Windies Women skipper Stafanie Taylor pulls out of Pakistan tour

Windies Women’s team captain Stafanie Taylor, one of the side’s premier all-rounders, has refused to go to Pakistan for an upcoming three-match T20I series. She will join the team only after the tour gets over and the two teams play the ODI series in Dubai as part of the 2017-21 ICC Women’s Championship.

Taylor’s immediate predecessor Merissa Aguilleira will step in as the skipper for the T20Is that will be played in Karachi between January 31 and February 3. Aguilleira led the Caribbean eves for six years, captaining in 74 ODIs and 70 T20Is till September 2015 when Taylor took over.

Shakera Selman to be Aguilleira’s deputy in T20Is

Experienced pacer Shakera Selman will be Aguilleira’s deputy while all-rounder Hayley Matthews missed out as she is yet to recover from a knee injury which she suffered during the Women’s Big Bash League in December. Uncapped off-spinner Karishma Ramharack was picked as Matthews’ replacement. Jamaica’s 21-year-old opening batswoman Rashada Williams was also picked for the first time in the squad.

“Coming into the squad for the first time is young opening batter Rashada Williams from Jamaica, who has impressed the selectors with her solid technique and her ability to play spin, along with off-spinner Karishma Ramharack, who has been rewarded for her consistency in regional cricket,” chairman of selectors Courtney Browne was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

The Windies team will be reaching Dubai for a training camp on January 26 before heading for Karachi four days later. This will be the second tour of Pakistan by a Windies side in less than a year. In April last year, the Caribbean men’s team had travelled to Karachi for three T20Is which they lost 0-3.

Pakistan have remained a venue evaded by major cricketing sides ever since the national team of Sri Lanka came under a horrific terror attack during its tour in 2009. Although there have been signs of the game slowly returning to the country yet it seems the cricketing fraternity is not fully convinced about the security conditions there.

Windies women squad:Stafanie Taylor (ODIs only), Merissa Aguilleira (T20I capt),Shakera Selman, Shemaine Campbelle, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Karishma Ramharack, Natasha McClean, Anisa Mohammed, Shamilia Connell, Chedean Nation, Afy Fletcher, Rashada Williams.

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