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The governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, India and New Zealand have put out restrictions on travelling to Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam11-Aug-2024The Bangladesh government is making last-ditch attempts through the United Nations (UN) to keep hosting rights for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. Asif Mahmud, the youth and sports adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, said that it will speak to the UN about the countries that have put out travel restrictions on their citizens travelling to Bangladesh.On Saturday, the ICC informed the participating boards that it is still monitoring the situation in Bangladesh, and that it will consider all options, including moving the tournament elsewhere. As it stands, the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom (England and Scotland), India and New Zealand have either asked their citizens not to travel to Bangladesh or discouraged them from doing so.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCB considers this as its biggest barrier to the hosting of the tournament. Travel bans or restriction announcements can only be lifted by the respective governments, and cricket boards have little influence over them.”There are travel restrictions for some countries and so we will speak with the United Nations,” Mahmud said. “There are some issues regarding security and infrastructure and we will talk in this regard with professor Yunus [chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government]. He is a sports lover and hope that he can resolve the matter.”Related

• Zimbabwe express interest in hosting Women's T20 World Cup 2024

• Anamul recalls 'sleepless nights' after losing close friend in student protests

• Bangladesh in turmoil: how will cricket be impacted?

• BCB set to meet new sports head as calls for reform grow louder

The uncertainty regarding the World Cup comes at a time when the BCB is also going through a major crisis. Their president, Nazmul Hassan, also the former sports minister, has gone missing since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Several directors, who have direct or indirect political connections, are also untraceable.Mahmud said that he had discussed the possibility of an interim body to run the BCB, but he was aware of the board’s need for autonomy in its decision-making.”The BCB president is missing. Of course, for a federation to function, all of its organs need to work. The president holds an important responsibility and he is absent. The BCB is an autonomous federation and we cannot give them any decision.”We have suggested to the BCB directors to look at how to resolve the issue within the ICC’s legal framework. They will report to us later on whether to appoint someone for an interim period. We will continue the process in this regard.”We want to make required changes but at the same time we need to follow a process. We don’t want to change the person; rather, we want to change the system so that whoever comes in by following that system, corruption cannot come in and we want to take steps so that we can make a permanent solution.”

‘We lack in planning’ – Former BCB secretary calls for change

There is a growing call for reform in the BCB within the cricket community in Bangladesh, with former BCB general secretary Syed Ashraful Huq also joining in.Huq, who is regarded as one of the main architects of Bangladesh cricket, especially for his involvement in bringing ICC Full Membership to the BCB in 2000, said that the BCB’s functioning has been disappointing.”The BCB needs reform,” Haq said. “We gained Full Membership in 2000 but apart from some infrastructural development, we haven’t seen much improvement in our performance in the last 24 years. BCB doesn’t own a cricket ground, for instance. We lack in planning, and even when we have a plan, nobody has delivered on it.”BCB officials don’t lack in experience. Many of the directors are involved for 20-30 years, so their failure is quite disappointing.”

Unbeaten 66 from 25 balls sees his side home and hands Bears their third straight loss

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2023A stunning onslaught from captain Leus du Plooy lifted Derbyshire Falcons to a thrilling six-wicket Vitality Blast win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.After the Bears piled up 203 for 7, du Plooy smashed an unbeaten 66 from 25 balls to see his side to 207 for 4 with three balls to spare.Sam Hain’s unbeaten 79 from 36 balls in the Bears innings contained some breathtaking hitting but was trumped by du Plooy’s masterclass.After openers Luis Reece (57) and Haider Ali (48) added 96 in ten overs to set the perfect foundation for the big run chase, du Plooy built a memorable victory on it with an exhilarating display of hitting which brought him five sixes and four fours.England all-rounder Chris Woakes was socked for 51 in his four overs as the Falcons side completed a quickfire double over the Bears and handed them their third successive defeat.The first half of the Bears innings did not go to their plan after they chose to bat. Rob Yates made a perky 21 but leg-spinner Mattie McKiernan bowled potential big-hitters Moeen Ali and Glenn Maxwell through indeterminate shots before they could inflict any damage and also castled Alex Davies for a sketchy 26.Hain batted beautifully but needed support and found it from Dan Mousley and, after Mousley was bowled through a lap by Zak Chappell, from Woakes, who transformed the innings with 23 from 11 balls in a dazzling stand of 48 in 18 balls with Hain.Woakes was yorked by Zaman Khan but Hain was at his most destructive in the closing overs, thumping 36 from his last eight balls faced.The Falcons faced a testing target but, after riding their luck early on, Reece and Haider Ali played sweetly to raise 50 from 33 balls. They set down the perfect platform before being parted in scruffy fashion when Haider Ali charged and missed at Danny Briggs. Davies missed the stumping at the first attempt but, with the batter down the track, had time to complete it second time round.Moeen, playing his penultimate game for the Bears before he departs on Ashes duty, applied a brake with an astute spell which brought the wicket of Reece, bowled through a slog sweep. As the required rate escalated, and Wayne Madsen suffered a rare failure when he holed out to Mousley, the pressure increased on the Falcons.Du Plooy went to the crease with that pressure at its height. He needed to hit brilliantly from his first ball – and did so to take his side to a victory which tightens the North Group table right up.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison offers Warne’s family a state funeral

