The West Indies Championship 2024 is the region’s first-class four-day red ball tournament bowls off in Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis from 7-10 February, with four simultaneously contested matches.
The tournament will open with defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles in a bid for a second successive title, taking on Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Conaree Cricket Centre in St. Kitts, with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes hosting the West Indies Academy at Warner Park.
In Jamaica, the Scorpions will start their campaign when they face the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the feature match at Sabina Park. At the same time, the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC)will take on the Barbados Pride at Chedwin Park.
The second round will be played from 14 to 17 February when Jamaica will meet the CCC at Sabina Park; Barbados will take on Windward Islands at Kensington Cricket Club; while over in St. Kitts, the Leeward Islands will face Guyana at Warner Park and Trinidad and Tobago will face the West Indies Academy at Conaree Cricket Centre.
The third round of the West Indies Championship will be played from 21-24 February after which there will be a break before the resumption of Rounds 4-5 from March 13-23 to be played in Trinidad and Antigua and Rounds 6-7 from April 10-20 to be played in Jamaica, Trinidad and Antigua. Every West Indies Championship match will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Round 1
7 to 10 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Barbados Pride - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy - Warner Park, St. Kitts
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
Round 2
14 to 17 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC - Sabina Park, Jamaica
Barbados Pride vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Warner Park, St. Kitts
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
Round 3
21 to 24 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride - Sabina Park, Jamaica
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Warner Park, St. Kitts
West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), Antigua
Round 4
13 to 16 March:
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Barbados Pride - Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI Spec (UWI SPEC), Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions - CCG, Antigua
Round 5
20 March to 23 March:
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs CCC - CCG, Antigua
Round 6
10 to 13 April:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - CCG, Antigua
Round 7
17 to 20 April:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Barbados Pride - CCG, Antigua
SQUADS LISTING
BARBADOS PRIDE -Kraigg Brathwaite, Shaquille Cumberbatch, Shane Dowrich, Jonathan Drakes, Chaim-Alexis Holder, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Shayne Moseley, Roshon Primus, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham.
COMBINED CAMPUSES AND COLLEGES -Kirstan Kallicharan, Shatrughan Rambaran, Jonathan Carter, Shamarh Brooks, Demario Richards, Shaqkere Parris, Romario Greaves, Sion Hackett, Sadique Henry, Jediah Blades, Damel Evelyn, Zishan Motara.
GUYANA HARPY EAGLES -Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymond Perez, Matthew Nandu, Ronsford Beaton, Richie Looknauth, Veerasammy Permaul, Neiland Cadogan, Kevin Sinclair, Kemol Savory, Kevlon Anderson, Antony Adams, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Steven Sankar.
JAMAICA SCORPIONS -Jermaine Blackwood, Chadwick Walton, Carlos Brown, Romaine Morris, Marquino Mindley, Abhijai Mansingh, Derval Green, Nkrumah Bonner, Peat Salmon, Jeavor Royal, Ramaal Lewis, Gordon Bryan, Kirk McKenzie.
LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES -Jahmar Hamilton, Rahkeem Cornwall, Mikyle Louis, Daniel Doram, Colin Archibald, Terence Warde, Jeremiah Louis, Joshau Grant, Ross Powell, Kofi James, Javier Spencer, Sheno Berridge, Karima Gore.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO RED FORCE -Joshua DaSilva, Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Terrance Hinds, Jason Mohammed, Jyd Goolie, Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, Bryan Charles, Vikash Mohan, Cephas Cooper, Tion Webster, Khary Pierre.
WEST INDIES ACADEMY -Ashmead Nedd, Ackeem Auguste, Nyeem Young, Johann Layne, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, Joshua Bishop, Mbeki Joseph, Kelvin Pitman, Rivaldo Clarke, Joshua James, Rashawn Worrell, Ramon Simmonds, Kadeem Alleyne.
WINDWARD ISLANDS VOLCANOES -Kimani Melius, Ryan John, Tevyn Walcott, Johann Jeremiah, Sunil Ambris, Shamar Springer, Shermon Lewis, Jeremy Solozano, Daurius Martin, Shadrack Descarte, Darel Cyrus, Kenneth Dember, Keron Cottoy.
Barbados Pride soar into CG United Super50 final after commanding 153-run win over T&T Red Force
Barbados Pride delivered a clinical performance to storm into the CG United Super50 Cup final, as they hammered defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by a massive 153 runs in their semi-final clash at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.
This victory propelled the Pride—who last tasted glory in the 2016-17 season and reached their last final in 2017-18—into contention for their seventh title.
Scores: Barbados Pride 339-7 (50 overs); Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 186 all out (36.3 overs)
After being sent in to bat, the Pride’s openers, Zachary McCaskie and Leniko Boucher, laid the foundation with a scintillating 142-run partnership. McCaskie, the more aggressive of the pair, entertained with a blistering 94 off just 82 deliveries, smashing six boundaries and six towering sixes.
However, his departure, courtesy of Mark Deyal, did little to disrupt the Pride’s momentum.
This, as Captain Raymond Reifer joined the fray with a brisk 65 and added another crucial 50-run stand with Boucher, who contributed a steady 69 off 84 balls in a knock that had seven boundaries. Reifer's 60-ball knock, which included six fours and a six, epitomized controlled aggression that applied further pressure to the Red Force bowlers.
Even when Boucher fell to Deyal and Kevin Wickham (14) went to spinner Khary Pierre, Reifer, and Roston Chase (43), on return from West Indies duties, added another 50 for the fourth wicket.
Chase’s quick-fire 31-ball knock, which had only two fours and a six, ensured the Pride capitalized on the foundation laid by the top order.
