In a thrilling clash at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad, the West Indies Academy launched their 2023 CG United Insurance Super50 Cup campaign with a resounding 29-run victory over Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) on Thursday.

The West Indies Academy put on a stunning display of batting prowess, amassing a formidable total of 318-8 in their allotted 50 overs. Their victory was anchored by remarkable half-centuries from Teddy Bishop, Matthew Nandu, and Leonardo Julien. The trio's collective performance set the stage for a dominant showing.

Former West Indies Under-19 standout, Teddy Bishop, was the standout performer, narrowly missing out on a century with his sensational innings of 95 runs off just 75 deliveries. His knock included an impressive 14 boundaries and one towering six. Joining Bishop in the batting spectacle was Guyana's first-class opener, Nandu, who announced his List-A debut in style, contributing a solid 84 runs from 92 balls, featuring seven boundaries and a six.

Julien also played a pivotal role, contributing 51 runs from 67 deliveries, including three boundaries and two powerful sixes. Nyeem Young provided a late flurry of runs with his quick-fire 24 off 14 balls, embellished with three boundaries and a maximum.

Isai Thorne took 3-65 off 10 overs and Abhijai Mansingh 2-55 off 10 for the CCC.

The West Indies Academy's impressive batting display was complemented by a determined bowling effort. The CCC team had a mountain to climb to chase down the challenging target. Despite valiant efforts from their top-order batsmen, including Johann Jeremiah, who raced to 82 off 65 balls before being run out and Shaqkere Parris’ 52 off 74 balls, the combined team could not breach the Academy's total.

Guyana’s Akshaya Persaud contributed 28 runs off 30 deliveries, while Shatrughan Rambaran and Abhijai Mansingh chipped in with 26 and 24 runs, respectively.

The West Indies Academy's bowlers displayed their mettle in defending the target. Nyeem Young led the attack with an impressive 3-80 off 10 overs, while Kelvin Pitman and Joshua Bishop provided crucial support, taking two wickets each.

 Pitman's figures read 2-37 off six overs, while Joshua Bishop accounted for 2-58 off his 10 overs.

England were grappling with a selection quandary on the eve of their crucial World Cup clash against South Africa, with captain Jos Buttler weighing up Chris Woakes’ role as leader of the attack.

Woakes’ new-ball skills have been a reliable centrepiece of the side ever since their white-ball reinvention eight years ago, but he has suffered an uncharacteristic wobble since arriving in India.

Three loose starts from the usually dependable seamer have undermined England’s efforts so far and an economy rate of 7.5 an over, coupled with two wickets at 67.50 each, tells a concerning story.

But with victory a must in Mumbai on Saturday following defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, taking the most established pace bowler out of the firing line would still represent a significant call.

Buttler acknowledged Woakes’ long-term record and recent dip in form represented a conflicted picture and is set to thrash the matter out with head coach Matthew Mott.

“He’s been a fantastic performer for an incredibly long time for England in all the formats and especially in one-day cricket,” he said.

“But we’re all honest guys, right? We’re all honest professionals who hold each other to high standards and individually expect a lot of ourselves. He knows he’s not performing quite how he would like to at the minute, and that’s frustrating, but there’s no judgement from our side.

“We always back all our players that are in our team – we picked them for a number of reasons and one because they’re high-class players and he’s certainly one of those.”

David Willey stands by as a specialist powerplay bowler, eager to showcase his left-arm swing on the World Cup stage after missing out on the 2019 tournament by a whisker, while Surrey’s Gus Atkinson has yet to feature.

Whatever happens, Ben Stokes is locked in to make his eagerly-anticipated return after missing all three games with a hip injury. And, with his stand-in Harry Brook providing the only bright spot of a botched chase against Afghanistan, a rebalancing of the XI could be under consideration. Sam Curran, light on runs and expensive with the ball, has left himself particularly vulnerable.

“I think I’ve got so many options within the squad, selection is always tough,” Buttler said.

“You’re working out the right balance, which is always venue dependent as well, and we’ve had a good chance to see the wicket here and gather a bit more information.