Alex Malcolm05-Mar-2022The Great Southern Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to be renamed the SK Warne stand in perpetuity following the sudden death of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne at the age of 52.Warne died while on holiday in Thailand on Friday leading to a global outpouring of tributes and emotion.On a grey dreary Saturday in Melbourne, not dissimilar to the one where Warne claimed his 700th Test wicket in front of adoring fans in the Southern Stand at the MCG on Boxing Day 2006, Melburnians gathered around his statue outside the Members’ at the MCG to lay flowers, cricket balls, beers, pies and cigarettes as a tribute to Warne.Related

• Shane Warne, Australia's legendary legspinner, dies aged 52

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Victoria’s minister for tourism and sport, Martin Pakula, confirmed that he had consulted with Victoria premier Daniel Andrews, MCC Trust chairman Steve Bracks and MCC CEO Stuart Fox and they had resolved to honour Warne by renaming the Southern Stand in his honour.”We will be renaming the Great Southern Stand the S.K. Warne stand and we’ll be doing that as soon as we possibly can,” Pakula said. “I can think of no finer tribute to the greatest cricketer this state has produced than to rename the stand the S.K. Warne stand and no matter whatever happens to that stand in the future whether it’s rebuilt, refurbished, renovated, it will remain the S.K. Warne stand in perpetuity because his legend will live in perpetuity.”Cricket Victoria is also looking at ways it can honour Warne as there were already plans to potentially rename a stand at the Junction Oval in his name prior to his passing.Premier Andrews and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison have also contacted the Warne family to offer a state funeral but the family has been given some time to work out what they would like to do.Cricket Australia chairman Dr Lachlan Henderson confirmed he had spoken to the Prime Minister directly on Saturday regarding Warne and believed renaming the Southern Stand at the MCG was a fitting tribute.”That would seem a very appropriate acknowledgement of Shane Warne,” Henderson said. “He’s been an icon of the game, obviously with St Kilda Cricket Club, Victoria, our Australian team for so many years. He also played cricket all around the world. So it’s a very fitting tribute.”Right here this morning, driving past a junior cricket ground in Victoria, I saw a young leg-spin bowler bowl a beautifully flighted ball that beat the bat and I’m sure someone was looking down on that young bowler as he embarks on his career.”The Australia women’s team wore two black armbands in memory of Warne, and Rod Marsh, who also passed away Friday, and observed a minute’s silence ahead of their Women’s World Cup opener against England in New Zealand. England also wore a black armband in tribute to both men.Henderson confirmed that Australia’s men’s team, who wore a black armband and observed a minute’s silence ahead of day one of the first Test with Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Friday in memory of Marsh, would do the same for Warne ahead of day two on Saturday.

England legspinner believes she caught virus from man who bumped into her at shops

