In a historic move, Cricket West Indies (CWI) have awarded multi-year contracts to certain national team players. Fast bowler Kemar Roach could be in line for a dual player/coach role as his career begins to wind down.
On Wednesday (October 2), Cricket West Indies issued a press release outlining the details of retainer contracts awarded to national team players for the upcoming season.
The announcement came with a historic first, as the board awarded nine national team players (six men and three women) multi-year contracts, for a period of two years. Until this point, all international retainer contracts had been valid for a period of one year.
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This means Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, and Jayden Seales will be contracted to the men's team from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026. Similarly, Shemaine Campbelle, Hayley Matthews, and Stafanie Taylor will be contracted to the women's national team for two years.
This move comes on the back of a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between CWI and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) in January this year, which also pledged to achieve parity in match fees across all levels of cricket for men's and women's players by October 2027.
Kemar Roach in discussions with CWI over dual player/coach role
The CWI press release also made special mention of pacer Kemar Roach. Now 36, Roach missed the West Indies' tour of England earlier this year through injury before returning for the home series against South Africa, but has not been included in the list of contracted players for the upcoming year.
CWI clarified that Roach is currently in discussions with the board regarding a dual playing and coaching/mentorship role as he begins to plan the next stages of his career. He has enjoyed a 15-year long career at Test level so far, and is the West Indies' fifth-highest wicket-taker in the longest format.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul was also confirmed to be on a franchise retainer contract with Guyana Harpy Eagles, while Roston Chase and Kavem Hodge were additions to the list of contracted players for the 2024-25 season. Academy contracts were also awarded to Jannillea Glasgow, Mandy Mangru and Shabika Gajnabi.
Full list of Cricket West Indies contracted players for the upcoming season
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