Lead selector Randolph Nelson says relieving Jermaine Blackwood of the Jamaica Scorpions captaincy will give the batsman the opportunity to focus on his individual game as he looks to make his way back into the West Indies Test team.

Blackwood, 32, led the Scorpions for the first three rounds of the regional four-day cricket tournament in February.

Their next encounter is against West Indies Academy at Sabina Park in Kingston, scheduled for March 13-16.

Blackwood’s replacement as skipper is 29-year-old batsman Brandon King, who missed the opening three matches because of his engagement in the West Indies white-ball tour of Australia and participation in the Bangladesh Premier League. King captained Jamaica Tallawahs during the 2023 Caribbean Premier League.

The Scorpions began the four-day campaign with a loss to Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park, followed by victory over cellar team Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) and defeat to Barbados Pride at the same venue.

Blackwood, sidelined from the Test team after a poor run of form and eager to catch the attention of West Indies selectors ahead of the tour to England this summer, has struggled in the regional four-day tournament, with scores of 14, 16, 8, 18 and 0.

Read more at Jamaica Observer

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

A good excuse for changing the captaincy, but it also makes it easier to drop Blackwood if he continues to fail.

In reply to dayne

I think it’s a great idea to have Dada focusing on his batting and not saddled with captaincy. While King is a good player but apparently does not have much interest in test cricket, so he is more suitable to deal with the pressures of captaincy.

In reply to dayne

Then clearly, he was unfit for the role of vice-captain of the WI team.

It didn't work

J Blackwood lbw K Alleyne 0 (2)

It worked for King tho....
BA King b JA Bishop 77 (132)

The Scorpion selectors should take the next step and remove the bat from Blackwood's hands - it clearly has become a distraction!

In reply to jacksprat

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

everybody knew the captaincy was not the problem

It went from bad to worse, not only did Blackwood made a duck but he dropped two catches in the slips

In reply to dayne

another JaHo?

March 20
LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES VS JAMAICA SCORPIONS

J Blackwood c JP Greaves b JS Louis 0 (3)

BA King c J Andrew b CK Archibald 8(14)

Does Blackwood have a coach or play much club cricket outside of franchise duty?

Removal of the captaincy is distracting Blackie ...

Im fail again

J Blackwood b JS Louis 5 (10)

In reply to jacksprat

Not before he goes to St Thomas!

In reply to WICFan

Has not played much cricket outside of representative ones for JA or WI.
Has not developed his game and hence not improved.