(Photos: WICB Media/Randy Brooks)
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Next year’s West Indies Championship will again be contested over five rounds, starting February 1, with only Antigua, Grenada and Trinidad hosting matches, Cricket West Indies announced on Saturday ( CWI).
However, to help offset the reduction in championship games, the CWI will host a three-team, red-ball tournament similar to an all-star series to be known as the Headley-Weekes Series.
From November 2014 until the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced an early end to the 2020 West Indies Championship season, the championship was contested over 10 rounds between six territorial franchise teams – Barbados Pride, Guyana Harpy Eagles, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Windward Islands Volcanoes.
With the pandemic also affecting the finances of the cash-strapped regional governing body, and air travel across the Caribbean severely disrupted with the closure of Caribbean airline LIAT, which has made it challenging to schedule matches, the CWI has been forced to come up with a new innovation to offer players more cricket.
“We are delighted to unveil the Headley Weekes Series, which is a new idea that will extend the four-day season, create more opportunities for our players to showcase their skills and be a huge boost for those who strive for selection in our country. The ‘A’ team, and finally our test team,” CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave said in a press release.
The Headley-Weekes series will feature three teams – Team Headley and Team Weekes – which will be selected from the top performers in the West Indies Championship and players outside the West Indies’ starting Test XI – and an Academy team The West Indies are currently camped in a high performance program in Antigua.
The matches will be played on April 19 and May 6 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua, where CWI’s corporate offices are now located.
“It (the Headley-Weekes Series) will also provide some strong competitive red-ball cricket for our young West Indies Academy players as we continue to strive to ensure that the next generation of players are prepared along the pathway to cricket international.” Grave added.
The first two rounds of the West Indies Championship featuring the six territorial franchise teams – the defending champions – will be played from February 1 to February 11 at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada and the CCG and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua .
After a nearly five-week break in the championship, the final three rounds will be played from March 15 to April 1 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval and Diego Martin Sports Complex in Trinidad, after which the champions will be crowned and was presented with the Headley-Weekes Trophy, symbol of supremacy in four-day first-class competition in the West Indies.
“While the West Indies Championship will once again be played in a five-match round, with plans for our ‘A’ and Academy teams to tour overseas after the Headley Weekes Series, we expect our best players to well in the region they will continue to play at least 10 four-day (matches) in the first half of next year,” said Grave.
Barbados Pride are the defending champions of the West Indies Championship.