“Obviously Ben has trained really well and it’s great to see him back. He obviously brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well, so he’s someone who is always good to turn to.”

Both teams are looking to bounce back from stinging upsets last time out, with the Proteas’ implosion against the Netherlands somehow leapfrogging England’s reverse against Afghanistan in the pantheon of World Cup shocks within 24 hours.

The last time the two sides faced off at this storied venue, in the 2016 T20 World Cup, it was a classic encounter that saw England hunt down 230 – still their record chase in the format.

There are six survivors from that side still on parade seven years later, including Buttler. Now he is hoping England can relocate similar attacking instincts once again.

“There are great memories of that night, albeit a long time ago. It was one of my favourite games,” he recalled.

“I think this is one of the great grounds in India. I love playing cricket here. I think it’s a fantastic cricket wicket and, absolutely, it should suit us.

“We want to find ways to make a play, to put the opposition under pressure in lots of different ways. That doesn’t always mean hitting fours and sixes, it means can we push back when the opposition is on top or can we really take the initiative in different ways. That’s what we want to live by as a team.”

A superb unbeaten 134 by Kjorn Ottley led Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to a commanding six-wicket win over Windward Islands Volcanoes during their CG United Insurance Super50 Competition encounter at Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday.

Replying to Windward Islands’ score of 254-9, Trinidad and Tobago achieved victory at 255-4 with 12 balls to spare.

Batting first, Windward Islands owed their total to a brilliant knock of 89 from Johnson Charles, who smashed eight fours and five sixes in his 69-ball stay before he was dismissed by Yannick Cariah, who also claimed the wicket of Johnson’s opening partner Alick Athanaze for 39.

Kavem Hodge contributed 45 while Captain Andre Fletcher, batting much lower in the order, made 36 to help take the Windwards to a competitive total.

Cariah also took the wickets of Sunil Ambris for 10 and Tevyn Walcott for six to end with figures of 4-57. Sunil Narine provided support with 2-29.

The chase was relatively uneventful was Ottley dominated the bowling scoring his runs from 142 balls during which he hit 11 fours and three sixes. Fellow opener Tion Webster scored 40 and there were contributions of Terrence Hinds, who was not out on 26 at the end, and Darren Bravo, 25 and Jason Mohammed, 20.

Kenneth Dember was the best of the bowlers with 2-23.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) is creating a development roadmap with major investment for women’s cricket in the region. This effort comes after the launch of its inaugural Women's Cricket Academy, a key initiative aimed at nurturing and developing our region’s female cricketing talent.

 Under the leadership of Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket at CWI, the Academy commenced its operations earlier this month at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, marking a significant milestone for women's cricket in the region.

The director of cricket expressed his enthusiasm by stating, “This move aligns with Cricket West Indies' commitment to fostering the growth of women's cricket and investing in the development of players at all levels”.

As CWI embarks on its four-year budget cycle and the formation of its four-year strategic plan, Bascombe emphasizes the organization's commitment to investing in various initiatives that will contribute to the overall development of women's cricket.

“We have ambitious plans and programs lined up to ensure sustained growth in women's cricket,” he said. “Our investment in talent development and coaching will create a robust foundation for the future success of our women cricketers. Our approach is to incrementally seek to level the playing field, and we have started this process in earnest in other key areas.”

Earlier this year, CWI announced that with immediate effect the members of the West Indies Women’s squad will travel business class for all long-haul international flights and be accommodated in single rooms for all international assignments, bringing it in line with the policy for West Indies Senior Men’s tours. This resulted in an increase in the women’s budget of over US$500,000.

Meanwhile, Bascombe who assumed office in August of this year said, “We have had a fruitful engagement with our women players during our recently held West Indies Cricket Players’ Summit in Barbados, and have taken into consideration their views. Such discussions have informed the priority areas for women’s cricket at this point, particularly the development pathway.”

