By Neto Baptiste
Coach of the senior women’s West Indies cricket team and legendary fast bowler, Courtney Walsh, says injury has been the Achilles heels of Antiguan and Barbudan fast bowler, Shawnisha Hector.
Hector, who has played just a lone ODI match for the regional squad against India here in Antigua back in 2019, has not turned out for the senior women’s team since and has reportedly been struggling with injuries.
“She was injured from … but I’ve only just got back in and haven’t checked up on her physical fitness, but that is what was keeping her out … she wasn’t able to bowl because of a serious knee problem. Once Shawnisha is fit she would be encouraged because she is one of the brighter prospects in the team. She is a power player who can bat, bowl and field, so the injury is what was keeping her out,” he said.
Hector, who has also turned out for the Trinbago Knight Riders Women in the CPL and the Leeward Islands Women in the Cricket West Indies (CWI), bowled 12 balls for 19 runs in her lone ODI.
Walsh believes that additional opportunities to put their skills on display could bode well for the players.
“With the women’s CPL played last year, I’d love to see that continue this year but with more teams in the competition so more and more players could be exposed but people would probably say it will be watered down.
“I think it had three teams last year and if we could get four teams playing this year, more girls would get an opportunity to parade their skills and we’d have a chance to see more of our local players,” he said.
A date has not been announced for the staging of the 2023 instalment of the Women’s CPL.