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2020Sarah Glenn was understandably daunted by the prospect of spending a fortnight alone in a hotel room ahead of her WBBL debut.But she also fully understands the importance of serving Australia’s mandatory isolation period, having been laid low in April by Covid-19, which she believes she contracted after a man she thinks was drunk bumped into her while she was shopping for food.Legspinner Glenn was recently named the Professional Cricketers’ Association Women’s Player of the Year after her breakthrough T20 series against West Indies, which England won 5-0.Glenn was snapped up by Perth Scorchers – the club England head coach Lisa Keightley took to two WBBL finals – for the tournament starting in Sydney on October 25, continuing an eventful year in which she cemented her status at international level and spent nearly two months recovering from Covid-19 after that chance encounter at the supermarket.ALSO READ: Future is bright for England with spin triplets on the riseHaving returned to her parents’ Derbyshire home from the T20 World Cup, held in Australia in February and March, Glenn was careful to protect her family from the illness, only leaving the house to walk the dog. It was when she ventured out to do the weekly food shopping that she believes she was infected by the virus.”I had to get out of the house one day and we needed a food shop so I offered,” Glenn told the . “I came across this bloke who bumped into me and laughed. I think he was drunk. Me and the lady at the till were in shock.”I felt really uncomfortable. It was my first and only shopping experience in lockdown and it was awful. He bumped into me again, so I walked out. I came home so angry. I said to my parents, ‘If I get ill next week I’m going to be fuming’. And there I was next week in bed. It was not great.”Sarah Glenn has emerged as a formidable part of England’s spin attack•Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

An antibody test later confirmed that Glenn had Covid-19. While her parents tested negative, Glenn said it took her a long time to recover.”It really opened my eyes and I start to get angry when young people say, ‘Oh we will be fine’. No. I’m a fit young athlete and I was a bit worried,” Glenn said. “I had a couple of bad nights so I get annoyed by that. I did not realise how much it affected your lungs and it took me a long time to get over it.”Following her recovery, Glenn was the leading wicket-taker in England’s home series against West Indies, where she built a successful partnership with left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone.Preparing to emerge from isolation in Adelaide on Sunday, after using an exercise bike to keep her fitness levels up and spending her time studying for her sports science degree, Glenn’s outlook was upbeat.”It’s not too bad,” Glenn said. “When the bloke helped me to the room with my stuff and said, ‘Right we will see you in two weeks’, the anxiety hit me. But I feel settled now. It is the new normal and I see it as a real positive.”

There are still some limited-overs internationals and T20 leagues, on the anvil, but the charismatic West Indies opener is done with World Cups

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2019He opened the batting, and scored an 18-ball 7. He bowled six overs and picked up a wicket. He strutted around the Headingley turf, mostly with a big smile on his face, and threw in as much drama as possible into pouching a sitter on the field and, if that wasn’t enough, proceeded to do six push-ups. And after West Indies had beaten Afghanistan to finish their World Cup 2019 campaign, Chris Gayle confirmed – again – that as far as World Cups were concerned, he was done.”It’s a brilliant privilege and honour to represent West Indies in five World Cups (2003 to 2019),” he then told Brett Lee and Dean Jones, among others, while speaking to the host broadcaster. “Disappointed to end the World Cup without making it to the final four, but at the same time, I’m grateful to actually be here. A lot has happened behind the scenes, (and) to actually be here is fantastic. To finish off with a win is fantastic for me.”We have a great bunch, some great youngsters as well and it’s up to them to lift West Indies cricket from here on. I will still be around, and give my input to West Indies cricket. I still have a few more games left as well, so we’ll see what happens. The World Cup (form and results wise) wasn’t the one I wanted from a personal point of view, but at the same time, you can’t complain too much. It’s one of those things.”In February this year, Gayle had declared that he would be done with ODIs after the World Cup, but during the tournament he offered the possibility of playing on for a bit longer. When asked if that reconsideration would stretch to playing another World Cup, Gayle played along.

Most memorable WC moment

“In the last World Cup, I hit a double century against Zimbabwe. It was my best World Cup, I would say. To be able to get a double-century in a World Cup, I think that’s a fantastic achievement. I didn’t get a century in this one, but I can’t complain. I enjoyed this World Cup as much as I enjoy each and every World Cup.”

