MCC women bowl off historic TT cricket tour

MCC will engage the Trinidad and Tobago women’s cricket team in four Twenty20 and 50-over matches.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recommended Trinidad and Tobago as an appropriate destination to tour.

MCC will be led by former England and Yorkshire allrounder, Bev Nicholson and comprise 14 players who have been described as very talented.

Trinidad and Tobago will be captained by Merissa Aguillera who also holds the same position with the West Indies women’s team with spinner Anisa Mohammed as her vice-captain.

Other members of the national team who have West Indies experience are Stacy Ann King and Kirbyina Alexander who recently returned from playing club cricket in Australia.

MCC start the tour with a Twenty20 match against Trinidad and Tobago at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground, St Augustine at 6.30 pm tomorrow. On Saturday they will play the national team in a 50-over match at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva from 10 pm.

Both teams will feature in a Twenty20 match the following day at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain starting at 9 am. It will be the first match of a double-header which features West Indies against Zimbabwe in a Twenty20 fixture from 2 pm.

There would then be a Twenty20 match for coaches on March 2 followed by a 50-over match at the Queen’s Park Oval at 10 pm.

Both teams will travel to Tobago to play a Twenty20 match at Shaw Park starting at 3 pm. MCC will then conduct a training session the next day from 9 am at the same venue.

The teams will play two more 50-over matches at Shaw Park on March 6 and 7 before concluding the tour with a coaching session and coaches Twenty20 match at Shaw Park at 9 am.

The MCC women are touring the West Indies for the first time in their history having previously toured Sri Lanka, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.

The 14-strong squad, captained by former England all-rounder Nicholson, will play seven matches – four in Trinidad and three in Tobago – and will also run coaching sessions for local youngsters.

In another historic twist, the women will be using pink balls in the three Twenty20 matches in Trinidad. They will also play four 50-over matches and run three coaching sessions for aspiring young cricketers.

The seven matches will be played at four grounds across the two islands, including two at Queen’s Park Oval. The first of these – a Twenty20 match against Trinidad and Tobago on 28th February – will be staged immediately before the West Indies versus Zimbabwe men’s International Twenty20 at the famous Port-of-Spain ground.

Current MCC Young Cricketer and young England off-spinner Charlie Russell is in the squad alongside eleven other county players. They will all be dressed in the new MCC women’s touring suits, designed by Paul Costelloe, who has made his mark in cricket’s fashion stakes by kitting out the England Women.

Costelloe, a cricket-lover, was at Lord’s on Monday to see all the squad dressed in his suits for the first time.

MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, said: “MCC is committed to developing women’s cricket – from the fact women are engaged as professionals on our Young Cricketers staff to the work we do with female students at Loughborough MCC University.

“By beating England, the West Indies showed that women’s cricket in the region is resurgent, and I expect the competition to be tough and intense. The squad contains several coaches so they will be able to pass their skills on to young girls interested in the game in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Itinerary:

Today: Coaching, University of the West Indies, 9 am

Tomorrow: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago

(20-Overs), University of the West Indies

On Saturday: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago

(50 overs), National Cricket Centre

On Sunday: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago

(20-Overs), Queen’s Park Oval

On Tuesday, March 2: Coaching, National Cricket Centre

On Wednesday, March 3: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago (50-Overs), Queen’s Park Oval

On Thursday, March 4: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago (20-Overs), Shaw Park

On Friday, March 5, Coaching, Shaw Park

Saturday, March 6 : MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago (50-Overs), Shaw Park

Sunday, March 7: MCC vs Trinidad and Tobago (50-Overs), Shaw Park