The West Indies Women’s A team just arrived in Pakistan yesterday for the first-ever away tour. The average age of the playing squad is 20. The majority of the players were in the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Bascombe concluded by stating, “The trajectory of women’s cricket is one that is very pleasing, and that is why we are presently supporting the Women’s ‘A’ Team tour to Pakistan. Giving our players international opportunities helps to strengthen our second line and further enhances our competitive chances.”

CWI and the West Indies Players Association are in the process of finalizing a new Memorandum of Understanding. Both parties are working feverishly to achieve significant increases for women cricketers. These are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Ireland levelled the one-day international series against Scotland with a 79-run victory in their second match in Almeria.

After winning the toss, Ireland opted to bat and opener Leah Paul helped put her side in a strong position, enjoying a second-wicket partnership of 70 with Amy Hunter (56) before being caught and bowled by Priyanaz Chatterji for 58.

Hunter’s dismissal left Ireland on 188 for three but Orla Prendergast kept the runs flowing, eventually falling lbw for 64 to Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce, who then claimed her second wicket of the innings with the capture of Ava Canning.

Ireland skipper Laura Delany finished unbeaten on 28 to set Scotland a target of 271, but despite a solid start from Sarah Bryce and Darcey Carter, they then lost three wickets within 16 runs as Bryce fell for 23 followed by Carter (16), before Chatterji was out for a duck.

Kathryn Bryce then piled on the runs, smashing 67 off 58 balls before being bowled by Freya Sargent, and the spinner clipped the top of leg stump to dismiss new batter Lorna Jack with her very next delivery.

Ailsa Lister tried to dig Scotland out of a hole but wickets were tumbling fast at the other end.

Lister was eventually removed for 47 as Canning picked up her fourth wicket of the game, and the dismissal of Olivia Bell left Scotland all out for 191 as Ireland wrapped up a comfortable win with 11 overs to spare ahead of the final ODI on Saturday.

Ben Stokes has declared himself ready for action in England’s must-win World Cup clash against South Africa, after missing the first three games of the campaign through injury.

Stokes’ comeback could not have come at a better moment for a side whose title defence is on the rocks after a shock defeat to Afghanistan left them with a single win to their name.

The charismatic Test skipper suffered a hip injury during England’s warm-up week in Guwahati and has been sidelined ever since, but has given himself the green light to face the Proteas in Mumbai on Saturday.

Speaking before a training session at the Wankhede Stadium that will double up as a final vigorous fitness test, Stokes told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special: “It was a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament but I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and making myself ready to be available for selection.

“We have had a few days off since the last game and first training session here in Mumbai. I’ll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good. I am in a good place.”

It may be tempting to view Stokes as a saviour riding to the rescue – a role he has performed plenty of times over the course of his career, not least in the 2019 World Cup final – but he distanced himself from the idea.

Responding to the weight of expectation that will follow him on to the field, which has only grown with England’s struggles so far, he said: “I deal with it pretty easy to be honest, because I know I am one person in a team sport.

“No one looks to one person in this team to inspire them or anything like that. It is not the case that if I do come in then all of a sudden we are going to do well. It is just one of those things that gets spoken about a lot but I don’t read into too much.

“Everyone that walks out on to that field for England is a match-winner and can do something individually that can win us a game. We just need to tone it down a bit on me coming back in.”

Andrew Strauss was dropped for England’s Test tour of Sri Lanka on this day in 2007.

The then 30-year-old Middlesex opener missed out on the three-match series just one month after he was given a year-long central contract by England.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney noticed Strauss’ dip in form but backed the batter to fight for his place, saying: “Andrew hasn’t performed to the level he can do in terms of play.

“He’s extremely disappointed, understandably, and it would be strange if he wasn’t.

“But he’s a fighter and we believe he will come back into the frame very quickly.”

Strauss made an impressive start to his international career, making scores of 112 and 83 against New Zealand on his Test debut in 2004 after he replaced the injured England captain Michael Vaughan, becoming only the fourth man to score a century at Lord’s on debut.

Strauss scored 126 in South Africa the following winter, becoming only the seventh Test player to record a hundred in his first match at home and away.

He went on to captain both England’s Test and limited-overs teams, but his form dipped through 2007 and he was dropped from the Test team after playing 43 matches.

