Jamaica's women extended their unbeaten run and, by extension, inched closer to copping the Women’s T20 Blaze title, after the hammered Trinidad and Tobago women by eight wickets at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis on Saturday.

The lopsided victory underscored the Jamaicans rich vein of form as they close in on adding this T20 crown to their Super50 Cup honours. With three consecutive wins under their belts, the Stafanie Taylor-captained team entered the contest with their tails high and they restricted Trinidad and Tobago to 98 for eight off their 20 overs.

Natasha McLean's brisk 34-ball 41 then saw the Jamaicans to their target with 17 balls to spare.

Scores: Trinidad and Tobago women 98-8 (20 overs); Jamaica women 99-2 (1.7.1 overs)

In her usual aggressive style, McLean shared in a match-winning partnership with Rashada Williams (29), while  Chedean Nation, who ended unbeaten on 21.

McLean struck eight fours in her inning, as she first put on a 48-run opening stand with Williams, who had two fours in her 41-ball knock. After Mclean fell, Williams put on another 47-run partnership with Nation to ensure victory.

Earlier, Trinidad and Tobago were held together by a courageous unbeaten 44 from their captain and opener Britney Cooper, one of only two players to reach double figures.

She faced 53 balls and struck four fours, but she lacked support as wickets tumbled around her. In fact, a 23-run, fifth-wicket stand with Karishma Ramharack (15) proved the best of the innings.

Off-spinner Vanessa Watts led the Jamaica attack with three for 10, while seamer Chinelle Henry (2-19) and off-spinner Taylor (2-31) finished with two wickets apiece.

Ahead of the start of the CG United Super50 Cup, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a major increase in prize money and bonuses for teams participating in the tournament as well as other regional competitions – totaling over US$2.5 million over a four-year period.

With the region’s marquee List A tournament set to bowl off on Tuesday, there is the incentive for the champions to take home a top prize of US$100,000 as well as the Sir Clive Lloyd trophy when they win the grand final on Saturday 11 November under lights at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The losing finalists will receive US$50,000 while the team that tops the points table in the league phase will also get US$50,000. This is the biggest prize money in the history of the tournament.

Dr Kishore Shallow, President of CWI said: “The aim is to incentivize our cricketers, which will ultimately result in more intense and competitive cricket. We expect this along with other developmental programs will help to close the gap between international cricket and our regional tournaments. These new prize monies represent a significant increase in the reward purse for teams in regional cricket. We firmly believe this will act as a fillip to players’ performances and their pursuit of excellence. This is part of our investment in the game and those who fly the flag on the field.”

The increase also extends to all senior men’s and women’s tournaments. There is a big boost in the West Indies Championship that will be played in the first half of 2024. The champions of this traditional “red ball” four-day, first-class competition will win US$250,000. The second-placed team will receive US$100,000.

There is an increase in winnings for the Women’s CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze. The winners of the 50-overs will receive US$20,000 next year with a minimum increase of US$10,000 annually over the next 4-year cycle. The runners-up will receive half these amounts.

The T20 Blaze winners will also be rewarded with an increase – US$10,000 for the winners next year - with further increases annually for the upcoming four years. The runners-up will receive half these amounts.

CWI is finalizing a new 4-year MOU with the West Indies Players Association, which will see further increases for individual players, including a major boost to women’s remuneration.

The best women’s cricketers in the West Indies will be back in action as Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosts the CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze regional tournaments in St. Kitts.

The CG United Super50 Cup matches will be played at three venues – Warner Park, the Conaree Cricket Centre, and St. Paul’s Sports Complex from 8 to 17 May with the 50 over matches starting at 10am local time. 

The T20 Blaze will feature five full days of entertainment for the fans from 20 to 27 May at Warner Park. There will be three matches per day – starting at 10am, 2:30 pm and 7 pm (under lights). 

Barbados are defending champions in the CG United Super50 Cup and Jamaica the defending champions of the T20 Blaze. The other teams are the newly renamed Trinidad & Tobago Divas, Guyana, Windward Islands and hosts Leeward Islands.

The Tournament comes on the cusp of CWI’s announcement to start a new Women’s Academy in July for the best U23 players in the region. ​ This will be a major boost for the development of Women’s Cricket in the West Indies and forms part of the overall strategic plan to commit more resources to improving the women’s game at all levels.

CWI’s Director of cricket, Jimmy Adams said, "This year's CG United Super50 Cup and T20 Blaze will be a great opportunity for both talent identification and player development. We look forward to watching a healthy mix of experienced players along with some of the exciting talent we saw in last year's U19 competition. With international tours at home to Ireland and away to Australia this year, these regional tournaments will provide players a chance to fight for places."

Matches will be streamed LIVE on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel with live scorecards and ball-by-ball scoring on the Windiescricket.com live match centre.

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

CG United Super50 Cup – play starts at 10am

Round 1: Monday 8 May

Windward Islands vs Guyana – Conaree Cricket Centre

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Barbados – Warner Park

Round 2: Wednesday 10 May

Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Guyana vs Barbados – Conaree Cricket Centre

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – Warner Park

Round 3: Friday 12 May

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Windward Islands – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Jamaica vs Barbados – Conaree Cricket Centre

Guyana vs Leeward Islands – Warner Park

Round 4: Monday 15 May

Jamaica vs Guyana – Warner Park

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – Conaree Cricket Centre

Barbados vs Windward Islands – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Round 5: Wednesday 17 May

Leeward Islands vs Barbados – Warner Park

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Guyana – St. Paul’s Sporting Complex

Jamaica vs Windward Islands – Conaree Cricket Centre

CWI T20 Blaze (all matches played at Warner Park)

Round 1: Saturday 20 May

Windward Islands vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – 2:30:pm

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Barbados – 7pm

Round 2: Sunday 21 May

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – 10am

Guyana vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – 7pm

Round 3: Tuesday 23 May

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Windward Islands – 10am

Jamaica vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Guyana vs Leeward Islands – 7pm

Round 4: Thursday 25 May

Jamaica vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – 2:30pm

Barbados vs Windward Islands – 7pm

Round 5: Saturday 27 May

Leeward Islands vs Barbados – 10am

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Guyana – 2:30pm

Jamaica vs Windward Islands – 7pm