Australia expecting tough Caribbean challenge

Australia will not underestimate the West Indies despite a raft of injuries meaning their Caribbean rivals will be without a host of key players for their upcoming one-day international series.

As the Australian touring party flew to the Caribbean on Thursday, the Windies named their 13-player squad for the three-match series in Antigua.

Crucially, the hosts will be without star allrounder Deandra Dottin, who has not played since being ruled out of her team’s tour of the United Kingdom in May due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Shakera Selman, Chedean Nation and Shemaine Campbelle are also due to miss the ODIs due to injury.

In their place the West Indies have called in veteran off-spinner Anisa Mohammed, Kyshona Knight and uncapped teenager Shabika Gajnabi.

The inclusion of Gajnabi will give the Australians plenty to think about ahead of the series, with the 19-year-old medium-pacer from Guyana presenting an unknown for the tourists.

While Australia’s up-and-coming talent is showcased through television and streamed broadcast of the Rebel WBBL, the same isn’t true of the domestic set-up in the West Indies.

But Australia vice-captain Rachael Haynes says the world’s top-ranked team won’t let the unknowns faze them when the first one-dayer gets underway at Antigua’s Coolidge Cricket Ground on September 5.

Nor will there be any room for complacency despite the Windies’ recent poor display against England, where they failed to win a game, and their lengthy injury list.

"They’re going to be very strong here," Haynes said.

"There’s some new faces coming into their team so it’s going to be a bit of a different challenge for us, coming up against some fresh players and some players we haven’t seen a lot of. 

"They’re a pretty mercurial side and we know on their day they can be really dangerous so we’ll prepare really well (because) at home they’ll be really strong."

Mohammed is the fifth highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs but was dropped for the Windies’ tours of England and Ireland in May and June after below-par performances against Pakistan in February, while Knight was part of the Windies’ T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2016.

"The panel selected the best available players from the camp in Antigua over the last month, as a result of most of our senior players being unavailable due to injury," CWI Interim Chairman of Selectors Robert Haynes said. 

"We have included Anisa Mohammed and Kyshona Knight who have a lot of experience between them, which is required when playing against Australia, the top-ranked women’s team.

"As a result of the injuries to our senior players, it gave us the opportunity to select two of our younger players in Shabika Gajnabi and Karishma Ramharack to give the captain more options in the bowling department."

The ODI series will get underway in Antigua on September 5, with ICC Women’s ODI Championship points on offer for each of the three one-dayers.

Played across a period of three years, the Championship determines which four teams are handed automatic qualification for the 2021 Women’s World Cup.

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

September 5: First ODI, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua

September 8: Second ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

September 11: Third ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

Twenty20 Internationals

September 14: First T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados