Cricket West Indies (CWI) on January 3 announced a new innovation for the long format of the game, with the addition of a triangular red-ball tournament that will begin at the end of the West Indies Championship in April 2023.
CWI said the new Headley Weekes Series will have three games and three teams.
He said Team Headley and Team Weeks will be selected from the top performers in the 2023 West Indies Championship and players from outside West Indies’ starting Test XI.
The new West Indies Academy will provide the third team in the new Series, CWI said.
Team Headley and Team Weeks are named after West Indies pioneers and legendary betting greats George Headley and Sir Everton Weeks, whose names are also honored on the West Indies Championship Winners’ Trophy. The matches will be played from April 18 to May 6 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua.
Earlier, CWI said the 2023 edition of the West Indies Championship will be played in five rounds of four-day red-ball cricket with the six regional Franchise teams – defending champions Barbados Pride, Guyana Harpy Eagles, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and Windward Islands Volcanoes.
The CWI said the West Indies Championship 2023 starts in February. The first two rounds will be played from February 1 to February 11 in Grenada at the National Stadium and in Antigua at the CCG and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS).
There will then be a break and the tournament will resume on March 15 and run until April 1 for the final three rounds, after which the champions will be crowned and presented with the Headley Weekes Trophy, CWI said.
He said these matches will be played in Trinidad at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), Queens Park Oval (QPO) and the Diego Martin Sports Complex (DMSC).
Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “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 it will be a great incentive for them to strive towards selection in our ‘A’ Team, and ultimately in our Test Team.
“It will also provide 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 groomed along the pathway to international cricket,” he added. “While the West Indies Championship will once again be played in one round, with five matches, with plans we have for our ‘A’ and Academy teams to tour overseas after the Headley Weekes Series we are hosting. Our top players in the region will continue to play at least ten four-day games in the first half of next year.”
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES
West Indies Championship 2023
(for the Headley Weeks Trophy)
February 1 to 4: Round 1 in Grenada and Antigua
February 8 to 11: second round in Grenada and Antigua
March 15 to 18: third round in Trinidad
March 22 to 25: Round 4 in Trinidad
March 29 to April 1: Round 5 in Trinidad
Full fixtures will be announced soon
Headley Weeks Tri-Series
(to be played in CCG)
April 19 to 22: Team Headley vs West Indies Academy
April 26 to 29: Team Weeks vs West Indies Academy
May 3 to 6: Team Weeks vs Team Headley
