CRICKET West Indies (CWI) announced on Monday the West Indies Championship 2022 will start on Wednesday, marking the return of first-class cricket in the region since the start of the covid19 pandemic.
CWI has unveiled the match schedule for the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship as part of a five-round tournament schedule for the six professional regional franchises.
The West Indies Championship marks not only a return of the regional red ball competition but also the opportunity for West Indian players to stake their claim for selection to the West Indies Test squad for the forthcoming Apex Test Series between West Indies and England in March 2022.
The first and second rounds will be played in Barbados and Trinidad from Wednesday-Saturday and from February 15-18. The teams will again compete for the Headley Weekes Trophy named in honour of West Indies legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.
Defending champions Barbados Pride, who won the last edition of the West Indies Championship in 2020, will face Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the first match at Kensington Oval in Barbados; TT Red Force host Jamaica Scorpions at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad; while the newly named Guyana Harpy Eagles face Windward Islands Volcanoes at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
The last three rounds of the West Indies Championship are scheduled to be contested in May. For the 2022 tournament, each squad will consist of 15 players due to the covid19 pandemic. CWI is also implementing a special “player loan” system to try to ensure that each team will be able to complete their fixtures. If a team has a player ruled out due to a positive covid19 result, they can request to use a player from another team and/or from a pool of locally registered reserve players.
Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI, commented on how the West Indies Championship is a critical part of CWI’s professional cricket calendar.
“Following detailed planning over the past six months, we are delighted to finally announce the return of the West Indies Championship. This is exciting news as we know the teams have been putting in hours of hard work in the nets, patiently waiting for the matches to be confirmed and are looking forward to being back on the field and entertaining their fans. These upcoming matches are especially crucial as we host England in the Apex Test Series in March, so the championship will be the ideal preparation for our Test players as well,” Grave said.
Jimmy Adams, CWI’s director of cricket also welcomed the return of the four-day format.
Adams said, “I am pleased to see the re-introduction of regional four-day cricket for the first time since the onset of the covid19 pandemic in March 2020. This competition plays a critical role in our player-development pathway and, after almost two years, we are delighted to have our regional players back playing competitively in this format.”
MATCH SCHEDULE
Round One: February 9-12
Barbados Pride vs Leeward Island Hurricanes, Kensington Oval
Windward Islands Volcan
