WEST Indies Women’s coach
Courtney Walsh said not
having regular captain
Stafanie Taylor available was a “big
blow” after West Indies Women
were outplayed in the One Day
International (ODI) series against
South Africa Women.
Prior to the ODI series, the teams
drew the three-match T20 series 1-1
after the first match was abandoned
because of rain.
In the five-match ODI series which
ended on Sunday, West Indies
Women barely prevented a 5-0
sweep. West Indies Women needed
a super over in the final match as the
series ended 4-1.
Taylor, one of the leading players for
the West Indies Women over the
past decade, was unavailable.
“That was the biggest misfortune for
us losing her as captain (and) as a top
player for both series,” Walsh told
journalists on Zoom, on Thursday, September 23
Walsh said a “family issue” and
covid19-related issues kept Taylor
out.
Taylor tested negative for covid19,
but because of contact tracing, she
could not play.
“To me, that was the biggest blow
not having her involved as a player,
her leadership style (and) being a leader
for the team,” said Walsh, the legendary
WI men’s fast bowler and ex-captain.
“I think a lot of players who look up to
her missed her from that respect or that
regard…the good thing from that is that
for me it gave others a chance for us to
look at them, to see how they will deal
with the pressure and how they will cope
with it so we could plan going forward.”
Walsh knew South Africa Women would
have tested the West Indies Women.
“We always knew it was going to be a
challenging tour. South Africa has been
playing really decent cricket, so it gave us
a good yardstick as to where we are and
what we really need to do.”
Walsh said the batting needs to improve,
as West Indies Women struggled to post
competitive totals.
In the three ODI matches in which West
Indies Women batted first, the regional
team recorded scores of 153, 120 and
157.
Rashada Williams was one of the
standout batters for the West Indies
Women scoring 157 runs in three innings
at an average of 78.50.
“We have to produce…we are trying to
juggle with the batting order, looking at
people for different positions and looking
at where they have to perform. As you
said, if we not getting any runs we are not
going to do well, so the ladies have to put
their hands up and bat,” Walsh said.
Taylor Missed During South Africa Series- Says Coach Walsh!
