ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — With a hectic 2026 schedule fast approaching, West Indies Women have begun an intensive, eight-week training camp in Antigua to prepare themselves for a rigorous year of cricket.

The camp, which started on October 20 and is scheduled to end the week of December 8, is designed to lay a strong foundation as the Maroon Warriors gear up for a demanding international schedule that features six tours, 15 One-Day Internationals (ODI), a Test match, and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Approximately 20 senior squad members are in camp, with the goal being to have the entire group fully prepared by the end of the year so as to sustain peak performance, particularly for the World Cup.

The camp is structured around three pillars: strength and conditioning, individual skill development, and team culture and leadership, with small-group coaching being put in place to ensure individualised attention and high-performance standards.

West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz mentioned the importance of the camp as the team looks to improve on their semi-final finish in the last T20 World Cup, in addition to achieving success across the various series.

“Individual skill development is the main focus,” he said. “It’s also about getting our players focused on what they’re here to achieve, push harder than they’ve ever pushed before, and maintain that motivation to train every day. We only get this one opportunity to do this period of training, and what we do now will determine our success next year.

“One area we’ve got to get right is our strength and conditioning and team fitness. We need fast, athletic and robust cricketers who can play the style of cricket we want, entertain the crowds, put on a massive show and win lots of games, but also stay fit and healthy through a tough period.”

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe spoke to the alignment of the camp with CWI’s long-term development focus.

“This is an example of the intentional investment being made in high performance across all levels of West Indies cricket. The aim is to take a very individual approach to player development, providing each player with specific support in the areas that would allow them to take their game to the next level,” Bascombe said.

“Whether it be skill development, strength and conditioning, or mental and leadership skills, this camp reflects our long-term objective of building a sustainable pathway to success. Initiatives like this reinforce our commitment to developing world-class cricketers capable of excelling on the global stage.”

Windies Women will start the year by hosting Sri Lanka in February, followed by an all-format home series against Australia in March and April.

In May the squad travels to Ireland for a tri-series with the hosts and Pakistan, before heading to England for the T20 World Cup.

After the tournament they return to Ireland for a bilateral ODI series in July.

September and October will see the squad do battle against Zimbabwe in a white-ball-focused tour before closing the year with another white-ball home series against Pakistan in December.

Chinelle Henry (centre) of the West Indies celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia’s Alyssa Healy during their T20 International women’s cricket match at the North Sydney Oval in Sydney on October 2, 2023. (Photo: AFP)