With a tough year ahead, including the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England, 20 senior West Indies women’s players are in the midst of an intense eight-week camp in Antigua and Barbuda. Three Saint Lucians are involved – players Qiana Joseph and Zaida James, and coach Dalton Polius.
Polius, who has been working with the Maroon Warriors batters under head coach Shane Deitz, told St. Lucia Times he is pleased with what he has seen since the camp got underway on October 20.
“The girls have been doing a lot of work in the nets, batting-wise, on the bowling machine, on technique, playing spin and pace bowling,” he said. “The bowlers have been put through their paces, the spinners working on getting more revolutions on the ball. Definitely, there’s a new way of seeing things.”
In August, the Saint Lucian, an assistant coach with the country’s Cricket High Performance Centre, was drafted in as part of the backroom staff for the West Indies Under-19 men for a seven-match Youth One Day International series against Sri Lanka. Back in the fold with the women’s squad, he has high praise for his fellow Saint Lucians in camp.
“I think Zaida has been improving rapidly, especially batting-wise, being a little more aggressive, different technical aspects that they have made massive improvements on,” he said. “She looks a lot more confident. She is improving rapidly, and it all looks well for her future.
“Bowling-wise, she has been really consistent in her line and length, and also working on gaining a lot more purchase on the ball, which enables her to spin the ball, and which will make her an even more complete bowler. So she’s been working on her all-round game.”
Like James, Joseph was first called up to the West Indies senior team as a teenager. But after several years on the periphery of the team, she has found her feet over the past 18 months or so, as an explosive top-order batter. The 24-year-old from Gros Islet says the recent death of a close friend has helped her clarify her goal-setting for the year ahead. She is also keen to work on her fitness and solidify her place in the setup.
“Qiana has shown ability with the bat. She’s been one of the most dynamic opening batters in female cricket, and I think that once she continues to work on just different scoring options, that will make her a more complete batter, and a lot more difficult to bowl to,” shared Polius.
“She is grieving, but I think that she’ll definitely use it as motivation…. It will take time, but I think that she’s channelling it the right way, looking to move forward and excel to honour the memory of a friend who has always been someone very supportive. She’s a lot more motivated, you can see in her actions.”
Aside from the World Cup, West Indies women will have six tours in 2026, against Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. They will play 15 One Day Internationals and their first Test match in decades.
