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• West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship set for April 4-12 in Antigua

  Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the match schedule for the West Indies Rising Stars Under 15s Championship which will be played in Antigua from Tuesday 4 April to Wednesday 12 April.

  The tournament will feature the six regional teams who will each play five rounds of 50-over matches at three venues: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Coolidge Cricket Ground, as well as the Liberta Sports Club.

  The opening round will see home team Leeward Islands taking on Windward Islands at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium; Trinidad & Tobago will meet Guyana at Coolidge Cricket Ground and Jamaica face defending champions Barbados at Liberta. All matches start at 9:30am local time (8:30am Jamaica).

  Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket spoke of the importance of age group tournaments across the region and how essential it is to develop the young talent in the West Indies.

  “I want to congratulate the players who have earned selection to play in the upcoming West Indies Rising Stars Under 15s Championship and who will have the honor of representing their regional teams. This is a step in their development, and we want to wish them the very best,” Adams said.

  “Last year we saw the restart of this tournament, after a break due to COVID 19, and we were able to see a number of excellent performances, and we anticipate more of the same this year. This is a critical step in pathway from the grassroot stage and we want to continue to ensure we provide those opportunities for the players to grow and flourish.”

  The Rising Stars Under 15s Championship will signal the first age-group tournament for junior male cricketers this year. Later in the summer, CWI will stage the West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Championship in Trinidad which will feature 50 over matches and the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s Championship in St Vincent which will be three-day matches and 50 over matches.

  Fans across the region can follow every match in the Windies Rising Stars Under 15s Championship in the www.windiescricket.com live match centre featuring live ball-by ball scoring and scorecards.

  FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

  Venues

  SVRS – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium

  CCG – Coolidge Cricket Ground

  LSC – Liberta Sports Club

  All matches start at 9:30am local time (8:30am Jamaica).

  Tuesday 4 April

  Leeward Islands v Windward Islands at SVRS

  Trinidad & Tobago v Guyana at CCG

  Jamaica v Barbados at LSC

  Thursday 6 April

  Leeward Islands v Barbados at CCG

  Guyana v Jamaica at SVRS

  Trinidad & Tobago v Windward Islands at LSC

  Saturday 8 April

  Windward Islands v Guyana at CCG

  Trinidad & Tobago v Barbados at SVRS

  Leeward Islands v Jamaica at LSC

  Monday 10 April

  Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago at CCG

  Windward Islands v Barbados at SVRS

  Leeward Islands v Guyana at LSC

  Wednesday 12 April

  Leeward Islands v Trinidad & Tobago at CCG

  Jamaica v Windward Islands at SVRS

  Barbados v Guyana at LSC

   

• Republic Bank announced as new CPL title sponsor in three-year deal

  Republic Bank Limited, the largest indigenous bank in the English-speaking Caribbean, has been announced as the new title sponsor and official bank of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

  The announcement was made by CPL Chief Executive Officer, Pete Russell, in a press conference held Wednesday in Port of Spain to launch the 2023 season of the T20 cricket tournament.

   Having previously sponsored the CPL as the official banking partner since 2015, the bank will now assume the league’s highest sponsorship profile for the next three (3) years.

  Republic Bank has also been confirmed as a partner for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) which will return in 2023 for its second edition. The WCPL sees the best female cricketers from across the region and around the world showcase their skills in front of a huge global audience.

  “Republic Bank are the perfect partner for the CPL and WCPL, a company that shares our passion for cricket and Caribbean culture,” said Pete Russell, CEO of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.

  “The CPL is a driver of economic growth and the creation of jobs, so having a financial group like Republic Bank as the title sponsor makes perfect sense. In addition, Republic Bank has a great track record of spreading the love of cricket across the region, something that is important to all of us at the CPL.”

  Nigel Baptiste, Group President and Chief Executive Officer for the Republic Group, said: “We are excited to be the Title Sponsor and Official Bank of the Caribbean Premier League. Cricket is hugely important to Caribbean heritage, culture, community and youth development and as the Caribbean’s largest sporting event and one of its most significant sport entertainment exports, the CPL demonstrates to the world the Caribbean’s capability and prowess, illustrates our talent and future potential, and showcases our joyous and incomparable spirit.”  

   

   

• Archer unlikely to play any red-ball cricket before the Ashes

  Should Jofra Archer be selected for this year's Ashes series, he will likely be playing his first red-ball cricket in over two years.

  Archer is set to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which culminates on May 28, with the first Test between England and Australia taking place at Edgbaston on June 16.

  England have a Test scheduled against Ireland on June 1, but should Mumbai go far in the IPL, it is unlikely Archer would be available.

  The pace bowler, who turns 28 on Saturday, has not played a Test match for England since a 10-wicket defeat to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021, with his last first-class game for Sussex being in May 2021 against Kent.

  Elbow and back injuries kept him on the sidelines for 17 months, but he returned to white-ball cricket in January.

  Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace believes England's plan is for Archer to be ready for the Ashes after the end of the IPL.

  "I think all things being equal, he will go straight into the Ashes off the back of the IPL," Farbrace told BBC Radio Sussex.

  "The England plan for Jofra is he'll go and play in the IPL.

  "I think their plan is that between IPL games he'll then bowl some longer spells to get his overs up and make sure that he is match-ready.

  "That's the nature of international franchise cricket these days. I know there'll be a lot of people saying 'he should play at least two four-day games to be ready for a Test match', but the preparation and the work that the medical teams do around these players is exceptional."

  Archer dampened expectations of significant involvement against Australia in early March, telling reporters: "If I can play one [Test] this summer, I'll be happy. If I play more than one, that's just a bonus."