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Legendary West Indies batsman and former captain, Sir Vivian Richards, has described newly appointed Test captain Roston Chase as a “smart leader” and believes that once given a fair opportunity he could bring stability to the struggling squad.

“I guess he would be the right choice at this point. I believe he is a much better player in that particular format and he would have had the experience of playing before and, with what’s presently there, I don’t think it’s a bad choice. I think he is a smart cricketer and he might bring something totally different, and,with the results he [has had], I don’t think a lot of people expected him — especially with some of the tournaments he [has] played in — to be successful and he would have done so. So he brings some sort of stability in terms of what we know he can do when he performs,” he said.

Cricket West Indies (CWI), on May 16, appointed the Barbados national as captain of the senior men’s Test team following weeks of speculation as to who would take up the role left vacant following the resignation of Kraigg Brathwaite in March. Chase’s last Test was against South Africa in March, 2023.

Sir Viv, who amassed 8,540 runs from 121 Tests, added that it must however be a complete team effort.

“It’s nice to know you’d want some commitment from the guys but there are a lot of players there who are playing for their careers and by giving your all in terms of what you are capable of, that’s a good support for the captain and so I am hoping that’s the case. Everyone should be looking to perform so if you have everyone performing on the same level and being successful then it can only make the team better so they have that obligation to themselves personally,” he said.

According to a CWI release, six players were a part of the screening process from which Captain Chase and Vice Captain Jomel Warrican were selected for the upcoming home series against Australia in June. The CWI Board unanimously approved the appointments.

West Indies batsman Keacy Carty should have been basking in the full glory of his third and second consecutive One Day International (ODI) hundred as West Indies post a mammoth 385-7 in a bid to level the series against Ireland in Dublin.

Having lost the first ODI and with the second encounter getting washed out, it was a must-win encounter for West Indies, and they ended up hammering 385/7 in 50 overs.

Keacy Carty smoked 170 off 142 deliveries – the joint-sixth highest for West Indies in ODIs. Meanwhile, Shai Hope (75-ball 75) and Justin Greaves (23-ball 50) also slammed fifties.

His previous hundred, an unbeaten 128 against England in Barbados, is part of a high point in Carty’s growing ODI career. But this latest innings, though statistically impressive, left something to be desired emotionally.

In Friday Carty said post-match

The West Indies entered the second ODI eager to respond after a lacklustre performance with the bat in the series opener, which they lost by 124 runs. Carty said the team regrouped quickly and made necessary adjustments.

“We planned on how to counteract what they were doing to us, for our respective skills as batters. Everyone plays differently, so we had a few methods that we went through in training to see what works best for who, and we applied that today (Friday),” he explained.

Carty’s measured start gave way to a more aggressive display once he reached his half-century. His ability to change gears mid-innings was evident and instrumental to building momentum.

“We all know it’s difficult to start, so the toughest thing is just to try and get in and then excel in your innings. I would have liked to push on a bit earlier, but it’s a tough pitch, so you just had to stick with it and trust your skills,” Carty shared.

Interestingly, Carty’s form in ODIs has been one of the few consistent pillars in an otherwise unpredictable West Indies setup.

He finished 2024 as one of the team’s leading ODI run scorers with 560 runs, and he has already started 2025 with another milestone knock.

“I would definitely credit it to my preparation,” he said when asked about the transformation in his white-ball game.

“I’m focusing on the key specifics that you need to excel in ODI cricket, both for myself and for the team, and just trusting the process,” he added.

In the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Ireland in Dublin on May 25 (Sunday), West Indies posted their second-highest total in the 50-over format.

Having lost the first ODI and with the second encounter getting washed out, it was a must-win encounter for West Indies, and they ended up hammering 385/7 in 50 overs.

Keacy Carty smoked 170 off 142 deliveries – the joint-sixth highest for West Indies in ODIs. Meanwhile, Shai Hope (75-ball 75) and Justin Greaves (23-ball 50) also slammed fifties.

The Men in Maroon’s highest ODI total came against England in 2019, when they posted 389 at St George’s.

Highest totals by West Indies in ODIs

389 all-out vs England in St. George’s, 2019

385/7 vs Ireland in Dublin, 2025

381/3 vs Ireland in Dublin, 2019

374/6 vs Netherlands in Harare, 2023

Extraordinary scenes unfolded at Castle Avenue in Dublin as West Indies’ Matthew Forde smashed the fastest fifty in ODI history, equalling AB de Villiers as he got to the landmark in just 16 balls.

In the second ODI between West Indies and Ireland, Forde walked in with the side placed at 246/6 in 43.1 overs.

In one of the most extraordinary onslaughts in ODI history, the right-hander went 1 6 0 0 0 6 0 6 6 6 4 6 1 0 6 6 off his first 16 balls to notch up the joint-fastest fifty in the format’s history.