“Should I give it some thought,” he said with a big laugh. “Yes, it is my last World Cup. Unless they can give me two years to rest and I can come back in two years’ time again. It’s definitely my last World Cup. Like I said, life goes on. The game has done a lot for me and I’m privileged to be part of another World Cup.”It is possible [to play the 2023 edition] if I put in the work, but I don’t intend to put my body on the line. As you can see, I’m struggling a bit. Four years is a long way off, and I’m not considering another World Cup, to be honest with you.”Gayle, who picked up one of the match balls – “a prized possession” – did express regret at not winning the trophy, but acknowledged the support of his team-mates, who let him do things his way. “All the guys rallied around me, and the support from the youngsters was fantastic,” Gayle said. “I can’t really fault anyone, but I must commend the staff as well for the work ethic they’ve actually put in for the youngsters and myself.”Life goes on, it’s one of those things. Words can’t explain what I feel right now.”There were moments in the World Cup when some of the West Indian youngsters gave enough indications to suggest cricket in the Caribbean has a bright future. Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer with the bat, and Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas created a splash.”The future definitely looks bright,” Gayle agreed. “Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Pooran as well – those guys will carry the flag and make sure West Indies cricket is back where it belongs. It’s just for them to actually take ownership and take responsibility out there in the middle.”We have a young captain as well, Jason Holder, he’s been around five years now. These guys will need to rally around West Indies cricket as long as possible, and I’m looking forward to (watching them in) the next World Cup as well.”I’ll be telling the youngsters to demolish bowlers.”Gayle, meanwhile, will continue to play franchise cricket, and expects to be in the mix for the tour of India later in the year, and “then hopefully we’ll see what happens later on in the year.”Gayle has finished with 1186 runs from 35 World Cup matches, sixth in the list of most prolific run-getters in the marquee event and second among West Indians behind Brian Lara’s mark of 1225. The 2019 edition had Gayle in patchy form, with 242 runs in eight innings and two half-centuries, scored at a strike rate of 88.32.

An x-ray revealed that Lewis Hill’s arm was not broken after he was struck by Marchant de Lange, but that was about as far as the good news went for Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2018
ScorecardTim der Gugten was in the wickets•Getty Images

Glamorgan’s seamers ensured they ended the first day in control of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.Timm van der Gugten picked up two wickets in two balls before Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange each took three wickets after Leicestershire captain Michael Carberry won the toss and chose to bat first.It looked the right decision on a biscuit-coloured pitch – Glamorgan opted for a toss in the hope of batting first themselves – but Van Der Gugten and Hogan both found just enough movement through the air and off the seam to trouble the Foxes’ top order.Van der Gugten, who came into the match having picked up 12 championship wickets this season at an average of just 11, was first to strike, having Paul Horton leg before to a delivery which came back in to the right-hander.The Australian-born Dutch international then made it two in two, Colin Ackermann pushing hard at his first ball and lofting a simple catch to Hogan at wide mid-off.No further runs had been added when Hogan had Carberry caught behind, a thin edge off a ball he could have left, and it might have been 9 for 4 had Mark Cosgrove been run out before scoring: the left-hander had given up his attempt to complete an unlikely single when Aneurin Donald’s throw missed the stumps.Cosgrove was unable to make the most of his good fortune though: having gone to 14, he was trapped leg before by a full, inswinging delivery which umpire Mike Burns decided had hit pad before bat.Ateeq Javid battled his way into double figures, only to push at and edge behind a wide delivery from David Lloyd he could have safely left alone.There was more trouble for Leicestershire when Lewis Hill took his eyes off a short ball from de Lange that didn’t get up as much as he expected it to, and was hit above the elbow. With one ball remaining before lunch he left the field for treatment and the umpires took the players off early.The procession continued after the break, when Hogan bowled Ben Raine off the inside edge, before Neil Dexter led something of a recovery, reaching his second half-century of the season off 97 ballsDexter and Callum Parkinson added 80 for the seventh wicket, but Parkinson edged Hogan to third slip, and Hill – an x-ray having confirmed his arm to be unbroken – was unable to provide Dexter with extended support, de Lange bowling him with a quick delivery which came back in to the right-hander.Dexter was last to go, an attempt to loft the off-spin of Andrew Salter for a straight six ending in the hands of long-on.Glamorgan openers Nick Selman and Jack Murphy then put the Leicestershire innings in to some sort of context by putting on an unbroken partnership of 82 off 24 overs.