Strauss earned a recall to the side for the 2008 tour of New Zealand and worked his way back with a career-best 177 at Napier.

Following Kevin Pietersen’s resignation, Strauss was appointed captain on a permanent basis for the 2008–09 tour of the West Indies and led England to a 2-1 Ashes victory over Australia the following summer.

The win saw Strauss join Mike Brearley and Len Hutton as the only England captains to win the Ashes both home and away, and he led England to a 4-0 win over India in 2011 to climb to the top of the Test world rankings.

Strauss announced his retirement from cricket in August 2012 following his 100th Test, at the age of 35, making 7,037 Test runs at an average of 40.91. He was knighted in September 2019.

Daniel Doram took a career-best 7-29 to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to a resounding eight-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions in their opening encounter of the CG Insurance Super50 Competition at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

The lanky left-arm orthodox spinner from St Maarten proved unplayable to the Scorpions, who were bowled out for 123 in 32.5 overs. Only Odean Smith, who scored 26 and Nkrumah Bonner, 24, offered any real resistance. Alzarri Joseph took 2-24 in support.

Led by Kieran Powell’s unbeaten 80, the Leewards made quick work of the target racing to 124-2 in just 14 overs. Karima Gore was not out on 19 at the end. Nicholson Gordon dismissed Kofi James for 12 to finish with figures of 1-28. Kaecy Carty lost his wicket to Fabian Allen who conceded 33 runs from just overs in the lopsided affair.

Jonny Bairstow is relishing his role in a rare World Cup double as England and South Africa prepare for high-stakes battles on the cricket pitch and the rugby field within a matter of hours on Saturday.

Bairstow will be leading from the front in Mumbai, where his side look to put their creaking title defence back on track against the Proteas, before attention turns to events almost 4,500 miles away in Paris and the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and the Springboks.

Bairstow is a huge rugby fan and was even invited to address the England squad ahead of last year’s autumn international against Argentina at Twickenham, chatting to the squad for over an hour before observing training.

Now he hopes to set the tone for a day of English celebrations by the time Steve Borthwick’s men kick off.

“I think it’s going to be a great spectacle, it’s going to be a great day for both nations,” he said.

“They’re two extremely proud nations, whether that’s on the rugby front or the cricketing front, two teams on both sides that are very passionate about playing for their countries and are excited about playing for their countries.

“You’ll have people in South Africa, I’m sure, having a few brandy and Cokes and a couple of braais (barbecues), and you’ll have a few in England popping down the pub and watching – any excuse for them to just pop down there!

“It will be great – and hopefully both results go our way.”

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Bairstow can only directly impact one of them, of course, and the importance of his role at the top of the batting order is shaping up to be a key one.

Defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, either side of victory over Bangladesh, have put England firmly on the back foot and cranked up the stakes on their visit to the Wankhede Stadium.

Head coach Matthew Mott has called for more aggression in the first 15 overs of both innings and Bairstow has the track record and firepower to oblige.

But he is clear that swinging blindly for the fences is not on the cards, with conditions in India calling for more nuance.

“I don’t see anyone else in the world going out and scoring at nine runs an over. You look at India, they don’t go out and just go balls to the wall in the first 10 and they’re the host nation,” he said.

“They don’t just go out and go from ball one. So the importance of the first 10 is to yes score quickly, but also score in a way that’s sustainable over a long period of time, because we’re not playing a T20 game, we’re playing a 50-over game.

“Playing cricket in India compared to playing cricket in England is different. There’s different styles that work all around the world. I don’t think there’s one thing that fits all.”

While England are licking their wounds after being upset by the Afghans, South Africa are nursing a similar blow to their pride after defeat the Netherlands. That has added another layer of intrigue to the clash as both sets of players desperately try to reset the narrative.

“We know it’s a big game, we know they’re a strong nation and they’ve been playing well, but we also know now they’re coming off a loss as well,” Bairstow said.

“That was a great result to wake up to. But we’re actually just focusing on ourselves. That’s what we do.

