Two days before St. Vincent & the Grenadines Senior Female Cricket team take on Grenada in the Southern Windward Islands tournament at Sion Hill, we caught up with three of SVG’s leading female cricketers, to get an interactive session to allow the passionate cricketing community to get to know them at a more intimate level. Each of the cricketers were asked seven questions, to which they duly obliged.
We first caught up with Juliana Nero, captain of the national team. A veteran for St. Vincent & the Grenadines and the West Indies senior team. She has played 1 Test, 76 ODIs and 45 T20s for the West Indies.
Q1: What are you goals for this series?
Nero: As a captain, to captain your team on and off the field. I want to score a hundred in the ODIs, and a 50+ score in the T20 game.
Q2: Being the most experienced player in the group, what role do you play for the younger players?
Nero: To be a problem solver, if any one of the players want to talk, and to lead them.
Q3: If you had one regret in cricket, what would it be?
Nero: I don’t have any regret.
Q4: To date, what do you consider to be your best ever performance, at any level of cricket?
Nero: Scoring a century in South Africa, and being the number 4 batter in the world.
Q5: What was your worst moment on the cricket field?
Nero: Being in India in 2012 and couldn’t win the world cup for my team.
Q6: Who is your favourite cricketer (male or female) and why?
Nero: Chris Gayle – being able to hit the ball the way he does and also Brian Lara for his intelligence in cricket.
Q7: Who is your most difficult opponent in local cricket and why?
Nero: United Survivor. because they always have a fighting spirit for their team.
We next caught up with Stacy-Ann Adams, a very passionate cricketer, and one of the leaders in the bowling attack. She was recently included in a West Indies 24 member training squad.
Q1: What are your goals for this series?
Stacy: In my bowling, I would like to maintain line and length, and be economical and take wickets. Batting, I would like to score over 50 at least once in the tournament and bat through an innings.
Q2: You had a brilliant season 2 years ago with the ball, how do you plan to repeat this?
Stacy: I have worked and modified my bowling and with that I hope to pick up wickets.
Q3: What drew you to cricket, especially at a time when only a very few girls at a tender age was involved in cricket?
Stacy: I have always love cricket, watched it on TV and that’s where the love to get into the game started.
Q4: To date, what do you consider to be your best ever performance, at any level of cricket?
Stacy: locally, batting against United Survivors and making 63. That innings accelerated me and made me realize how fearless I am.
Q5: What was your worst moment on the cricket field?
Stacy: My worst was against Guyana because I believe with the confidence I had after a good bowling performance, that was going to be the game for SVG to win and I got out playing back to a ball that I should not have been playing back too.
Q6: Who is your favourite cricketer (male or female) and why?
Stacy: Virat Kohli, he is the most passionate cricketer I have ever seen and hope that one day I can bat like him.
Q7: Who is your most difficult opponent in local cricket and why?
Stacy: As a team United Survivor, because we have never beaten them.
Our final interviewee is Latoya Providence, vice captain of the national team, who also plays the vital role of being one of the team’s front line spinner.
Q1: What are you goals for this series?
Latoya: Perform to the best of my ability to make SVG win the tournament.
Q2: How did you get involve in cricket?
Latoya: I played on the street until Jenry Ollivierre encouraged me to play and I was invited by Wendel Glasgow to play hard ball for his team after he saw me play in a wind ball tournament at Arnos Vale.
Q3: You are vice captain for the team, how does this role impact your game?
Latoya: I think its my duty to support the captain, it would impact me in a positive way.
Q4: To date, what do you consider to be your best ever performance, at any level of cricket?
Latoya: Regionally in Grenada, taking 11 wickets in 5 games.
Q5: What was your worst moment on the cricket field?
Latoya: In Jamaica, playing Guyana in the quarter finals, I was put in as very vital fielding position and the team wanted 3 runs off the last ball and I miss fielded the ball and it went for 4.
Q6: Who is your favourite cricketer (male or female) and why?
Latoya: Muttiah Muralitharan, because of his success as a spin bowler.
Q7: Who is your most difficult opponent in local cricket and why?
Latoya: Cordel Jack, because I think she is one of the best female cricketers and I have never gotten her out.
We thank the ladies for their valuable time and wish them all the best in their upcoming ODIs and lone T20 against Grenada at the Sion Hill playing field. You can catch all the action over here