West Indies white ball opener Brandon King was a significant contributor as Team Weekes ended day one of their Headley-Weekes four-day series fixture in a strong position against the West Indies Academy at Coolidge on Wednesday.
King made a 148-ball 92, supporting Zachary McCaskie’s 147-ball 93, as Team Weekes ended the day 365-7 off 90 overs. Jahmar Hamilton (57) and Kevin Sinclair (52*) also got fifties on day one.
Entering this contest, King had an average of 34.84 in 32 First-Class games including three hundreds and 12 fifties.
King's last four-day appearance came in March last year when he made an unbeaten 119 for the Jamaica Scorpions against the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Stadium.
He spoke about his return to red-ball cricket after the day’s play.
“Very happy to be back playing red ball cricket. It’s been a little while. It was great fun batting out there with no time restrictions,” King said.
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC) – Alick Athanaze says he is relishing the opportunity to be among the runs again when his Team Weekes clash with high-flying West Indies Academy in the second match of the Headley Weekes Tri-Series.
The 24-year-old left-hander was the leading scorer during the recently concluded West Indies Championship with 647 runs at an average of nearly 65, and will be leading Team Weekes when the contest gets underway at Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
"I would definitely like to get some runs here. It's another opportunity to put my name in the hat [for selection] again," Athanaze said.
"I see cricket as bat and ball and as long as I keep following the same process, most of the times you will do well.
"Cricket is also an up and down game but let's see what happens in this game."
Athanaze also led Windward Islands Volcanoes during the West Indies Championship, taking them within touching distance of the title before they were edged out by Guyana Harpy Eagles on the final day.
West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope ended his three-match stint with English County Championship side Yorkshire County Cricket Club with an unbeaten half-century in their drawn match against Sussex on Sunday.
The 29-year-old had a fairly successful run with the Division II County Cricket side, scoring 13 and 83 in a loss to Leicestershire and 38 and 53 not out in a draw against Sussex. Yorkshire’s match against Gloucestershire was abandoned.
Notwithstanding the short run, Hope said he had a good time playing league cricket.
The Sydney Cricket Ground unveiled a set of gates named after legends Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara on Monday.
According to ESPNCricinfo, April 24 was selected as the date to unveil the gates to mark Tendulkar's 50th birthday as well as the 30th anniversary of Lara's 277 at the SCG, his first Test century, though that Test was played in January 1993.
"The Sydney Cricket Ground has been my favourite ground away from India," Tendulkar said in a statement released by Cricket Australia.
"I have had some great memories at the SCG right from my first tour of Australia in 1991-92. It is a great honour to have the gates used by all visiting cricketers to access the field of play at the SCG named after me and my good friend Brian," he added.
"I'm deeply honoured to be recognised at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as I'm sure Sachin is,” Lara said.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today announced the match schedule for the upcoming Men’s “A” Team Series in Bangladesh. The West Indies “A” Team will arrive on 11 May and play three four-day “Test” matches at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) in Sylhet. These matches will have full first-class status.
This will be the second West Indies Men’s “A” Team series since 2020, when COVID-19 caused major disruptions. It is a reciprocal tour by West Indies “A” following the Bangladesh “A” team’s visit last August, when they played two four-day first-class matches and three 50-over List A matches at the Daren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia.
West Indies Men’s “A” team matches are an important development opportunity for players pushing for selection to the West Indies senior team and for emerging players to build their first-class international experience. Roland Holder, CWI’s Manager of Cricket Operations, reiterated that the series would provide exposure for several players and noted it was significant part of CWI’s commitment to continually develop talent and prepare them for the demands at international cricket.