New Zealand will wait until the end of the Dunedin Test before making a call on Ross Taylor’s availability for the rest of the series

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin10-Mar-2017New Zealand will wait until the end of the Dunedin Test before making a call on Ross Taylor’s availability for the rest of the series. Taylor was diagnosed with a low grade tear in the right calf on Friday morning, after he underwent scans, but returned to bat, although he appeared restricted in his movements.Taylor was helped off the field when he was on 8 on the second day and received treatment overnight. New Zealand Cricket confirmed he would bat if required in this match and, with the hosts into the lead with nine wickets down, he returned to the crease to resume his innings but admitted he did not have high hopes for a long stint in the middle, because of his inability to run.”I wouldn’t say the confidence is that high. When I was walking out to the middle I was hoping I wouldn’t get timed out,” Taylor told New Zealand after the day’s play.Despite his injury, Taylor started with a single off Keshav Maharaj and then faced six more deliveries from Morne Morkel, the first of which he slogged over the leg side for a six. “It was more of a fluke than anything, I couldn’t put any weight on it so I had to get forward and Morne worked out that he just had to bowl short,” Taylor said.Taylor was not asked whether he hoped to play any further part in the series but the indications are that he will face at least some time out of the game. At the end of the second day’s play Trent Boult said Taylor did “not look good,” but the man himself is not giving anything away. “It’s just a small tear so it was nice to contribute in some sort of way and get a lead but I am obviously still frustrated.”Taylor is New Zealand’s second-highest Test century-maker on 16, one behind his mentor Martin Crowe. Earlier this season he became their leading century-maker in ODIs, but has lost his place in the T20 side.If this Test goes the duration, there are only three days before the second Test starts in Wellington on March 16, which gives New Zealand six days to name a replacement if necessary. One man they cannot turn to is Martin Guptill, who will need six weeks of rehabilitation on his hamstring ahead of the Champions Trophy. Colin Munro, Neil Broom and Dean Brownlie are believed to be in contention for a call-up if needed.

Josh Hazlewood will lead Australia’s attack in the Test series in New Zealand confident that he has learnt from the mistakes he made on last year’s Ashes tour

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington10-Feb-2016Josh Hazlewood will lead Australia’s attack in the Test series in New Zealand confident that he has learnt from the mistakes he made on last year’s Ashes tour. Hazlewood will join two of James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird and Chadd Sayers in Australia’s frontline pace attack for the first Test in Wellington and he will do so as the most consistent presence in a group that has changed significantly in the past few months.In England for the Ashes, which was Australia’s most recent overseas tour, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc were the more established members of Australia’s pace line-up, but Johnson has retired since then and Starc is still recovering from ankle surgery. Hazlewood collected 16 wickets at 25.75 during that series, hardly figures to be concerned about, but he readily admits he was trying for too many wicket-taking deliveries.What the Australians want from Hazlewood in New Zealand, where there will again be swing on offer for the fast men, is consistent lines and lengths, rather than trying too many different things. Although Australia do not have a red-ball warm-up match ahead of the first Test, some have seen something of the local conditions during three ODIs, in which Hazlewood took seven wickets, and others during a Sheffield Shield game in Lincoln.”Three one-dayers, it’s not perfect but it’s pretty close I think,” Hazlewood said of Australia’s preparation. “The fact we’ve been playing in these conditions against their batting order, it’s pretty similar in Test cricket and one-dayers. And a few of the guys obviously played in that Shield game [near] Christchurch. I think the build-up has been really good and we’ll be ready to go.”The wickets will do a fair bit in New Zealand, so it’s a matter of putting the ball in the right area and not trying too hard. I was a victim of that in England, of trying to do too much, whereas you’ve still got to hit that line and length and let the ball do its work.”One area in which the Australians will need to improve is their tendency to overstep, which twice cost Pattinson the wicket of West Indian Carlos Brathwaite during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. To that end, in the Basin Reserve nets on Wednesday they trialled a prototype of a new device that can sense where the front foot lands and determine when bowlers have delivered no-balls at training.The Australians know that there are several batsmen in the New Zealand line-up who could punish them if given such a reprieve, most notably Kane Williamson, who did not have significant impact in the recent ODI series but piled on the runs against them at the start of the summer. Williamson also has a strong record at the Basin Reserve, where he averages 85.50 from six Tests.”I still think he’s a better Test player than a one-day player,” Hazlewood said. “He’s great at both but we have to get him out in Test cricket and I think the way we bowled to him in these last three games has been pretty much spot on. We’ve tried to tie him down and get him driving so that’s going to be the key in these Test matches.”He showed in Australia how good a player he is and I think he’s got runs against every country in the world. So he knows these conditions well so we’ve got get on top of him and try and get him early. I think he’s that rock in their order that they feed off.”However, one man who performed well during the one-day series was Martin Guptill, who made two half-centuries from three matches, but they are hopeful that under the pressure of patient red-ball cricket Guptill might return to his struggles of the past against the Australians. During the Tests in Australia earlier in the summer he struggled to have any impact, with a top score of 23.”I think we did get the better of him in Australia,” Hazlewood said of Guptill. “He plays a lot differently in Tests compared to one-dayers. He’s quite confident in limited-overs games, he knows his game really well at the top of the order. But I think he’s still a bit uncertain in the Test arena so we’ll be looking to exploit that again and stay on top of him, as we’ve done in Australia.”

