Grimmond earns maiden call-up as six Guyanese feature in West Indies squad for England tour

West Indies Women have named a 15-member squad for their upcoming white-ball tour of England.

The squad features a maiden international call-up for talented Guyanese all-rounder Realeanna Grimmond.

The 20-year-old is one of six players from Guyana included in the squad, highlighting the strong representation from the territory.

Grimmond joins a contingent of familiar Guyanese faces heading to England, including the experienced duo of Shemaine Campbelle and Shabika Gajnabi, along with Cherry-Ann Fraser, Mandy Mangru, and Ashmini Munisar.

The squad, led by captain Hayley Matthews, is set to tour England from May 21 to June 8, 2025, playing three T20 and three One-Day Internationals across various venues.

This tour marks a crucial opportunity for the team to rebound from their participation in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Pakistan last month.

Two changes have been made to the squad that featured in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Alongside Grimmond, Kittitian fast bowler Jahzara Claxton earns a spot, replacing Jamaican wicketkeeper/batter Rashada Williams and all-rounder Chinelle Henry, respectively.

Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket, expressed optimism about the upcoming series.

“This upcoming tour of England offers our women an important opportunity to reassert themselves on the international stage,” Bascombe stated. “It’s a chance to demonstrate the talent, grit, and character that are synonymous with West Indies cricket.”

Bascombe also highlighted the timely impact of regional tournaments.

“The ongoing T20 Blaze competition has come at an opportune time, giving many of our senior and emerging players the chance to stay match-ready and sharpen their skills in a competitive environment. We remain committed to strengthening our women’s programme and believe this tour is a vital step forward in our collective journey.”

Head Coach Shane Deitz echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the challenge and opportunity the England tour presents.

“Going to England is a fantastic opportunity to play one of the best teams in the world for a long time and to really test our skills and put in practice what we’ve talked about off the pitch,” Deitz said.

Deitz stressed the need for action to back up their preparations. “The talk is cheap off the pitch; we’re going to put that talk into action and go out against England and play some good cricket. We’ve got the T20Is first, and that’s where we’ve played our better cricket in the past 12 to 18 months, so we’re looking forward to getting the tour off to a good start and play some good attacking cricket the West Indian way.”

He added, “We brought a good team to England and we’re looking forward to putting on a good performance for the crowd over there and all our supporters watching back in the Caribbean. It’s going to be an excellent tour for us to reestablish ourselves as a world class team with world class players.”

Deitz confirmed the players’ readiness, stating, “The girls have been working hard since the Pakistan qualification and playing some cricket at the T20 Blaze in the Caribbean. It’s now time to switch up to international cricket, put on a good display and give our supporters something to cheer about back in the Caribbean.”

The West Indies Women are scheduled to depart for England on May 13.

West Indies Women’s Squad: Hayley Matthews (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Jahzara Claxton, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor.

Team Management Unit: Shane Deitz (Head Coach), Sheena Gooding (Manager), Ryan Austin (Assistant Coach), Damien Wright (Assistant Coach), Gary Belle (Team Analyst), Angelic Holder (Physiotherapist), Hector Martinez Charles (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Dr. Nadine Sammy (Performance Coach), Nicholas Maitland (Media & Content Officer).

Tour Schedule:

T20I Series:

• 1st T20I: Wednesday, May 21 – The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury
• 2nd T20I: Friday, May 23 – The 1st Central County Ground, Hove
• 3rd T20I: Monday, May 26 – Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford

ODI Series:

• 1st ODI: Friday, May 30 – County Ground, Derby
• 2nd ODI: Wednesday, June 4 – Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester
• 3rd ODI: Saturday, June 7 – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton