Chief selector Roger Harper has also taken aim at the quality of the Kensington Oval pitch for the recent one-day series against Australia, but also conceded West Indies’ batsmen had also failed to make the adjustments required. The former West Indies off-spinner said the pitch had produced too much variation for a limited overs game, and it left the home side’s batsmen with an enormous challenge with which they never really came to grips.
“Coming to Barbados in the ODIs – different format, longer format – I think the team generally found the pitches a little challenging and didn’t adapt as well as they should’ve from a batting perspective,” Harper explained.
“They never really came to terms with the pitch and were not able to produce the sort of collective batting performance that was required.
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Saint Lucia franchise are to change their name from the Zouks to the Kings. The team is owned by K.P.H. Dream Cricket Private Limited who also run the Punjab Kings franchise at the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Saint Lucia Kings will share branding and other assets with their colleagues at the IPL as the ownership team moves to further cement ties between the two brands. This synergy will help build on the successes the team has had since the new owners arrived after they finished as runners-up at last year’s Hero CPL tournament.
The Kings will play their first match of this season against the Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday 27 August. The Kings side will be coached by Andy Flower and will have the likes of Faf du Plessis, Andre Fletcher, Rakheem Cornwall and Wahab Riaz in their ranks.
Commenting on the new brand identity Darren Sammy, Assistant Coach and Mentor, Saint Lucia Kings, said: “I love the logo and I love the new name. It’s a pleasure to be associated with the Kings Franchise and I truly hope that the name can inspire our players to play like the true Kings that we are!”
The Barbados Caribbean Premier League franchise will change its name following a deal that sees the Royals Sports Group (EM Sporting Holdings Ltd), the owners of the Rajasthan Royals IPL franchise acquire a majority stake in the team.The two-time CPL champions will be rebranded as theBarbados Royals,a partner franchise of the Rajasthan Royals, as the Royals Sports Group seeks to expand its global presence.
The Barbados Royals were Hero CPL champions in 2014 and 2019 and are currently led by West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder. The team will get their 2021 campaign underway against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on 26 August at Warner Park, Basseterre.
Manish Patel, principal of the Barbados franchise, added, “We are extremely excited about the partnership with Manoj and the Rajasthan Royals family, which will further advance cricket in Barbados and the region.”
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The West Indies return to Guyana and fully vaccinated fans will be able to watch the T20 team in action as they continue preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
The reigning T20 World Champions will face-off against Pakistan at the Guyana National Stadium in the final three matches of the Osaka Batteries Presents PSO Carient Cup on Saturday, July 31; Sunday, August 1 and Tuesday, August 3. The first ball daily is 11 am (10 Jamaica Time). These are the final three T20I matches that the West Indies play in the Caribbean in 2021 prior to the selection of the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup.
The Government of The Republic of Guyana and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), in partnership with Cricket West Indies (CWI) have come together to ensure fully vaccinated fans can be in attendance. Fully vaccinated fans are those who have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine two weeks before the date of match they will be attending. Spectators will also need to wear facemasks to gain entry to the matches and then keep wearing masks throughout. Fans will also need to remain socially distanced at all times.
At this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) the tournament will use the Kookaburra Smart Ball – powered by Sportcor. This revolutionary ball will be used in a professional league for the first time when Hero CPL gets underway in St Kitts & Nevis on 26 August 2021.
The Kookaburra Smart Ball looks, feels and plays exactly the same as a regular ball but there is a state-of-the-art core that registers many more data points than using radar or ball-tracking technology.
The ball sends back significant information on each delivery including the speed and spin of a ball at release, when it bounces, and when it reaches the batsman. This information is then delivered to the commentators in real-time. This will be graphically displayed for fans to enjoy during the live telecast.
