West Indies

Hurricane Melissa: Death toll rises to 45 in Jamaica, 15 still missing

The number of confirmed deaths from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica rose to 45, with 15 other people missing, authorities said Tuesday. The death toll is expected to rise, with officials still trying to reach two towns that remain cut off since the catastrophic Category 5 storm made landfall in western Jamaica on Oct 28. Helicopters have been dropping food and other basic supplies in those two communities, said Alvin Gayle, director general of Jamaica's emergency management office. He said the storm has displaced 30,000 households, with 1,100 people still living in 88 emergency shelters that remain open. Nearly three dozen roadways remain blocked as crews continue to remove debris, Gayle said. Officials noted that 50% of customers have mobile service, and more than 70% of customers now have water. Meanwhile, crews have restored power to more than 60% of customers. This is a solid milestone given the scale of destruction, said Hugh Grant, president and CEO of Jamaica's power company

Dozens dead as Hurricane Melissa wreaks havoc across Cuba and Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, where roofless homes, toppled utility poles and water-logged furniture dominated the landscape Wednesday. A landslide blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz in Jamaica's St. Elizabeth parish, where the streets were reduced to mud pits. Residents swept water from homes as they tried to salvage belongings. Wind ripped off part of the roof at a high school that serves as a public shelter. I never see anything like this before in all my years living here, resident Jennifer Small said. Melissa made landfall Tuesday in Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with top winds of 185 mph (295 kph), one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, before weakening and moving on to Cuba, but even countries outside the direct path of the massive storm felt its devastating effects. At least 40 people have died across Haiti, Steven Aristil with Haiti's Civil Protection Agency told The Associated Pres

Hurricane Melissa charges toward eastern Cuba after devastating Jamaica

Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa came ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 295 kph winds near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. That's the challenge. Floodwaters trapped at least three families in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica, and crews were unable to help them because of dangerous conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica's Disaster Risk Management Council. Roofs were flying off, he said. We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be m

Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica braces for strongest storm in nearly 2 centuries

Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said. Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. That's the challenge. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 4 metres is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along t

Boland 10th Australian to take hat-trick in Tests; check who are 9 others

While Scott Boland is the 10th Australian to take a hat-trick in Test cricket, he is the 45th bowler overall to achieve this milestone

Will ensure Global South gets rightful place at table: PM Modi in Trinidad

The voice of the developing world remains on the margins and India will work with its partners to give the Global South its "rightful seat" at the "right table", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. In an address at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, the prime minister said terrorism is the "enemy of humanity" as he underlined the need for standing united to deny terrorism any shelter or space. Modi said India brought the concerns of the Global South to the centre of global decision-making during its presidency of the G20. "Our development partnerships are demand-driven, respectful, and without conditions," he said in an apparent reference to distinguish India's approach for the Global South as against that of China. Delving into geopolitical headwinds, the prime minister talked about fundamental shifts in the nature of politics and power as well as growing global "divisions, disputes and disparities". Modi, who became the first Indian prime minister to address the ...

West Indies collapse as England wins second test by 241 runs, wins series

West Indies collapsed in the evening session as England won the second Test by 241 runs with rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir taking 5-41 after hundreds from Joe Root and Harry Brook set up the series-clinching win at Trent Bridge. Root (122) and Brook (109), the long-reigning king of England's batting unit and his heir apparent, reeled off classy centuries to pave the way for a sprint to victory on the fourth evening of the Test. Root hit his 32nd Test ton on Sunday to move only one century behind England great Alastair Cook. England took an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-test series. Chasing an unlikely target of 385 after England's second-innings 425 all out, the tourists were demolished for 143 in just 36.1 overs as Bashir did the damage. The 20-year-old, who did not get a single over in the first test at Lord's, justified the selection gamble that saw him fast-tracked ahead of the established Jack Leach this summer as he took the role of fourth-innings finisher. Bashir rem

Anderson aims to finish on high as West Indies seeks to spoil his party

It doesn't matter if James Anderson takes a bunch of West Indies wickets for England in the first test at Lord's from Wednesday. The series opener will be Anderson's 188th and last test and he will transition into England's fast-bowling mentor. He was pensioned off by England managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. They met him at a Manchester hotel in April to say he wasn't in their plans for the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia. This was a month after Anderson returned from India, where he took 10 wickets at an average of 33.50. That series was lost 4-1 but on the last morning of the last test in Dharamsala, Anderson became the first seamer in history to take 700 wickets. He spoke then of being in the best shape, liking where his game was at, and being really excited for this summer, when he will turn 42 at the end of this month. This week, he said he was surprised at how calmly he took the news from Key, McCullum and Stokes. He understood their decis

T20WC: Logistical hassle surrounds Caribbean's first ICC event in 14 years

The recently-concluded T20 World Cup, which was the first ICC men's event in the Caribbean in 14 years, was a success on many fronts but the logistical challenges involved in staging the massive event in the region caused a lot of discomfort to the game's stakeholders, including the players and fans. Cricket West Indies reaped the benefits of hosting the big-ticket competition that gave the governing body financial security for the foreseeable future. The ICC fulfilled its vision of hosting a World Cup in a region outside the big three (India, Australia, England). The locals fans were also thrilled to see top-flight cricket being played in the Caribbean after a long time but the same could not be said about the overseas fans who had to take great pains to watch their teams in action. Before the caravan moved to the Caribbean for the Super 8s, the talk around the games in co-host USA was mainly around the undercooked drop-in pitches in New York. Logistical issues began to crop up onl

Category 4 hurricane Beryl intensifies in Caribbean, eyeing Jamaica

Beryl was packing winds of up to 155 mph (250 kmh) as of 2400 GMT on Monday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said

Hurricane Beryl nears Caribbean after strengthening into Category 4 storm

Hurricane Beryl closed in on the southeastern Caribbean late Sunday after strengthening into what experts called an "extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, and government officials pleaded with people to take shelter. The storm was expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This is a very dangerous situation, warned the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami, saying Beryl was forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge. Beryl was centred about 150 miles (240 kilometres) southeast of Barbados late Sunday. It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles (45 kilometres) from its centre. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique and Trinidad. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, Haiti's entire southern coas

Test cricket at low point in West Indies, mass exodus to US likely: Sarwan

Ramnaresh Sarwan, one of the most prolific batters to have played for the West Indies, is leading a comfortable life after retirement but when one talks him to him about the health of Test cricket in the region, he paints a grim picture, fearful of a talent exodus to the USA. The unexpected growth of T20 cricket and players' preference for the shortest format has put red-ball cricket on the backburner. First-class teams play as little as five games per season, which Sarwan thinks should be increased to at least 10. Speaking to PTI, the 44-year-old also lamented the lack of cricket facilities in the region. He featured in 87 Tests and 181 ODIs aggregating more than 10,000 runs across formats and played alongside fellow Guyanese Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the great Brian Lara for the better part of his career. "Yeah well Test cricket is at a very low point to be honest. Among the games that we are playing again in the Caribbean, I don't think it's sufficient to develop our players but

Brian Lara was only one to predict our journey to semi-finals: Rashid Khan

West Indian batting great Brian Lara had predicted Afghanistan would reach the T20 World Cup semifinals nearly a month before the tournament began and now that the giant-slayers have made it, skipper Rashid Khan said he is immensely proud to have proved the legend right. Afghanistan continued their brilliant run at the T20 World Cup as they marched to their first-ever World Cup semifinal with an eight-run win over Bangladesh in the last Super 8 clash here. "The only guy who put us in the semifinals was Brian Lara and we proved him right. When we met him at a welcome party, I told him we won't let you down," Rashid said at the post-match presentation. "I think when you get the kind of great, great statements from a legend, as a team, I think it gives you lots of energy as well. We are capable," he added. Lara, in an interaction with PTI editors at its headquarters last month, had predicted that Afghanistan would be among the semifinalists in the mega-event. "Afghanistan, they are .

Would've liked more convincing victory: Markram after SA defeats Windies

Relieved to have qualified for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, South Africa captain Aiden Markram acknowledged that the Proteas erred a bit in attempting to finish off the chase against West Indies too soon, leading to an unconvincing victory. South Africa did well to restrict the two-time champions to 135/8. In reply, the Proteas were 15/2 in two overs when rain disrupted proceedings for close to an hour. The South African batters saw the reduced revised target and improved batting conditions after rain as an opportunity to go hammer and tongs at the target of 123 but kept losing wickets as the hosts made things tight. But Makram and his men eventually got the work done. "A lot of relief to get through to the semifinal. Not going to be brain-washed by that. We would have liked to be more convincing with bat in hand," Markram said at the post match presentation. "After the rain break, the wicket was playing nicely. We did not get the partnerships to then kill the game. Tried t

West Indies crush USA by 9 wickets in T20 World Cup Super 8 clash

Opener Shai Hope blasted an unbeaten 82 as West Indies came back roaring to crush the United States of America by nine wickets in the T20 World Cup Group 2 Super Eight match here. After bowling out the USA for a mere 128 in 19.5 overs, the West Indies batters went all guns blazing from the word go to knock off the target in 10.5 overs to make 130/1, recording a comfortable win. The win improved West Indies' standing in the Group 2 points table. The Caribbean side, which had suffered an eight-wicket hammering from England on Wednesday, is now placed second with two points and a Net Run Rate of 1.814. Johnson Charles fell for a 14-ball 15 with a couple of fours early on but the pair of Hope (82 not out) and Nicholas Pooran did the job for their side, smacking the USA bowlers all around the park here at the Kensington Oval. Hope made a mincemeat of the USA bowling as the right-handed wicketkeeper-batter clattered eight sixes and four fours to make 82 not out from just 39 balls, with .

Marsh inspires the pack; not just captain but true leader: Marcus Stoinis

Mitchell Marsh is not just a captain but a true leader, Marcus Stoinis said eulogising his teammate but added that the current Australia group is easy to lead with everyone aware of their roles in specific situations. Marsh has been tasked with leading Australia to their second T20 World Cup title. "Mitchie is not a captain but a leader. The way he gets the groups together inspires it," fellow all-rounder Stoinis said on the 'Unplayable' podcast. "He's been a leader for a longtime in this group. He has captained in the past at a younger age as well." It is not just Stoinis that has lavished praise on the all-rounder, the rest of the team also speaks highly of the 'Bison'. Marsh has had a love hate relationship with the fans, who booed him when his performance dropped leading the all-rounder to claim "most of Australia hates me". But Marsh witnessed a resurgence last year and has now become a fan favourite. He made his way back into the Test team and starred in Australia's stunnin

You are one of the greats: Legendary WI pacer Wesley Hall tells Kohli

Legendary West Indies pacer Wesley Hall has seen a lot of great batters over the years and in his opinion, Indian superstar Virat Kohli belongs right at the top with the all-time legends of the game. The 86-year-old from Barbados, who formed a lethal bowling partnership with Charlie Griffith in the 1960s, also feels that the modern day West Indies players can't be expected to turn down million-dollar contracts in franchise cricket though it does impact the health of Test cricket in the region. In stark contrast to the nomadic life of a current international cricketer, Hall played 48 Tests in a career spanning 16 years. He was a special guest at the Kensington Oval here on Tuesday when he met members of the Indian team and presented his autobiography to Kohli and head coach Rahul Dravid on the sidelines of their second training session. Having also served as sports minister of Barbados, the man of many talents reserved humbling words for Kohli in his brief chat with the former India

Williamson uncertain about his future in T20s following NZ's World Cup exit

New Zealand will require some time to regroup after their shock early exit from the T20 World Cup, said skipper Kane Williamson, who was non-committal regarding his return for the 2026 edition of the marquee event. An all-format player who is considered one of the greats of modern day cricket, Williamson has been the BlackCaps batting mainstay for over a decade. New Zealand reached three finals with Williamson in the side -- the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup and the inaugural World Test Championship final, which they won. Williamson led the BlackCaps in three of those four tournaments. "When asked if he'd return for the 2026 edition, Williamson said: "Oh, I don't know." New Zealand's campaign ended with a facile seven-wicket win over minnows Papua New Guinea. They finished outside of the semifinals for the first time in 10 years. Pace spearhead Trent Boult has already confirmed that the ongoing T20 World Cup was his last. "There's a bit of time between now a

Pooran's explosive 98 take WI to 104-run win over Afghanistan in T20 WC

Nicholas Pooran displayed his incredible six-hitting prowess as West Indies geared up for the Super 8 with a dominating 104-run win over Afghanistan in their final Group C match of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday. With both teams assured of a Super 8 berth, it was the two-time champions WI who displayed their batting might, amassing a formidable 218 for five, with Pooran going on a six-hitting spree during his 53-ball 98. It was the highest total for the hosts in men's T20 World Cups. In reply, Afghanistan succumbed to scoreboard pressure, managing just 114 in 16.2 overs. Afghanistan had bundled out their opponents for sub-100 totals in their first three games but skipper Rashid Khan's decision to bowl first here backfired as Pooran put on a ruthless display, hitting as many as 8 maximums and 6 fours during his stay. Opener Johnson Charles (43)Shai Hope (25) and Rovman Powell (26) also contributed with the bat as WI posted the highest total of this edition of T20 World Cup. Gulb

WI vs PNG Highlights, T20 World Cup 2024: Chase, bowlers help Windies to a 5-wicket win

ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Highlights West Indies vs Papua New Guinea: There was a little bit of a scare for the co-hosts but Rostoin Chase and Andre Russell handled it well to hand them a five-wicket win