England have named an initial 18-strong squad for the innovative women’s Ashes Series which will be settled by points accumulated in all three formats of the game.

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2013England have named an initial 18-strong squad for the innovative women’s Ashes Series which will be settled by points accumulated in all three formats of the game.Natasha Farrant, Natalie Sciver and Lauren Winfield, who made their international debuts against Pakistan last week, are all included.Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin and Laura Marsh all make a return to the initial squad after missing out on the recent NatWest Women’s International matches due to continuing rehabilitation from injuries.The final squad for each format of the Women’s Ashes Series will be reduced to 15 players in early August ahead of a series which commences with the Test match at Wormsley Cricket Ground on August 11.The 2013 Women’s Ashes Series will comprise one Test match, three NatWest Women’s One-Day Internationals and three NatWest Women’s T20is.Points will be allocated to each format: the winners of the Test will be awarded six points and there will be two points for the winners of each limited-overs match.Clare Connor, the head of England women’s cricket, said: “It is pleasing to see such healthy competition for places ahead of the women’s Ashes series. Exciting young players from the England Women’s Academy have stepped up in to the England squad in the recent internationals against Pakistan and have made an outstanding contribution on and off the pitch. One highlight being Natalie Sciver’s 3-28 in just her second ODI.Two of the three T20 matches will serve as a warm-up for the men’s game to follow – in Southampton on August 29 and Chester-le-Street two days later.England women’s Ashes squad: Charlotte Edwards (Kent, capt), Tammy Beaumont (Kent), Arran Brindle (Sussex), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire), Holly Colvin (Sussex), Georgia Elwiss (Sussex), Natasha Farrant (Kent), Lydia Greenway (Kent), Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire), Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire), Amy Jones (Warwickshire), Heather Knight (Berkshire), Laura Marsh (Kent), Natalie Sciver (Surrey), Anya Shrubsole (Somerset), Sarah Taylor (Sussex), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire), Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire).

Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies Cricket Board CEO, has said selectors should focus on selecting the ‘best XI’ for the West Indies team, one that was a strong collective unit rather than just comprising 11 star players

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2012Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies Cricket Board CEO, has said selectors should focus on selecting the ‘best XI’ for the West Indies team, one that was a strong collective unit rather than just comprising 11 star players.”For a decade or so the selectors were guided by a process which had them arriving at the eleven best players to take the field,” Hilaire said, during the Barbados Cricket Association Awards ceremony. “With the eleven best players on the park our results went from bad to worse and yet worse still.West Indies have been without the services of Chris Gayle since the 2011 World Cup, owing to his differences with the board, and Dwayne Bravo intermittently, due to his Twenty20 commitments elsewhere.”There has been a paradigm shift. The emphasis is on selecting, not necessarily the eleven best players but the ‘best eleven’. It is not dissimilar to asking whether we prefer a team of stars or a star team. They are decidedly different.”The best eleven may not include the most attractive players but is rather a combination of players who, as a group, are more likely to bring positive results and show a commitment to sustained development.”Hilaire said the West Indies team has been steadily improving and is on the right path. “Though the victories have not been tumbling in, there can be little doubt that West Indies cricket is showing the signs of learning the first characteristic of any successful enterprise – the determination to succeed.””We have seen a greater commitment to fight to the very end, we have seen what was once thumping three and four day defeats in Test cricket now turned into epic final-day battles.”This new approach is not far off from producing the results we all yearn for. Change does not happen overnight, it is a process, sometimes painful, always with mistakes and mis-steps but once on the right path the results are certain.”I implore you to recognise that from the days when our team seemed conditioned to losing we now have a team which is battling to win and believing that it can in fact achieve victories.”Australia toured West Indies recently and the hosts drew the ODI series but lost the Tests 0-2. West Indies are now in England for a full tour.