“The confidence is there – it’s unwavering. There’s no lack of belief within this group. It isn’t something that’s been questioned one bit.”

Both Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) were left ruing what could have been, as rain forced a no-result in their opening CG United Super50 Cup game at Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday.

Batting first in the contest which was initially reduced to 44 overs per side, Red Force posted 246 for four from their allotment, with captain Darren Bravo leading from the front with an unbeaten 81. Bravo's 84-ball knock included eight boundaries and two sixes, as he played a hand in some useful partnerships.

Red Force lost open Tion Webster (one) cheaply, but Kjorn Ottley (16) and wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva steadied the innings with a 60-run second-wicket stand.

When Ottley fell, Da Silva and Bravo tried to maintain the tempo, but their combination only lasted 26 runs, before Da Silva went caught for a well-played 50-ball 48, which included nine fours.

Bravo found another steady partner in Jason Mohammed, as the two added another 88 runs for the fourth wicket. Mohammed smashed four boundaries and a solitary six in his knock of 43 off 61 balls, before being caught by Shaqkere Parris off Abhijai Mansingh.

Yannic Cariah, with an unbeaten 31, joined Bravo to add a further 66 runs to what seemed a competitive total, given their bowling attack. No CCC bowler took more than one wicket.

In reply, CCC's openers Kadeem Alleyne, 27 not out and Johann Jeremiah, 25 not out, played with poise and confidence, as they took aim at the target, before the rain intervened.

Scores: T&T Red Force 246-4 (44 overs); CCC 53-0 (6.4 overs)

South Africa succumbed to a Dutch double as the Netherlands claimed another monumental upset victory over the Proteas at a World Cup in less than 12 months.

Last November the Netherlands’ shock win in Adelaide dumped South Africa out of the T20 World Cup and on Tuesday Temba Bavuma crashed to a 38-run defeat in the 50-over equivalent in Dharamshala.

They squandered plenty of promising positions as their hopes of reaching the knockout stages suffered a sizeable blow, putting additional emphasis on Saturday’s showdown against ailing England in Mumbai.

For the Netherlands, this must rank as the finest win in their history as, while they beat the West Indies to qualify for the tournament, this South Africa side are quietly fancied to do well in India.

The Dutch were on the ropes at 50 for four then 112 for six after being asked to bat first in a contest reduced to 43 overs apiece because of rain but captain Scott Edwards rescued them from number seven.

His unbeaten 78 from 69 balls was supplemented by crucial cameos from Roelof van der Merwe (29 from 19) and Aryan Dutt (23 not out off nine) as the Netherlands posted a healthy 245 for eight.

Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, who made centuries in the wins over Sri Lanka and Australia, started well but the pair, plus Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, departed within the space of 21 deliveries.

A position of 36 without loss became 44 for four before Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller put on a run-a-ball 45 to steady the ship. However, Klaasen’s dismissal left South Africa’s hopes all on Miller.

Being dropped on 23 in the deep seemed a significant moment but an off-pace jaffa from Logan van Beek clipped the top of Miller’s off-stump as he departed for 43 to all but end South Africa’s hopes.

Bas de Leede, who shelled a steepler to reprieve Miller, atoned by dismissing Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, and Van Beek snared Keshav Maharaj in the last over as South Africa were all out for 207.

It was a superb collective bowling effort as Van Beek took three for 60 while Van der Merwe and Paul van Meekeren each bagged two wickets as the Dutch celebrated a first ODI World Cup win since 2007.

England’s head coach Matthew Mott has revealed how the side’s “spiritual leader” Ben Stokes stepped in to rally the dressing room after their shock World Cup defeat by Afghanistan.

Stokes, who came out of one-day retirement to help defend the trophy he did more than anyone to win in 2019, has yet to feature in India after suffering a hip injury on the the eve of the tournament.

But Sunday’s upset in Delhi, where a side whose only previous win on this stage was a narrow one against Scotland eight years ago, led Stokes to address his team-mates during a dressing room debrief.

Test captain Stokes is on track to return in Saturday’s must-win clash against South Africa at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, but has already made his presence felt behind the scenes.

