‘Everyone Is Smiling and Enjoying Training’ – Coach’s Delight with Emerging Players Approach

It has been a great period of training for the players at the West Indies Women’s Emerging Players camp and coach Steve Liburd is hugely impressed with what he is seeing.

“Everyone is enthusiastic, and you can see they are having fun. It has been hard work, on the field, in the nets, in the fitness and gym sessions but they’re smiling and embracing what they’re doing, and this is truly great to see,” said Liburd.
He was speaking at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) where the players are in camp for two weeks.

“We wanted to create an environment where we work hard and also have fun. We stressed on accountability and on discipline, … to make the girls aware of what they are doing and the benefits. Everyone has bought into it … everyone has embraced it, and we are seeing some of the results. This is a great group of players who are eager to learn and improve and the smiles just show how much they enjoy the work.”
This High-Performance camp continues CWI’s increased investment into the women’s game and forms part of the overall High-Performance Pathway. CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources to develop women’s cricket at every level. This High-Performance Camp at CCG plays a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies Women’s players.

Among the players selected are teenagers Djenba Joseph, Trishan Holder and Zaida James, who were part of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team at the recent ICC U19 T20 World Cup and were also selected in the West Indies Senior team at the ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Other players with international experience who will be participating are allrounders Jannilea Glasgow, Kaysia Shultz, Sheneta Grimmond, Qiana Joseph and Shabika Gajnabi, while other members of the Rising Stars Under 19 team are part of the camp which runs until Thursday, 30 March.

“We have seen lots of progress. The coaches have noticed improvement and they have encouraged the players to build on what is being done. The last week we have been working on individual skills and we have also been getting really good feedback from the players. We highlight to them the opportunities that exist in women’s cricket and this camp is a step to giving them the best opportunity to succeed in their careers,” Liburd added.

“Women’s cricket is growing at a rapid rate. We want to make sure we keep up and have the players well-prepared for all the upcoming matches, tournaments and global events. The ICC programmes are established and we have global events every year so we have goals we want to achieve and clear targets.”