BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados and Windward Islands will use the latest day/night experimental match with a pink ball to try and make headway in their fourth round match of the WICB regional first-class championship starting today at Kensington Oval.
Barbados hold down second place, despite a topsy-turvy season, and Windwards are third on 12 points with a match in hand.
Barbados were led by Leeward Islands on first innings in the opening round in Jamaica. They then completed an eight-wicket victory over Combined Campuses & Colleges in the second round in Nevis and narrowly held on for a draw after taking first innings points from Trinidad & Tobago in the previous round on home soil.
Windwards lost their opening match against current championship leaders and reigning champions Jamaica by six wickets in Jamaica then drew a bye in the second round.
They got their act together in the previous round at the Three Ws Oval, where they logged a nine-wicket victory over the CCC.
Both sides have been weakened with the departure of key players for the Windies’ trip to Australia.
Craig Emmanuel has replaced Darren Sammy in the Windwards’ squad and the uncapped Barbadian Corey Edwards has come in for West Indies speedster Kemar Roach.
Opener Devon Smith takes over the role of captain following Sammy’s departure.
Last year, Windwards had one of their rare victories over the Barbadians. It was only their second win in one-dozen matches between the two sides in the last decade, following a 71-run victory seven years earlier.
The Bajans have won eight of the remaining 10 matches.
The Kensington Oval pitch should again play hard and true, and the weather forecast looks promising for the next four days.
Squads: BARBADOS: Ryan Hinds (captain), Tino Best, Shamarh Brooks, Patrick Browne, Nikolai Charles, Pedro Collins, Corey Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Jason Haynes, Dale Richards and Kevin Stoute; Reserves: Kyle Hope and Rashidi Boucher
WINDWARD ISLANDS: Devon Smith (captain), Deighton Butler, Craig Emmanuel, Andre Fletcher, Donwell Hector, Lyndon James, Keddy Lesporis, Rawl Lewis, Nelon Pascal, Kenroy Peters, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford and Tyrone Theophille.
