BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira and coach Sherwin Campbell were both thrilled to hear that the men’s team had won the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament on Sunday.
But Aguilleira and Campbell were still striving to overcome the disappointment of failing to reach the showpiece of the ICC Women’s World T20 that preceded the men’s contest.
The Windies Women crumbled to a 28-run defeat, when Australia Women won in the second semi-final last Friday at the Premadasa Stadium to qualify for their second straight final, which they won by four runs over arch-rivals England to claim back-to-back titles.
Both Aguilleira and Campbell said there were lessons to be learnt for a side still developing and they were both looking forward to a training camp to be staged at the Sagicor High Performance Centre later this month here to put things right as they start preparation for next year’s Women’s 50-over World Cup.
They were speaking after a sleepy-eyed Windies Women’s side touched down at Grantley Adams International Airport here, following the long journey home from the ICC Women’s T20 that was contested simultaneously with the men’s in Sri Lanka.
"I’m really excited to hear about the men’s team winning," said Aguilleira. "I can’t express how I am feeling about it right now. I knew that they went there to do this.
"I had a talk with their captain Darren Sammy and he told me he wanted this badly, not just for the team, but for the people of the Caribbean. I am pleased that they have won and really happy for them."
She added: "It was disappointing that we were not similarly successful, but I guess everything happens for a reason. I am happy that we went well, even though we did not win.
"At the previous WWT20, we were second in our group, this time we were first. There are good things to take out of our performance and we are pleased and we are just looking forward to bigger things."
Aguilleira said the players had planned to use their time wisely at the Sagicor HPC in the coming weeks, since her side was similarly hungry for success.
"It will be a very exciting time for us," she said. "We know what we have to work on because there are specifics each player has to work on, so the camp at the Sagicor HPC will be the cleaning up of the things we have to do. We are looking forward to it."
Campbell, a former opener for the men’s team, also hailed the success of Sammy’s side.
"It’s always good to know that West Indies have won a tournament," he said. "It does so much for the people of the Caribbean.
"We wanted to be able to give the people of the region double success. We wanted to win the WWT20, but we are still contented with our achievements.
Campbell said: "We reached the semi-finals for the second straight tournament and this was a good performance from the ladies. I still think things went well for us.
"This was a step in the right direction. We performed well. We beat New Zealand, a team that was in the previous final, and we lost against Australia, the side that won the tournament."
Campbell said there were good signs that his players could be competitive against the leading sides, but they needed to show more consistency.
"We are looking forward to the next month few months with excitement," he said.
"We have a series next January against South Africa Women before the Women’s World Cup next February in India, so it gives us a chance to go back to the drawing board and work on our skills, particularly the batting.
"We did really well with the ball and in the outfield, but we have to do some more work with our batting skills ahead of the 50-overs World Cup."