Aguilleira, Taylor excited about contracts

West Indies players Merissa Aguilleira and Stafanie Taylor are delighted to hear the news that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will offer Central Retainer Contracts to six members of the successful West Indies women's team. Speaking from Potchefstroom, South Africa where they are playing in the ICC Women's Cricket Challenge, the two leading players said the news was well received throughout the entire camp.

Taylor said: "I'm truly very happy not just for myself but for the other members of my team.With the contracts, we can now concentrate fully on our cricket and we know we will have income to sustain ourselves."

The 19-year-old Taylor is one of the leading players in world cricket. She was recently among the players shortlisted for Woman's Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards. She is at number 10 on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Batting Rankings. Last week, she became the youngest woman ever to reach 1000 runs in ODIs, when she made 72 against Ireland. On Wednesday she made a career-best 147 against the Netherlands - to surpass her previous best of 109 - making her the first woman from the West Indies to make two centuries at international level.

The 24-year-old Aguilleira has led the side to the semi-finals in the ICC World T20 earlier this year and was at the helm when they beat England in St Kitts last year. Under her captaincy the West Indies have also moved from number 8 to number 5 in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI rankings.

Aguilleira said: "This news could not have come at a better time. This is a good incentive for the girls to continue the hard work we have been putting in over the last few years since we started to make strides up the international ladder."