Jamaica’s Minister of Sport says the government has worked out how the country will “benefit”
Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, Olivia Grange, has finally confirmed that the country will return to host a franchise for the 2026 CPL season. “The Caribbean Premier League will be back in Jamaica, and we are happy to welcome them,” she said.
Jamaica previously hosted the Tallawahs franchise from the inaugural 2013 season of the CPL before it was made defunct following the 2023 edition.
“The Cabinet last Monday approved the return,” Grange revealed. “We have a partnership with the CPL [and] a new franchise holder. We have worked out some details regarding how Jamaica will benefit outside of the T20 Games.”
Despite winning three titles in ten seasons, including one as recently as 2022, Tallawahs owner Kris Persaud sold the franchise back to the CPL, citing a lack of support from the Jamaican government. Persaud then went on to acquire the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, which has replaced the Tallawahs for the last two seasons.
Holder’s four-fer and a 91-run Hope/Hetmyer partnership set up a comfortable win for the West Indies
West Indies 134 for 1 (Hope 61*, Hetmyer 46*; Yadav 1-24) beat Nepal 133 for 8 (Airee 58, Kami 26*; Holder 4-27) by 9 wickets
The West Indies have secured qualification to the Super Eight stage of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup following a 9-wicket win over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India, on Sunday.
A 4-wicket haul from player of the match Jason Holder highlighted a clinical effort with the ball for the Caribbean side before a 91-run partnership between skipper Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer took the sting out of the Nepalese attack to secure their place in the next round with one group game still to play.
The West Indies had a dream start with the ball after electing to field. Akeal Hosein bowled Kushal Bhurtel for one in the first over, before Matthew Forde removed Rohit Paudel for 5 in a wicket-maiden 4th. Jason Holder then accounted for Aarif Sheikh (2), leaving Nepal reeling at 17 for 3 in the 5th.
By the 11th over, they had lost half their side and were restricted to 46 for 5. Top scorer Dipendra Singh Airee then anchored two 20-plus partnerships to stabilise the innings. First, a 23-run stand (25 balls) with Lokesh Bam, who made 13, followed by a 27-run 26-ball stay with Gulsan Jha (11).
All-rounder Deandra Dottin is set to make a return to the West Indies team for their three-match One Day International series against Sri Lanka, which will be hosted at Grenada’s National Cricket Stadium in St. George’s, from February 20 to 25.
Dottin last featured for the Caribbean side in their home white-ball series against Bangladesh in January 2025 before sustaining an injury six weeks later in India’s Women’s Premier League, which kept her out of action for the remainder of the year, including Windies’ failed quest to advance to the 2025 ODI Women’s World Cup through the qualifying tournament.
West Indies 196 for 6 (Rutherford 76*, Chase 34; Rashid 2-16) beat England 166 all out (Curran 43*, Bethell 33; Motie 3-33) by 30 runs
A half-century from Sherfane Rutherford and a surprisingly electric display of spin bowling earned the West Indies a 30-run win over England in their ICC T20 World Cup Group C clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
They found themselves in early trouble after being sent to bat when Captain Shai Hope lashed at a short, wide one from fellow Barbadian Jofra Archer and was caught at cover for a 3-ball duck. Brandon King (1) then fell two balls later, taken in the deep off Sam Curran, leaving West Indies 8 for 2 in the 2nd over.
Roston Chase and the in-form Shimron Hetmyer countered with a 47-run third-wicket partnership. Chase, who was brought into the side as a replacement for Matthew Forde, got going with three consecutive fours off the off-spin of Will Jacks in the 4th before Hetmyer finished the over with a maximum.
Hetmyer’s 12-ball 23 ended when he was undone by the extra bounce of Jamie Overton, which gave England the upper hand at the end of the powerplay, with the West Indies 55 for 3.
While Chase (34) fell lbw to an Adil Rashid (2/16) googly in the 10th, Sherfane Rutherford opted for a measured start, scoring 10 from his first 13 deliveries. His first attacking shots were back-to-back sixes off Jacks in the 12th.
The veteran all-rounder believes communication and planning have laid the platform for a successful World Cup
When data analysts head to a player auction, they are certain of the areas that need to be filled. After selecting who they deem appropriate players, directives are given, informing each of their roles for the upcoming season. Role clarity—it’s all the rage in T20 cricket these days. And it’s precisely what West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder thinks will push them deep into the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
The West Indies were far from perfect despite a 35-run win over Scotland in their opening game in Kolkata, India, on Saturday. However, to win on a less-than-perfect day is a win, according to Holder, who is alert to the significance of peaking in a tournament. “We all know we can improve in each department as we go on,” he said.
An improvement that hinges on there being multiple I’s in this team—on individual brilliance across phases and disciplines. “I think for us, role clarity and role execution are very important.” Holder said.
It’s a sentiment long stressed by Head Coach Daren Sammy and one backed by skipper Shai Hope. The Windies captain has expressed delight at the early success of Shimron Hetmyer’s promotion up the order to give the team a “fast start”.