Fastest fifty in ODIs

16 balls – AB de Villiers vs WI, Johannesburg, 2016

16 balls – Matthew Forde vs IRE, Dublin, 2025

17 balls – Sanath Jayasuriya vs PAK, Singapore, 1996

17 balls – Kusal Perera vs PAK, Pallekele, 2015

17 balls – Martin Guptill vs SL, Christchurch, 2015

Incredibly enough, by the time Forde departed (46.5 overs), West Indies’ score read 314/7.

On the day, Forde took a liking to Joshua Little, who he thumped for four sixes in a single over (45th over). Overall, the 23-year-old hammered eight sixes as 56 of his 58 runs on the day came through boundaries.

Thanks to Forde’s onslaught, the Windies ended up with 352/8 in their 50 overs.

Earlier, a century from Keacy Carty (102) set the platform for Forde and others to launch and put Ireland’s bowling to the sword.

West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd said he was surprised by the decision to name Roston Chase as the new captain of the regional Test team.

Chase was named as the new skipper on May 16 as the replacement for Kraigg Brathwaite, who made the decision to step down from the position.

On May 20, speaking on the Mason and Guest Show in Barbados, Lloyd said that because Chase has not been a consistent member of the team over the years, he would have chosen someone else.

“He is in and out of the side,” Lloyd said.

“I thought the captain would have been a permanent member (of the side)…so it seems a bit odd.”

Lloyd had years of experience leading the regional team in the 1970s and 1980s, guiding the team in one of their most dominant periods. Chase was one of many players who were shortlisted. Jomel Warrican was named vice-captain.

The shortlisted players were John Campbell, Tevin Imlach, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, Chase and Warrican.

West Indies head coach Darren Sammy did not mince words following his team’s humbling 124-run defeat to Ireland in the opening One-Day International at Castle Avenue in Dublin on Wednesday.

In a frank post-match assessment, the former captain chided his players for their timid approach with both bat and ball, as he believes the performance lacked intent and conviction.

“I thought we were quite timid both with the ball and bat. Our body language, especially from my batters, didn’t look too confident. The opening bowlers for Ireland did challenge us with the new ball, but that’s nothing we’ve not experienced before. So I think we were a little bit timid. I need my men to work with some more confidence and understand that they are good enough to come out and impact the game and win,” Sammy said.

The match, which marked the West Indies’ return to ODI cricket after a five-month hiatus, quickly spiralled out of control. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first on a green pitch, the visitors were unable to exploit early conditions. Ireland, who were led by Andy Balbirnie (112), Harry Tector (56), and captain Paul Stirling (54), capitalized as they posted a competitive 303-6.

While the pitch appeared to flatten out, Sammy believed the target was still chaseable. However, West Indies were reeling at 31-5 inside 10 overs.

In fact, only Roston Chase (55) and Matthew Forde (38) salvaged any respectability with a 98-run stand as the innings folded at 179 in 34.1 overs.

“I thought we took a long time to really adjust to the plans that we had, especially winning the toss and bowling first on a fairly green pitch. We didn’t maximise with the new ball. With that said, I thought their openers, the captain [Stirling] and the other opener [Balbirnie], batted quite well, but we didn’t put enough balls in the areas that we wanted to. But with that said, seeing how good the wicket played, we thought 300 was maybe a below-par total from the position they were in, and then they won the power play again against us again,” Sammy assessed.

“Cricket is about playing well on both sides; you’ve got to be able to start well. We didn’t start well on both sides of the innings. Losing five wickets in the power play, chasing 300, you’re always going to struggle, and apart from Roston and Matthew with the bat, there was not much to speak about,” he added.

Sammy, who has been pushing a more assertive and proactive brand of cricket since taking over the reins, was particularly irked by the passive approach at the crease.

“There are some things we speak about in terms of the brand that we want to play. I’m not looking to survive. I hate to see my batsmen in survival mode; we should always be looking to score. Surviving doesn’t mean just blocking it out,” Sammy reasoned.

“You have to find a way to rotate the strike, and that is something we’ve spoken about for the last decade or so. But yeah, it’s just the whole body language and the attitude towards absorbing pressure but finding the right time to put the pressure back on, and we didn’t do that today,” he noted.

The second ODI is set for Friday, with the final contest scheduled for Sunday.

(Sportsmax)

England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies because of a right thumb injury, the team said Wednesday.

Archer “will be reassessed by the England medical team over the next fortnight to determine when he may return to action,” it said.

Luke Wood has replaced Archer in the squad.

The first match of the series is at Edgbaston on May 29.

Since bursting onto the international scene in 2019, Archer has struggled with elbow and back injuries.

