West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite is hoping for a greener, more pace-friendly pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad as the home team aim to bounce back in the second and final Test match against India on Thursday.
With Dominica’s spin-friendly pitch favouring the Indian squad – which was pivotal in their demolition of the maroon inside three days – Brathwaite is looking forward to better bowling conditions in Trinidad to amplify their chances of a possible series tie.
When asked about the pitch conditions working against the hosts, Brathwaite said, “I was obviously a bit surprised but I think we can’t control that. Unfortunately, India coming to a spinning pitch, and that’s all I can say about it.
“Hopefully in Trinidad, we can get a pitch with some grass and assistance to more pace-friendly than spin-friendly. But we got to wait and see what we get in Trinidad.”
RICKET superstar Andre Russell says he is willing to pass up some franchise league engagements to allow him to play for West Indies ahead of the Twenty20 (T20) World Cup next year.
The 35-year-old all-rounder, one of the most sought-after players in franchise cricket, last played for the West Indies during their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in 2021.
Last summer, West Indies Lead Selector Desmond Haynes and former Head Coach Phil Simmons, in response to questions about absent elite players for series against Bangladesh, India and New Zealand, had noted that the lure of lucrative leagues at times creates a dilemma for the region's best players.
"I am available. I want to be a part of the next World Cup so that would be something special to me if they can add me to the squad," he told the Jamaica Observer.
Daren Ganga, Dinanath Ramnarine, and a group of other cricket administrators were dealt a major blow on Tuesday when the Trinidad and Tobago High Court ordered them to pay over TT$1 million to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).
The administrators had been challenging the TTCB's constitution, arguing that it was unfair to incumbent officers. They specifically took issue with the fact that incumbent officers start with 12 votes in the election of executive officers, giving them a significant advantage over challengers.
However, the High Court ruled that the administrators' arguments were "fundamentally flawed" and that the TTCB's constitution was "not unfair." The court also ordered the administrators to pay the TTCB's legal costs, which amounted to over TT$1 million.
Laurie Evans has joined the Barbados Royals for the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League. Evans replaces Rassie van der Dussen who is no longer available due to international commitments.
An English top order batter, Evans has extensive experience of T20 leagues around the world and has also played at the CPL with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Evans has scored close to 6000 runs in T20 cricket along with three hundreds and 38 fifties.
The Royals have also confirmed that Afghanistan leg spinner Qais Ahmad will be a temporary replacement for Maheesh Theekshana who will be at the Asia Cup for the first part of the tournament.
Off-spinner Saurav Worrell was the star of the show with a brilliant six-wicket haul as Barbados handed Jamaica their only defeat of the West Indies Men’s Rising Stars Under-19 50-over Tournament in St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Worrell ripped through the Jamaican batting at Arnos Vale on Wednesday, finishing with figures of 6-28 off 20 overs, to restrict the Jamaicans to 106 all out to complete a 75-run win.
Captain, Nathan Sealy, also chipped in with 3-13 off 9.4 overs. Adrian Weir (33) and Brian Barnes (32) were the only Jamaican batsmen to score more than eight.
Earlier, Joshua Dorne hit 64 and Zion Brathwaite hit 40 as Barbados posted 181 all out off 45 overs.
Michael Clarke took 4-34 to lead the Jamaicans with the ball and got good support from Deshawn James who took 3-32 off eight overs.