“He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day,” said Mott.

“He spoke about that need to really assert ourselves, which he’s renowned for. I said ‘I’ve got this’ and just spoke, talked about the plan going forward for the next few days, and then Stokesy came in on the back of that.

“He really reinforced what was a great message, particularly for someone who’s sitting on the bench and has a bit of a different lens on things. I think it went down well, it brought us back to controlling what we can control, really.”

Mott’s own attempt at diagnosing England’s problems saw him suggest that the defending champions were suffering from a lack of self-belief.

Having become the most swaggering side on the planet during their reinvention from also-rans to world champions under Eoin Morgan, England looked uncharacteristically tentative in their losses to New Zealand and Afghanistan.

“You don’t lose your ability overnight but you can lose your confidence,” he said.

“It’s that confidence… puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on, which this team has been renowned for over a long period of time.

“On reflection we’ve been the reactive team in those two games, so we need to turn that round really quickly.

“That was one of Stokesy’s biggest points – we’re normally the team that dictates terms and gets the other team unsettled, disrupted and for whatever reason we haven’t been able to do that.

“We’ve always been on the back foot, trying to pull things back. What we need to do is dominate those first 15 overs whether we bat first or bowl first in the next game.”

Brendon McCullum, Mott’s red-ball counterpart and joint architect of England’s ‘Bazball’ approach in the Test arena, made an unexpected appearance at the team’s Mumbai hotel on Tuesday after arriving on business.

McCullum memorably said on his appointment last year that he was not interested in the limited-overs job on account of it being too simple in contrast to reviving the Test team, a position Mott suggested may no longer stand.

“I just saw him down in the foyer and he said exactly the opposite!” he joked.

“I said, ‘do you want to do a little swap?’ We had a good chat and good catch up.”

Stokes’ likely return – which is all but certain provided he pulls up well after a thorough workout on Thursday – means Mott must grapple with a thorny selection issue.

Harry Brook has been keeping his spot warm and would ordinarily be expected to drop out, but his fluent 66 was easily England’s best innings against the Afghans and made a strong case for his retention.

Experienced seamer Chris Woakes and all-rounder Sam Curran are both vulnerable after struggling badly for form thus far, but with Stokes currently unavailable to bowl that only muddies the waters.

“It’s still up for debate. We’ll have some really good, robust conversations over the next 24 hours,” Mott said.

“I think we’re going to sit down as a selection group, get the numbers, get some theories out there. We’ll normally get to two or three XIs and then debate it, so all things are on the table at the moment.”

David Willey and Gus Atkinson are waiting if England do decide to cut Woakes after three poor outings in a row, but Mott is not ready to draw an emphatic line under the long-time leader of the attack.

“Over the history of Woakes’ career, he’s come out on top a lot more than he’s missed out,” he said.

“He hasn’t been at his best, and he’s the first to admit it, but he’s got a few credits in the bank.”

A new bonus points system is being introduced to the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup to encourage players and teams to align their style of play and performance targets with the West Indies One-Day International team’s new vision and brand of cricket. Cricket West Indies (CWI) unveiled the addition to the original points allocation of – 4 for a win, 2 for a no result and 0 for a loss.

Under the new structure teams will gain the bonus points for achieving various performance targets at stages during the match. These include runs during the Power plays, wickets during the Powerplays, decreases in ‘dot ball’ percentage, batsmen scoring centuries, bowlers taking five-wicket hauls, and fielders effecting run outs.

This year, the region’s premier List A 50-over tournament will run from Tuesday 17 October to Saturday 11 November with a new eight-team league format followed by Semi-Finals and Finals to determine the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup Champions.

Miles Bascombe, CWI’s Director of Cricket, outlined the reasons behind the additional bonus points and noted that the teams have expressed eagerness and excitement to play with the new points structure.

“The white ball head coach [Daren Sammy] presented to the franchise coaches about the brand of cricket we want to play in the 50-over format going forward and as we build from now towards the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027. So, our new bonus point system has been built around getting our regional teams to execute that brand. We have identified challenges with strike rotation, as well as other aspects necessary to compete in the modern game. This bonus points system is one way of putting the spotlight on these issues and addressing them directly through these incentives,” Bascombe said.

