Keen rivalry expected in expanded West Indies Championship
This year’s West Indies Championship opens today in Jamaica and St Kitts with a view towards identifying competent and consistent performers to help build on the success of the West Indies Test side on their Tour of Australia earlier this month.
The four-day, first-class tournament offers followers of the sport in the Caribbean a welcomed break from the surfeit of white-ball matches in recent months, and a chance for the authorities to find players that could help fortify the Test side with a Tour of England carded for July this year.
Under a new format, two territories – St Kitts and Jamaica – will stage the first rounds of matches in the tournament.
In Jamaica, hosts Jamaica Scorpions meet Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park in the capital of Kingston, and on the outskirts at Chedwin Park in Spanish Town, traditionally strong Barbados Pride, led by West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite, play against a Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners squad packed with no less than eight Barbadians.
The Scorpions will want to shrug off all the negatives from last season, where the Andrew Richardson-coached side finished at the bottom of the standings after losing four of their five games.
Richardson has since admitted that this year’s team has been showing a new attitude and energy, and he emphasized that he now has a ‘team’ that he expects to give a good account.
In St Kitts, defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles face Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Conaree Cricket Centre on the outskirts of the capital of Basseterre, and hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes will battle the Cricket West Indies Academy a stone’s throw away at Warner Park in the heart of the city.
The Harpy Eagles, to be led by emerging
batsman Kevlon Anderson, will be looking to secure their seventh title in the Professional Cricket League era of the tournament.
They start the season without three of their recognised players – left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, all-rounder Romario Shepherd, and wicketkeeper-batsman Tevin Imlach – because of West Indies white-ball duties in Australia.
The Harpy Eagles were forced into a couple more changes before the team departed Georgetown this week with all-rounders Neiland Cadogan and Richie Looknauth taking the place of injured pacer Niall Smith and batsman Akshaya
Persaud, who will be playing for the
Marooners.
Test wicketkeeperbatsman Joshua Da
Silva will lead the Red
Force, and injured pacer Jayden
Seales, who missed that trip, has also been included in the squad for the match against the Harpy Eagles.
Left-handed batsman Kirk McKenzie will be part of the Scorpions line-up for the first elite level match in his homeland for close to two years.
Pacer Akeem Jordan and opener Zachary McCaskie, two members of the Test squad in Australia who did not play in the series, will also be part of the Pride squad, which also welcomes back former West Indies Under-19 pacer Chemar Holder from a career-threatening shoulder injury.
With eight teams in the tournament, there will be seven rounds of matches with the first three taking place between February 7 and 24, the fourth and fifth rounds between March 13 and 23, and the final two rounds between April 10 and 20.
The tournament will feature a significant increase in prize money with the champions receiving US$250,000, while the runners-up will pocket US$100,000.
SQUADS:
SCORPIONS (from): Jermaine Blackwood (captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brown, Gordon Bryan, Derval Green, Ramaal Lewis, Abhijai Mansingh, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Romaine Morris, Jeavor Royal, Peat Salmon, Chadwick Walton.
HARPY EAGLES (from): Kevlon Anderson (captain), Ronaldo Alimohamed, Antony Adams, Ronsford Beaton, Neiland Cadogan, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Richie Looknauth, Matthew Nandu, Raymond Perez, Veerasammy Permaul, Steven Sankar, Kemol Savory, Kevin Sinclair.
RED FORCE (from): Joshua Da Silva (captain), Bryan Charles, Cephas Cooper, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Vikash Mohan, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Tion Webster. HURRICANES (from): Rahkeem Cornwall (captain), Colin Archibald, Sheno Berridge, Daniel Doram, Joshua Grant, Jahmar Hamilton, Kofi James, Jeremiah Louis, Mikyle Louis, Ross Powell, Javier Spencer, Terance Warde.
CWI ACADEMY (from): Nyeem Young (captain), Ackeem Auguste, Kadeem Alleyne, Joshua Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, Rivaldo Clarke, Mbeki Joseph, Joshua James, Johann Layne, Ashmead Nedd, Kelvin Pitman, Ramon Simmonds, Rashawn Worrell. VOLCANOES (from): Kimani Melius (captain), Sunil Ambris, Darel Cyrus, Keron Cottoy, Kenneth Dember, Shadrack Descarte, Johann Jeremiah, Ryan John, Shermon Lewis, Darius Martin, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Tevyn Walcott.
PRIDE (from): Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Shaquille Cumberbatch, Shane Dowrich, Jonathan Drakes, Chaim Holder, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Shayne Moseley, Roshon Primus, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham. MAROONERS (from): Jonathan Carter (captain), Jediah Blades, Shamarh Brooks, Govasta Edmond, Damel Evelyn, Romario Greaves, Sion Hackett, Sadique Henry, Kirsten Kallicharan, Zishan Motara, Shaqkere Parris, Shatrughan Rambaran, Demario Richards.