he West Indies Women’s cricket team will travel to England for a series of three T20Is and three ODIs without key players Chinelle Henry and Rashada Williams. Henry is sidelined due to a leg injury, while Williams was not selected for the limited-overs squad.
In their place, the squad will include Jahzara Claxton and Realeanna Grimmond, marking the only changes from the group that narrowly missed qualifying for the 50-over World Cup earlier this year.
Henry had been a significant performer for the West Indies, being their second-highest run-scorer in the World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan. She also topped the run charts in the recent T20 Blaze competition, although she appeared to be nursing a leg issue during the final. Williams did not feature in any matches beyond the warm-ups during the World Cup Qualifier.
Grimmond, a 20-year-old all-rounder, impressed in the T20 Blaze, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer and playing a crucial role in Guyana’s final victory. Claxton, 19, was part of the West Indies’ squad for the Women’s Under-19 World Cup earlier in the year. Both Claxton and Grimmond have the potential to make their international debuts during this tour of England.
Adding to the team’s challenges, Deandra Dottin will also miss the tour as her knee injury, which flared up during the WPL in March and kept her out of the World Cup Qualifier, has not fully recovered.
Head coach Shane Dietz emphasized the importance of this tour for the West Indies to “reestablish ourselves as a world-class team” after their narrow World Cup qualification miss. He highlighted the opportunity to compete against a top team like England and translate their off-field discussions into on-field action. Dietz expressed optimism about their T20I performance in recent times and looked forward to a strong start to the tour, playing “good attacking cricket the West Indian way.”
CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe echoed this sentiment, stating that the tour provides a crucial opportunity for the women’s team to “reassert themselves on the international stage” and showcase their talent and resilience. He noted that the T20 Blaze competition has provided valuable match practice for both senior and emerging players, reinforcing CWI’s commitment to strengthening the women’s program.
The West Indies will begin their tour with a match against an England Development XI on Sunday, followed by the first T20I in Canterbury on May 21st.
