World record holder Deandra Dottin and the highly-rated Stafanie Taylor were among six women players awarded retainer contracts by the West Indies Cricket Board.
It is the first time women’s players have been centrally contracted by the WICB.
Dottin, who scored the first ever century in Twenty20s earlier this year and Taylor, who is listed fourth in the ICC One-Day International rankings, have been joined by captain Merissa Aguilleira, off-spinner Anisa Mohammed and all-rounders Stacy Ann King and Shanel Daly.
WICB Chief Executive Officer Ernest Hilaire said the board of directors took a decision that the WICB must commit to ensuring that our women players have a level of security, which will assist as they continue their climb to the top of the cricket world.”
“The granting of these six retainer contracts represent a start and we are hoping to expand the program in coming years. This is a tangible commitment to the players that the WICB is very serious about women’s cricket and its development in the region,” he said.
Dottin and Taylor have been awarded “A” grade contracts while the other players have been given “B” grade contracts.
The WICB decision comes just weeks before the women’s team goes to India for a tour comprising five One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20s, which runs from Jan. 8 – 24.
The WICB now has a total of 44 players on contract following the awarding of 15 men’s central retainer contracts, eight developmental contracts and 15 High Performance Center contracts.
