. The TTCB will lead the way in ensuring that recognition is given to women cricketers in the Caribbean,” he said.
“Some of you would have heard by now that the TTCB has set aside funds to ensure that two three-day matches for our national cricketers take place in the month of August here in Trinidad,” Bassarath revealed.
“We want every other territory in the Caribbean to follow us and do this. We should not allow girls to play only 50-overs and T20 cricket. I said to (CWI chief selectors for women’s cricket) Ann (Browne-John) and others that if South Africa ladies can play Test cricket, West Indies ladies can play Test cricket and we have to do it. We need to put things in place to ensure we prepare our girls for the longer version of the game and that needs to start now,” the TTCB boss noted.
The CWI director also promised to raise the issue at the next CWI executive meeting in August.
Bassarath also praised the US women’s performance at the tournament, saying she was pleasantly surprised by the quality they produced on the court and expects their triumph to be a catalyst for the growth of the women’s game in the United States.
Also present at the closing ceremony were former West Indies Test player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Browne-John, West Indies U-19 Women’s head coach Steve Liburd and Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago head Justin Latapy- George.
ROLL OF HONOR
Most of the runs
Djenaba Joseph (T&T)
Most Wickets
Niveena Ramnauth (Guyana) and Shalini Samaroo (T&T)
Most Offtake (Wicket Keeper)
Shunelle Sawh (T&T)
MVP
Shalini Samaroo (121 runs and 9 wickets)
Second place
T&T
wINNERS
US