“By establishing a clear brand of cricket – we bring clarity to the planning and the preparation required for execution on the field – we believe that we will see the teams attempting to play the type of cricket required, which is a start. All that we do at the regional level has to be geared towards improvement and success at the international level.”

Looking ahead to the tournament Bascombe added: “We ensured with the new format every team plays against each other team so that we have a full round-robin and that would mean one additional game for each team. That brings some balance to the tournament before we head to the Final Four Semi-Finals. The teams are happy with this new format and with the additional preliminary game that provides our players more cricket, more opportunity and more exposure.”

The 50-over tournament will officially bowl off in Trinidad on the morning of Tuesday 17 October with the opening match between home side Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) at the Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) at 9am (8am Jamaica). Also on Tuesday, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will face the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in the first televised match at 1pm (12 noon Jamaica).

 The Tournament will feature 31 matches to be played at three venues: the BLCA, the QPO and the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Grounds of the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) at the St. Augustine Campus.

All 13 matches at the BLCA, including the Semi-Finals and Final, will be televised live on ESPN Caribbean, with 12 of those matches being day/night games.

Five sports – cricket, squash, baseball/softball, lacrosse and flag football – will either be making their Olympic debut or returning to the programme at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

The proposal was approved at the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai on Monday, with only two delegates voting against the new events.

Here, the PA news agency looks at all of the confirmed additions and picks out a few current British standouts in each.

Cricket

Cricket returns to the Games for the first time in 128 years in the form of six-team men’s and women’s T20 tournaments. It last featured as a men’s-only competition for the Paris Olympic Games in 1900, which means Great Britain’s men will somewhat be going into the competition as defending champions, while the sport’s inclusion is also hailed as a brilliant showcase for the exponentially-growing women’s game.

Leading lights: Sophie Ecclestone/Sam Curran

Squash

Squash, one of the sports debuting at LA 2028, has been overlooked by the IOC at the past three Games, and the squash community reacted with incredulity at being ignored in favour of breakdancing for Paris 2024. Monday’s announcement will be welcome news for Great Britain, with three English players currently within the men’s and women’s world top-10 rankings, boasting world and Commonwealth titles between them.

Leading Lights: Mohamed ElShorbagy/Georgina Kennedy

Baseball/Softball

Great Britain’s baseball and fastpitch softball teams have never been in a better position to qualify for an Olympic Games. Not only did the men’s baseball team qualify for and play in a maiden World Baseball Classic – a bit like the sport’s World Cup this year – they also won a game and did enough to qualify for the next edition, following that up with a third-ever European silver medal in September.

GB’s softball team were one win away from making the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – where the sports last featured – and are currently ranked 12th in the latest WBSC World Rankings. They beat a tough challenger in world number three Chinese Taipei earlier this year and, like their baseball counterparts, hold the European silver medal with promising talent in the pipeline.

Leading Lights: Harry Ford/Georgina Corrick

Lacrosse

Like cricket, lacrosse is preparing for its return to the Olympics for the first time in over a century, having last been included on the programme at St Louis 1904 and London 1908. Sixes, the format premiering in Los Angeles, has been described by World Lacrosse as a “fast-paced and compact” version of the game sometimes likened to The Hundred in cricket. Great Britain narrowly missed the podium at the 2022 World Games, placing fourth in both the men’s and women’s competitions, but could certainly be contenders in LA.

Leading lights: Tom Bracegirdle/Claire Faram

Flag Football

Flag football, a variant of American football, will also make its Olympic debut in just under five years’ time. Unlike the NFL, flag is a pacey non-contact sport where tackles are made by pulling flags off players’ hips. Great Britain’s women are ranked 20th in the world and are the reigning European champions, while the NFL this year launched its first girls’ flag league as part of ambitions to grow the game in the UK.

Leading lights: Brittany Botterill/Charlie Williams

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.