Reifer eventually became Deyal’s third scalp, and Chase went to Shannon Gabriel, but the damage was already done as the Pride were at 297-5 at that point. The lower order contributed the remaining runs to the daunting total.
Deyal stood out for the Red Force with figures of 4-53, but his efforts were insufficient to stem the tide.
Facing a mountain of runs, the Red Force faltered early and never recovered. The only bright spot in their reply was a 68-run second wicket partnership between Tion Webster and Amir Jangoo (16). Webster’s aggressive 56 off 47 balls, which featured eight boundaries and a six, gave fleeting hope before he became the fourth wicket to fall with the score at 91.
After Webster’s dismissal, Deyal (34) and Isiah Rajah (28) added a brief 53-run stand for the seventh wicket, but the Red Force were ultimately bowled out for a paltry 186 in just 36.3 overs.
Dominic Drakes led the Pride’s bowling charge with 3-24, with Chase (2-40) and Kemar Smith (2-42) also doing some damage.
The Pride’s dominance sets up a highly anticipated final against the winner of the Jamaica Scorpions versus Leeward Islands Hurricanes semi-final, scheduled for Thursday.
Finish well: Andre Coley eyes redemption, momentum as Windies gear up for Bangladesh Test
West Indies Head coach Andre Coley is exuding quiet confidence as his team prepares for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
With the matches—scheduled for November 22-26 in Antigua and November 30 to December 4 in Kingston—marking the final home series in the current World Test Championship cycle, Coley is determined to see the Caribbean side end the year on a high note after recent setbacks.
The West Indies are coming off a disappointing tour of South Africa, where they failed to capitalize on key moments and eventually lost that two-match series 1-0 after the first game ended in a draw. Reflecting on those matches, Coley stressed the importance of learning from the past and seizing the opportunity to close out this series on a strong note.
“Coming off the disappointment of the South Africa series, we put ourselves in a position to close out that series, and we didn’t. So the opportunity is there for us to do so against Bangladesh now, and it is very important for us to come up with a winning result on home soil,” Coley said in a pre-series interview.
“We’ve always had exciting and challenging series against Bangladesh, and this series offers a chance to create momentum as we head into tougher assignments in Australia and Pakistan,” he added.
Coley and his team, which includes players from the regional 50-over tournament and recent white-ball series, are currently in Antigua fine-tuning preparations ahead of Friday’s first day.
Despite initial weather disruptions, Coley pointed out that the team has had productive sessions, with all players fit and ready for action.
While West Indies boast a strong home record against Bangladesh, Coley is keen to keep his squad grounded. He recognizes the challenges posed by Bangladesh and the added intrigue of familiar faces on the opposition side, including Bangladesh Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, a figure Coley knows well.
“Each match brings a different opportunity. We have players who’ve been successful against Bangladesh, both home and away, but we also have some new players who wouldn’t have played in any of those series. So it’s an opportunity for senior players and emerging players to show what they are capable of and what we are capable of as a team,” Coley noted.
The series against Bangladesh serves as a vital stepping stone beyond the larger context of the World Test Championship, as West Indies sit at the foot of the standings in ninth on 20 points.
Still, with four matches left in the cycle, Coley is focused on building a cohesive unit capable of competing at the highest level.
“This series is about putting everything together from the last year and a half and ending the year in good form,” he declared.
That said, the Jamaican highlighted the importance of fan support, especially during the festive season. Cricket remains a unifying force in the Caribbean, and Coley hopes that fans will rally behind the team.
“I know that the West Indian fans really want us to do well and have been supportive in their own way because cricket means a lot to the region and the fans are very passionate about the game. Despite the nature of our squad, emerging and experienced players, everyone in the squad wants to do well, so I want to encourage the fans to come out and support us and give us that extra boost of encouragement at home,” Coley ended.
Global Super League announces schedule change ahead of 2024 Tournament
The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has announced a schedule adjustment ahead of its inaugural tournament, which is set to take place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. The final will now be held on Friday, 6 December 2024, while the match between Hampshire Hawks and Victoria has been rescheduled to 10:00 AM on Thursday, 5 December 2024.
The tournament, featuring five teams—Guyana Amazon Warriors, Hampshire Hawks, Lahore Qalandars, Rangpur Riders, and Victoria—kicks off on Tuesday, 26 November 2024.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Chairman of the GSL, explained that the schedule changes were made in consultation with Cricket West Indies to avoid potential clashes with preparations for the West Indies' ODI series against Bangladesh.
“While the squads for the West Indies ODI series against Bangladesh have not yet been announced, we wanted to ensure that there was no chance of a clash between the conclusion of the GSL and the preparations for that series,” Lloyd said. “This decision has been made after discussions with Cricket West Indies to ensure the integrity of both the West Indies vs Bangladesh series and the GSL.”
Ticket holders for the affected matches can still use their existing tickets for entry. Those unable to attend the rescheduled games will be eligible for a full refund.
Revised Schedule for the 2024 Global Super League
26 November, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Lahore Qalandars
27 November, 7:00 PM: Hampshire Hawks vs Rangpur Riders
29 November, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Victoria
30 November, 10:00 AM: Hampshire Hawks vs Lahore Qalandars
1 December, 10:00 AM: Rangpur Riders vs Victoria
1 December, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Hampshire Hawks
3 December, 7:00 PM: Victoria vs Lahore Qalandars
4 December, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Rangpur Riders
5 December, 10:00 AM: Hampshire Hawks vs Victoria
5 December, 7:00 PM: Lahore Qalandars vs Rangpur Riders
6 December, 7:00 PM: Final – First Place vs Second Place
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