Windies line up camps, competition in build-up to WT20 2018

Stafanie Taylor’s side, the defending champions, last played a Twenty20 International in March, away against New Zealand. Since then, while almost all other sides in the WT20 have got a good number of T20Is under their belt, the Windies have not featured in top level action.

That, however, will change with the series against India and South Africa, with the visiting teams too looking to acclimatise before the global event in November.

South Africa will be in the Caribbean from 10 September to 7 October for three one-day internationals (part of the ICC Women’s Championship) and five T20Is.

While the dates for the India series aren’t fixed, the fixtures are tentatively scheduled for early October, Cricket West Indies said in a statement.

Between international commitments, the Windies team have still kept busy. A 21-member squad completed a high-performance camp in Antigua, with the focus on fitness, strength and conditioning, game sense scenarios, and mental skills preparation.

The work at the camp was complemented by the domestic Women’s Championship in June and up to 12 members of the side will feature in the Courts T20 Grand Slam in Trinidad and Tobago from 18 to 28 July.

Coach Henderson Springer was happy with “the enthusiasm from some of the younger squad members” and the “level of fitness from the more experienced players”.

The team will re-assemble for another camp for three weeks in Antigua in August.