The expanded Limacol Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) bowls off this weekend in Barbados, with eight matches at Kensington Oval between September 5-17. This year, the tournament will feature a new team, the Jamaica Empress, giving Saint Lucia and West Indies all-rounder Zaida James a fresh start at the franchise level.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a new team, new franchise, really good people. I’m looking forward to working with these international players and even my local players because I think we have a pretty balanced team, and I’m really excited for that,” said James.
“It’s more opportunities. People get to see me more around the world, not just representing West Indies, but also representing franchises. And I get to showcase my talents as I go.”
The 21-year-old James will suit up alongside Australia’s Meg Lanning, former West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, and West Indies all-rounder Chinelle Henry. James previously featured for the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders.
During her time at home ahead of the WCPL, James spent time at Mindoo Phillip Park working with assistant batting coach Dalton Polius and the staff of the Saint Lucia Cricket High Performance Centre. The availability of the coaching setup, she said, is a major plus.
“It helps a lot because it’s not only one coach,” she explained. “He has several other guys to work with, and there’s also the West Indies Pathway coaches. So, that’s who I’ve been working with, and he’s also a part of the HPC. And just having him as a batting coach, and then there’s a spinning coach. So, I get to work with everyone. I get to be involved with all of them and even my fielding aspect.”
James broke into the senior West Indies team after hitting back-to-back half-centuries at the 2023 ICC Under-19 Women’s World Cup. As she seeks to cement her place in the senior team, the Gros Islet native says her biggest strength is her mental strength.
“Sometimes it’s technical, but the strongest part is the mental part,” she shared. “And you know, once you have that mentality that you want to do this, you want to do that, I think once you have really strong mental health, you’ll be able to do a lot more things than you think. And skill-wise, I’m still working hard. I’ve never stopped after the World Cup, and I’m still working until, you know, I can’t do anything again.”
With a balanced squad around her at the Jamaica Empress, James will be looking to make an impact on the expanded competition. Her presence at this level continues to provide an example for young girls currently coming through Saint Lucia’s grassroots tournaments and the Windward Islands Under-19 Rising Stars pipeline.
