Taylor: ‘Officiating is always tough but that builds character’
West Indies and Jamaican umpire Christopher Mark Taylor has been appointed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) International Panel of Umpires.
Taylor earned his promotion, which took effect on April 1, by being the most recent CWI official to successfully complete the ICC umpire accreditation process.
Earlier this year, the 45-year-old benefited from international exposure through the ICC Umpire Exchange Programme, officiating in Pakistan’s President’s Trophy Grade 1 competition, where his performance was rated as outstanding.
Taylor says he’s both grateful and proud of having made it to this point.
“I’m humbled and honoured,” he said. “I’ve been an official now for 20 years, because 2006 is when I did my initial local examination alongside Jacqueline Williams, who is now an established and respected International Women’s Umpire.”
‘They just marked the crease, put the stumps in, and that's it.’
Former West Indies fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose has described the pitch used for the 2026 West Indies Championship second-round contest between the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force as “terrible.”
During a scathing assessment of the events that led to Leeward Islands’ Jeremiah Louis being struck on the helmet while facing pacer Jayden Seales on Tuesday’s third day, Ambrose revealed that both teams had concerns regarding the condition of the wicket heading into the game.
“That game was abandoned two days late,” Ambrose told the Mason and Guest panel. “When I arrived at the stadium on Sunday morning, I looked at the pitch and immediately had my concerns. The pitch looked like it wasn't prepared.”
Ambrose, who is currently Bowling Consultant/Selector of the Hurricanes team, says he shared his reservations about the “looks” of the surface with other members of the Hurricanes camp but admitted they “would not know for sure” until it was in use.
Cricket West Indies has reported that CT scans for Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ Jeremiah Louis returned clear results. Louis was struck on the helmet while batting on Tuesday, the third day of the second contest against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the 2026 West Indies Championship.
The delivery that hit Louis proved to be the final ball of the game, as play was abandoned as a draw due to dangerous pitch conditions at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda.
The 30-year-old was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday evening into the care of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes medical team, who will remain in communication with Cricket West Indies.
CWI stated that Louis will be monitored “closely over the next 48 hours (Wednesday to Thursday).”
A further assessment will be carried out before the squad is announced for the next match scheduled to begin at the Antigua Recreation Ground on Sunday.
Barbados took a conservative approach on the final day at Sabina Park
Jamaica 457 & 90 for 4 (Campbell 42*, Brown 13; Layne 2-15) draw with Barbados 626 for 8 dec. (Brathwaite 176, Wickham 105; Peat Salmon 4-147)
Scorpions' Kirk McKenzie & John Campbell
The Jamaica Scorpions survived a late scare to earn a draw against the Barbados Pride in the second contest of their West Indies Regional 4-Day Championship bilateral series at Sabina Park on Wednesday.
The Pride, who began the day on 460 for five, batted for two sessions on the final day, amassing 626 for eight before declaring 25 minutes ahead of Tea, with a lead of 169 runs.
Kyle Mayers added 68 to his overnight 16 before falling for 84. Johann Layne (43*) and Shamar Springer (36) then shared in a brisk 74-run eighth-wicket stand before the latter’s wicket triggered a declaration after 154.3 overs.
Peat Salmon (4/147) was the pick of the Scorpions bowlers, as Odean Smith claimed figures of 2 for 90.
Seeking to avoid defeat, the Jamaicans lost one wicket before the interval and were quickly restricted to 46 for 4 upon the resumption.
Still, amidst dropped chances, close appeals, and an extra half an hour of play, a 131-ball, 44-run partnership between a hobbling John Campbell (42*) and Romaine Morrison (5*) saw the Jamaicans to a draw at 90 for 4 in 39.4 overs.
The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has unveiled the full match schedule for its 2026 edition, set to take place from July 23 to August 1, 2026.
The home side Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on the San Francisco Unicorns in the evening game of the tournament's opening day, following the curtain raiser between the Lahore Qalandars and Perth Scorchers XI.
The Desert Vipers will be the only inactive team on Matchday 1 of the five-team tournament.
The competition will be contested in a round-robin format that leads into a knockout finals with the league stage set to culminate on July 29, after which the top teams will advance to the knockout phase.
