The West Indies Women’s senior cricket team has embarked on an intensive eight-week training camp in Antigua, marking the start of preparations for what is being described as a landmark year in 2026 — one that will feature six international tours, 15 One Day Internationals, a Test match, and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The camp, which began on Monday, includes around 20 senior squad members and is built around three key pillars: strength and conditioning, individual skill development, and team culture and leadership. To maximize progress, small-group coaching sessions have been introduced to ensure personalized attention and high-performance standards.
According to team officials, the goal is for the players to be fully prepared by year’s end, ready to sustain peak performance levels throughout the demanding 2026 season — particularly with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. The camp is scheduled to conclude in the week of December 8, after which players will return to their home territories for the Christmas break.
Head Coach Shane Deitz highlighted the importance of the preparation window, noting that the team must take full advantage of this rare opportunity to sharpen every aspect of its game.
“Individual skill development is the main focus,” Deitz 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.”
Deitz also stressed the need for improvement in strength and conditioning, identifying fitness and athleticism as key to the team’s ambitions.
“One area we’ve got to get right is our strength and conditioning and team fitness,” he added. “We need fast, athletic, and robust cricketers who can play the style of cricket we want — entertain the crowds, put on a massive show, win lots of games, and stay fit and healthy through a tough period.”
The West Indies Women’s 2026 calendar begins with a home series against Sri Lanka in February, followed by an all-format series against Australia in March and April. In May, they travel to Ireland for a tri-series involving Pakistan, before heading to England for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
After the tournament, the team will return to Ireland for a bilateral ODI series in July, then face Zimbabwe in a white-ball tour between September and October, and wrap up the year with a home series against Pakistan in December.
