West Indies women's cricket captain Merissa Aguilleira does not "want the drama
enveloping the men's team to affect her side's history-making tour of
Australia," according to Lee Gaskin of THE AGE. As it prepares for its "first-ever series against the
Southern Stars, the West Indies women's team watched from afar as their
male counterparts pulled out of their tour of India over a pay dispute." In
response, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is "reportedly
preparing to claim damages" of least $65M for lost
earnings -- and "forecasting the cancellation of India's series in the
Caribbean" in '16. Aguilleira said that the women's team had "done its best to separate itself from what was happening with the men." Aguilleira: "We've been following it, it's been hard, but we don't want it to be distracting us. We came here to represent the West Indies and we want to make sure our fans aren't disappointed. We're here to play cricket, that's our focus." West Indies women's coach Sherwin Campbell was "confident the dramas wouldn't affect his side." He said, "We are separate teams and separate tours and we are focused on that." The series is the second round of the "newly formed ICC Women's
Championship, which has been developed to create a more extensive and
meaningful bilateral playing programme for women's cricket" (
THE AGE, 10/20).
