West Indies vs Australia LIVE: First Twenty20 in Jamaica
Latest posts
9.34am
Australia win the toss and bowl
Mitch Marsh has won the toss and Australia will bowl
Marsh says he wants to get a look at the pitch first and then chase a target under the new lights at Sabina Park.
Jake Fraser-McGurk is back in Aussie colours
After making his mark with a string of pulverising displays at the Indian Premier League in 2024, Jake Fraser-McGurk has found more famine than feast in his recent tournaments.
He's been in and out of the Australian side and initially missed selection for this tour. However and injury to left-arm paceman Spencer Johnson opened up a spot in the squad, and overnight it emerged that first choice opener Matt Short had also headed home with a side strain.
That means Fraser-McGurk will open with Marsh in Jamaica, while debutant Mitch Owen takes a role in the middle order.
Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been rested from the series.
Australia XI: Mitch Marsh (capt), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.
9.28am
Big decisions coming for world cricket
Overnight, the International Cricket Council Annual conference wrapped up in Singapore, and there were plenty of major moves in terms of the future of the game.
A men's Twenty20 Champions League will be relaunched as soon as September next year, after the tournament was backed by key member countries at the International Cricket Council's annual conference in Singapore.
Test cricket's future and a possible split into two divisions may also be decided by the end of the year, after the ICC formalised a working group to reshape the game's calendar from 2027 onwards, according to two sources with knowledge of confidential discussions.
There is now a distinct possibility that the number of Test playing countries may be capped, on the basis that only a few currently make money from the game's oldest format and that many nations do not have the resources to support the systems required for developing competitive Test teams.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg and Richard Gould, CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board, will be among the eight members of the calendar working group, alongside the ICC's new chief executive Sanjog Gupta.
It will be expected to present interim findings and recommendations to the ICC board, chaired by india's Jay Shah, before the end of this year.
9.28am
Welcome to the T20 series
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the first T20 between Australia and the West Indies in Jamaica.
This is the first game of a five-match series, part of Australia's run to the T20 World Cup to be played in India next year.
Australia have never beaten West Indies in a T20 series in the Caribbean, and were thrashed 4-1 when they last contested one in these parts of the world in 2021.
That tour, which was followed by another beating in Bangladesh, was a catalyst for then coach Justin Langer to adjust his methods and allow the players to control more of their own space. A surprise victory at the 2021 T20 World Cup soon followed in the UAE.
Mitchell Marsh was a key part of that story as a top three batter. He is now the T20 captain.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
38 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
The $40m bet that saved Australian rugby
In May 2021, a US investment firm took a leap of faith on a struggling Australian sport. Ares Management, a NYSE-listed asset manager, was starting to put its stamp on the global sports industry and Rugby Australia, the local governing body of rugby union, was running out of cash.
ABC News
38 minutes ago
- ABC News
The Netball World Cup will be a biennial event from 2027, so who benefits? And who may be disadvantaged?
Netball's governing body has unveiled a new global events strategy that will see the World Cup held every two years instead of four, as well as significant format and schedule changes to the major tournament. An extra piece of silverware will be introduced for Sydney 2027 that'll give teams finishing lower in the group stages a plate to fight for, while the top sides continue to compete for the cup. Qualification from 2029 onwards will operate very differently — in a move that has upset Asia — and there'll be a permanent shift on the calendar to November. A designated window later in the year should help to avoid clashes with other codes and less interruptions to the top-flight domestic leagues played in Australia, New Zealand and England. Beyond this, World Netball plans to run a separate biennial event and a men's World Cup. As a result, both the FAST5 World Series and Netball World Youth Cup will be paused indefinitely. It is also assessing the appetite for an international club competition. In a press release, the governing body said it believes these drastic steps are necessary to sustain the sport long-term, and that it was taking hold of its own destiny as uncertainty surrounds the future of the Commonwealth Games. But it's certainly rare for a sport to host its World Cup every two years, and this is the change that has sparked the most debate. Largely, World Netball. As part of the hosting agreement, either a percentage of profits or a fixed sum will be handed over to the governing body. Increasing this revenue would help World Netball to grow on a faster scale and spread its global footprint. It may also lead to further visibility and bigger sponsorship deals. ABC Sport understands previous agreements fixed the profit sharing with World Netball at 55 per cent. The worth of that is now estimated to be over $1 million. Cyrus Medora was the chief executive at Netball Singapore for two decades before retiring at the end of last year, and oversaw its hosting of the 2011 World Cup. "From a non-financial perspective, I think all participating countries would benefit from more regular and intense competition," Medora said. "Plus, the publicity and exposure could lead to increased financial support for the smaller netball countries from their sports ministries." Previously, some member organisations, like Netball Jamaica, have needed to crowdsource funding to afford to send their team to the major tournament. This is a team ranked in the top three, so there are genuine concerns about the financial strain an increase in World Cups might cause for poorer nations. According to Medora, the cost to send a team, coaches and support staff can typically amount to over $70,000 if you're staying at a lower-level hotel. Aussie Diamonds vice-captain Paige Hadley said the disparity could lead to countries opting in and out, "and not going to every World Cup". Do we want the showpiece event to only feature teams that can afford to be there? Since World Netball went public with its new events strategy, it has provided further