However, as well as his commitments in the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals, Archer has featured in nine of England’s 11 white-ball matches since the turn of the year.

The Royals elected against recalling the star paceman for the closing stages of the IPL after dropping out of contention to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.

West Indies’ newly appointed Test captain Roston Chase has expressed heartfelt gratitude on being entrusted with one of the most storied roles in cricket.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, Chase said he was honoured to follow in the footsteps of Caribbean greats Frank Worrell, Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards – captains who once shaped an era of dominance in world cricket.

Chase made it clear that he is ready to carry the weight of responsibility that comes with the position.

He acknowledged the immense legacy of the role and the emotional weight of wearing the maroon cap as a leader.

“Captaining the West Indies is a great job to have, and there is a legacy attached to it. Playing for the West Indies means everything to me, so I am ready for the responsibilities which come with the job,” he said.

The 33-year-old all-rounder with 49 Test matches under his belt recalled a pivotal moment in his youth – when his mother gave him a two-year deadline to prove he could make a career out of cricket.

“I was a student at the University of West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill at the time, and I would be taking a lot of leave to go and play like in the first-class competition. I was not cemented in the Barbados team at that stage. So my mother encouraged me, but gave me an ultimatum that I will be given two years to make myself a permanent fixture in the Barbados team or I will have to go to school permanently,” Chase said.

He further said his passion for cricket ultimately won out over academics, and that parental challenge became a powerful motivator.

“I loved cricket more than school. I was always a good student, but cricket was my love. I worked hard, and I’m glad that she gave me that ultimatum because that really was the driving force for me to carry my cricket to the next level,” he explained.

Chase also credited his father’s unwavering support as a cornerstone of his development as a cricketer.

His father’s presence at matches and post-game feedback helped shape his approach to the sport.

“He would come and watch all my games, and talk to me about the game, [like] where I need to improve or I need to work on – the dos and don’ts,” he concluded.

Although he has not played a Test match since March 2023, Chase was chosen as captain following what Cricket West Indies described as a detailed assessment process.

It is pertinent to mention that West Indies are scheduled to play just 13 Test matches during the 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

In addition to these, they also have a non-WTC Test lined up against Afghanistan in 2027.

Chase’s first challenge as Test captain will be a three-match home series against Australia, starting on June 25 in Bridgetown.

In a landmark move in the history of CPL, experienced allrounder Jason Holder will leave his home franchise Barbados Royals after 13 years, to join St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (STKNP) for the upcoming season.

As part of the trades and transfers before the CPL draft next month, STKNP also acquired middle-order batter Alick Athanaze while trading middle-order basher Sherfane Rutherford to Royals.

Holder had been with Royals since the inaugural CPL season in 2013. That period included lifting the trophy twice, in 2014 and 2019, the latter under Holder’s captaincy.

He played 104 matches for Royals to take 97 wickets that included two four-fors, and also scored 1169 in 85 innings at a strike rate of 129.60.

Rutherford, currently playing IPL 2025 for Gujarat Titans (GT), will be turning out for his third CPL franchise, having represented STKNP for the last four seasons and Guyana Amazon Warriors from 2018 to 2020.

West Indies star all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford had withdrawn from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2024) due to personal reasons while he was playing for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. This was one of the biggest controversies of the ongoing tournament which upset the fans of the team, especially after seeing the performance of the 2021 CPL champions.

The next three seasons after becoming champions have been disappointing for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots where they had failed to make the playoffs in 2022. While they finished at the bottom of the table in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 season saw them winning only one game out of the nine matches they played and the withdrawal from one of their big stars in Rutherford did not make it any easier.

In the same regard, Sherfane Rutherford recently opened up on the team dynamics of the Patriots. Moreover, he also shed light on the reason for his being released from the team. Furthermore, the star all rounder about the problems he faced with the owner of the franchise.

“It’s important that you respect the player because at the end of the day, it’s my job and this is what I want to do. So I don’t think I purposely want to not perform, The owner didn’t play any cricket. So obviously if you never play the sport, you would not understand the top days, the good days and the bad days – they are always there in cricket. So it’s just emotions. I think he just got off of emotions. As adults, we need to control that because, at the end of the day, our decision can take us farther. So I think it was him wrongdoing,” Rutherford said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Athanaze has also turned out only for Royals so far, in 2023 and 2024. He made his international debut in 2023 before his CPL debut, and played 19 matches in all for Royals.

He scored 344 runs in those outings, averaging 22.93 and striking at 106.83 with just one half-century.

STKNP had finished last in 2024 with just one win from 10 games, while Royals had progressed to the playoffs and lost qualifier 2 to runners-up Amazon Warriors.

CPL 2025 will be played from August 14 to September 21 with no clashes with West Indies’ international assignments. St Lucia Kings are the defending champions this time.