Photo Credit: Cricket West Indies
The six captains have been talking up their team’s chances as we eagerly prepare for the restart of the West Indies Championship. The region’s marquee four-day tournament resumes in Trinidad on Wednesday, May 18 with the third round and everyone is fit and ready for the battles ahead. The first two rounds were played in February ahead of the Apex Test Series.
Speaking to the media via Zoom on Monday, the skipper indicated that their players have been working hard over the last two months and are keen to get back onto the field as they all look to get their hands on the coveted Headley/Weekes Trophy – named in honor of George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes – pioneers of West Indies cricketer and two of the greatest batsmen the game has ever seen.
Barbados Pride lead the points standings, followed by Trinidad & Tobago Red Force. Barbados head into Round 3 on 42.0 points, with the home team on 38.6 points and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes rounding out the top three with 24.6 points. Fourth on the table are Guyana Harpy Eagles on 21.4 points, followed by Windward Islands Volcanoes on 10.9 points and Jamaica Scorpions on 8.8 points, respectively.
LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of each game will be available through the www.windiescricket.com match centre. CWI will be streaming matches with commentary via the Windies cricket YouTube channels. The Championship will also be streamed live in India on FanCode, as part of CWI’s partnership with the Indian broadcaster.
Barbados Pride captain Kraigg Brathwaite said,
“The guys are looking forward to the challenge after the lengthy break. For us, it’s backing our plan and sticking to it. We cannot underestimate any of the opponents and execute what we ‘ve been doing at training.”
Windward Islands Volcanoes captain, Kavem Hodge said,
“We have to do the basics for longer and let everything fall into place. The stats don’t reflect the kind of cricket we’ve been playing, our focus now is to finish off games after coming very close in the previous rounds.”
Leeward Islands Hurricanes captain Rahkeem Cornwall said,
“Our preparations coming into the remaining rounds have been going well and we are just ready to get out and play. Cricket is played on the day, so we just must assess the conditions, stick to our game plans, and execute.”
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Imran Khan said,
“We are confident heading into round three, but we are taking it one game at a time and not taking anyone for granted. Our only focus is Red Force and executing the plans that we have as a team.”
Guyana Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson said,
“It’s good to see the players getting in good performances during the practice matches we had. It’s about getting our mental focus in order and perform as we know we can.”
Jamaica Scorpions captain John Campbell said,
“The previous two rounds were some time ago and it’s almost as though we’re starting from zero again, though the points standing wont reflect that. What we must do now in this round is to start well and execute what we have been doing in practice.”
Full squads for Round 3
Barbados Pride: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keon Harding, Chaim Holder, Shai Hope, Akeem Jordan, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Ramon Simmonds, Jomel Warrican, Camarie Boyce, Justin Greaves.Guyana Harpy Eagles: Leon Johnson (Captain), Keemo Paul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Vishaul Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Gudakesh Motie, Nial Smith, Demetri Cameron, Antony Adams, Kevin Sinclair, Ronsford Beaton.
Jamaica Scorpions: John Campbell (Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Leroy Lugg, Oraine Williams, Aldaine Thomas, Gordon Bryan, Paul Palmer Jr., Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Nicholson Gordon, Derval Green, Patrick Harty, Kirk McKenzie, Brandon King.
Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Rahkeem Cornwall (Captain), Hayden Walsh Jr., Devon Thomas, Amir Jangoo, Kieran Powell, Colin Archibald, Terence Warde, Jeremiah Louis, Keacy Carty, Sheno Berridge, Daniel Doram, Damion Williams, Ross Powell, Kian Pemberton.
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force: Imran Khan (Captain), Jason Mohammed, Jeremy Solozano, Isaiah Rajah, Khary Pierre, Shannon Gabriel, Darren Bravo, Jayden Seales, Bryan Charles, Yannic Cariah, Akeal Hosein, Uthman Muhammad, Anderson Phillip, Keagan Simmons, Joshua Da Silva.
Windward Islands Volcanoes: Kavem Hodge (Captain), Keron Cottoy, Denis Smith, Devon Smith, Ackeem Auguste, Alick Athanaze, Alick Athanaze, Daurius Martin, Desron Maloney, Josh Thomas, Kenneth, Dember, Kimani Melius, Preston McSween, Shermon Lewis, Teddy Bishop, Larry Edward.
Name of Author: Cricket West Indies
Cricket West Indies (CWI) governs cricket across the West Indies, a confederation of Caribbean countries. Originally established as the West Indies Cricket Board of Control in the 1920s, it became the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in 1996 and was rebranded as Cricket West Indies in May 2017 as part of a restructuring effort.