Saint Lucia’s Qiana Joseph and Zaida James earn coveted CWI contracts

Saint Lucia: Cricket West Indies has awarded multi-year contracts for the first time to several of its top Men’s and Women’s players for the next two years.

Out of the 15 women cricketers contracted, two Saint Lucian senior women cricketers currently with the West Indies team in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the ICC T20 World Cup, Qiana Joseph, and the reigning Junor Sportswoman for the Year, Zaida James were awarded one-year international contracts. 

According to CWI, this historical achievement comes on the back of a new four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in January 2024 between CWI and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

Fifteen Senior Men’s players have been contracted, with six of those players being offered multi-year contracts based on their performances during the 2023-2024 Evaluation Period.

Meanwhile, of the 15 Senior Women’s players contracted, three were awarded multi-year contracts: Shemaine Campbelle, Hayley Matthews, and Stafanie Taylor.

This announcement by the Cricket West Indies came after the signing of a new four year MOU – Memorandum of Understanding in January 2024 between CWI and the WIPA - West Indies Players Association.

According to the information, the newly awarded contracts came into effect from October 1, 2024 and will span varying durations. The players with one year contracts will stay contracted until September 30, 2025 while others awarded multi year contracts will get them extended until September 30, 2026.

These prestigious contracts have been awarded to top players in the field of cricket and Saint Lucia’s Qiana Joseph and Zaida James’ name among these players is a testament to their exceptional performance at the international stage.

These females from the small island nation in Caribbean have made their mark on the global stage, making Saint Lucia and whole region proud.

The females are now looking forward to giving their best in the upcoming matches to boost their career and create history in one way or another.