CWI announces schedule for regional Super50 Cup tournament

The health risks related to the Covid-19 pandemic caused major disruption to all domestic cricket in the Caribbean since late March 2020, with no competitive cricket allowed regionally except for an abridged version of the Caribbean Premier League (CWI) which took place last August in Trinidad.

The Super50 Cup is the marquee 50-over event in the West Indies featuring six long-standing territorial rivals -- Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, and the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

The tournament will see the six teams clash in 19 matches starting from February 7 when Leeward Islands Hurricanes host the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Each team will play each other on a round-robin basis with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals and the opportunity to reach the grand final. Matches will be played at Antigua's two international cricket venues - the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS). There will be 13 matches at CCG including the semi-finals and final, and six matches at SVRS.

The tournament will come to an exciting climax when the new champions are crowned on February 27. The 2019-20 champions, West Indies Emerging Players, are unable to defend their 2019 trophy due to Covid-19 constraints, however several of those players now feature in the squads of the six competing franchise teams, one of which will emerge as the Super50 Cup champions.

"It is very good that cricket is coming back to the Caribbean ... players will get the opportunity to showcase their skills and entertain our fans. It has been a trying 2020 for cricketers and the whole Caribbean, so it is really good that we have the CG Insurance Super50 Cup being played at this time and hopefully it can unearth some new talent," said West Indies ODI captain Kieron Pollard in a statement.

--IANS aak/

( 340 Words)

2021-01-26-12:32:03 (IANS)