details in a member update to explain its decision-making. Here, it dropped a bombshell about the qualification process. "In order to deliver the best netball event in the world for the best athletes in the world, the current qualification process will be changed," it read. "Regional qualifiers will no longer take place after 2027, and qualification will be based purely on world rankings." Previously, the top five ranked teams have qualified, as well as the host. Then two teams from each of the five regional qualifying tournaments held across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania fill the remainder of the 16 participating spots. This change could easily wipe Asia from the World Cup altogether. Its highest-ranked team is Sri Lanka at number 22, and several countries from the region are said to be extremely disappointed; questioning what advantage they get from being a World Netball member — which incurs a fee of about $2,500 annually — if they're ruled out of contention. Scottish Thistles head coach Kath Tetley originally hails from Australia and has held several high-profile administrative roles in the sport over her career. Tetley was the general manager of the Sydney 2015 World Cup and believes the change may not be a bad thing if it encourages each nation to step up and maintain its world ranking. "I actually think it challenges us to be good and be consistent more often, especially with a faster 24-month rotation of the cycle rather than 48 months to build towards success," she said. World Netball argues the revenue generated by biennial World Cups will help it better support regions and members. Though, how much of that revenue will flow onto the rest of the world is anyone's guess, and right now there are only a few obvious options for potential hosts. By the end of 2027, Australia will have hosted four times, New Zealand and England three times, Singapore and Jamaica twice, and Trinidad and Tobago, Scotland and South Africa once. Medora believes the cost of a World Cup really depends on the logistical expenses that differ between countries, and that smaller nations may only be able to host once every 20 years. "It is extremely costly to host the event and only a few countries will have the financial resources and technical know-how," Medora said. "For Singapore, I believe we would now need at least $6-7 million to host now … Back in 2011, it was about $4.8 million. "Countries would need substantial funding from their sport ministries and tourism boards, while sponsorships, ticket and merchandise sales are also vital. "Overall, we generated about $2.4 million at current rates in net revenue and were fortunate that the government waived the 22 per cent withholding tax when making payments to World Netball and the 15 other countries." Tetley said the onus would be on World Netball to offer additional support in the early stages of the transition. "I would expect ticketing, fan packages and commercial global interest will continue to flourish and thus enable World Netball to create a support structure for nations that qualify to request financial support … Perhaps grants for nations based on a method of application via the World Netball integrity unit," she said. England's Rose Helen Housby said she would, "rather go back to the same country and play on the world stage than not do it at all". "I loved going to Cape Town and for us to push the boundaries more often, but being realistic, I don't mind where they're played as long as we get to play." Beyond the players' perspective, is there enough buy-in from fans? Would they be happy visiting the same countries repeatedly? The majority of top-paying spectators come from the trans-Tasman region. "In 2011, we had over 5,000 overseas spectators and 4,400 came via appointed travel agents in Australia and New Zealand," Medora said. "Hopefully, with the event held every two years, these fans will continue to travel." There's a lot to digest and because of that, the reaction has been mixed. Most seem to be thrilled about the introduction of a men's World Cup, and there's widespread sentiment that the plate and cup divisions in the women's major tournament is a step in the right direction. But when it comes to an increase in frequency of World Cups and the new qualification process, it depends on who you ask. Especially seeing as most member organisations claim there was little to no consultation from World Netball before such drastic decisions were made.
News.com.au
38 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Kris Lees eyes San Domenico Stakes return with exciting colt Rivellino
Trainer Kris Lees has circled the Group 3 $250,000 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) as the likely spring kick-off point for exciting colt Rivellino. Rivellino, an unlucky fourth in this year's Golden Slipper, had his first public hitout with a low-key barrier trial at Gosford on Wednesday in preparation for another Group 1 assault this spring. Champion jockey James McDonald put the son of Too Darn Hot through his paces in an 800m heat, where he finished sixth behind Group 1 winners Gringotts and Another Wil. Lees intends to give Rivellino another trial before his likely return at Rosehill Gardens on September 30. 'I'm happy with how he's progressing,' Lees said. 'I think he's matured somewhat. 'I haven't noticed a huge difference in him physically but mentally he's grown up quite a bit. 'He was never a revy horse, he was more a bit of a lad and you had to keep an eye on him. He's more sensible now. 'He's a willing colt and you always wonder what the crop is like but I think he'll be competitive wherever we step him out.' La Pelago sticks the head out to beat Last Druid with First Person in third in an 800m @gosford_races trial on Wednesday - Group 1 winners Gringotts and Another Wil followed with classy colt Rivellino also trialling. @tabcomau — Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) July 23, 2025 • What are the odds of fairytale start for syndicate? Bookies rate Rivellino as a $15 chance in Golden Rose betting while he is an $11 hope in the Coolmore Stud Stakes later in the spring. His return to the races is likely to come a week after the two horses which finished in front of him in the trial - Gringotts and Another Wil. Both Ciaron Maher-trained gallopers also had a quiet morning out in their first public trial with the stable likely to target the Group 1 $1m Winx Stakes (1400m) first-up on August 23. Two-time Group 1-winning stablemate Light Infantry Man is set to join them in the spring Group 1 opener after also having a quiet 800m trial on the Central Coast. 'At this stage, that's the plan for Another Wil, Gringotts and Light Infantry Man to get them started in the Winx Stakes,' Maher's stable representative Johann Gerard-Dubord told Sky Sports Radio.
