Windies batsman Jermaine Blackwood has leapt to the defense of Caribbean regional cricket, strongly disagreeing with those who disparage the competition.

For some, the West Indies' recent and consistent failure on the international stage, in recent years, is in large part due to regional players being unable to attain the competitive standard required for international cricket, after taking part in a substandard regional competition.

In several instances, players that have dominated the regional season have gone on to struggle against international opponents, once called up for the West Indies.  Blackwood, who heaped up 768 runs in 15 innings for Jamaica, including a double hundred against the Leeward Islands in the tournament's last match, however, has gone on to register a dominant performance against England.  He believes things are changing.

“To be honest I don’t pay too much attention to who is taking this or that, everyone has their opinion,” Blackwood told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.

“For me, personally, things are heading in the right direction in the Caribbean.  I think I put in a lot of work to score some runs in the regional 4-dayers and definitely you can see it in my body language and approach to Test cricket now.  So, it has helped me to become the player I am now, and you can see the growth in my batting.”