Picking an all-time best XI for the different territories that make up the West Indies and compete in the annual West Indies Championship was a six-week challenge of monumental proportions.
It took scores of hours to produce it and on occasion, you the reader had to help us out in compiling what we believe to be the six best teams ever assembled from the Caribbean.
Now there is another monumental task in front of us, you included.
While everybody has a team they would like to see win an all-time best XI West Indies Championship, could you really look at a list of the teams we have been posting for the last six weeks and objectively pick a winner?
Could a Leeward Islands team led by the great Sir Isaac Vivian Richards with bowlers like Sir Andy Roberts and Sir Curtly Ambrose, backed up by the batting of Richie Richardson lift the title?
Or would the all-round power of a Barbados team with the likes of the three Ws, and a bowling attack led by Malcolm Marshall be too much?
Maybe the Jamaicans with the powerful Chris Gayle leading from the first ball and Patrick Patterson scaring the bejesus out of batsmen could surprise everybody.
But there is also a Trinidad and Tobago team led by Brian Lara and backed up by the bowling of Ian Bishop, Sonny Ramhadin, and Tony Gray.
Of course, any team with the powerful batting that Guyana has on display cannot be written off.
The potential for how a competition like this would go are incalculable. In fact, asking around the office, I got many different answers about how a competition of this nature would pan out.
Of course, for most in the office, Barbados were hard to deny but the other positions switched around often.
Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Windward Islands
Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Leeward Islands, Jamaica, Windward Islands
Barbados, Leeward Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Windward Islands
Barbados, Leeward Islands, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Windward Islands
Barbados, Leeward Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Windward Islands
Now you get to vote on who would win the championship as well. You can vote by clicking here. As usual, you are invited to discuss the virtual championship and the way it has panned out on Facebook or Twitter.
The placement of the other teams will depend on how many votes they get as a team that wins. So if Barbados gets the second-most votes, then they will have finished second in the virtual competition and so on and so forth.
For the purposes of ease, here are the teams once again. You may click on any headline to learn more about the names you may not be familiar with:
Kieran Powell, Stuart Williams, Richie Richardson, Viv Richards, Keith Arthurton, Runako Morton, Ridley Jacobs, Andy Roberts, Eldine Baptiste, Kenny Benjamin, and Curtly Ambrose.
Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garry Sobers, Frank Worrell, Conrad Hunte, Clyde Walcott, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Wayne Daniel, and Sylvester Clarke.
Chris Gayle, Easton McMorris, George Headley, Lawrence Rowe, Maurice Foster, Collie Smith, Jeffrey Dujon, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, Patrick Patterson, and Nikita Miller.
Devon Smith, Irvine Shillingford, Lochart Sebastien, Andre Flecher, Dawnley Joseph, Darren Sammy, Junior Murray, Kenroy Peters, Shane Shillingford, Winston Davis, and Nixon McLean.
Jeffrey Stollmeyer, Joey Carew, Brian Lara, Larry Gomes, Gerry Gomez, Charlie Davis, Denesh Ramdin, Learie Constantine, Tony Gray, Sonny Ramadhin, and Ian Bishop.
Roy Fredericks, Rohan Kanhai, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Basil Butcher, Carl Hooper, Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kallicharran, Colin Croft, Roger Harper, Reon King, and Lance Gibbs.
Paul-Andre is the Managing Editor at SportsMax.tv. He comes to the role with almost 20 years of experience as journalist. That experience includes all facets of media. He began as a sports Journalist in 2001, quickly moving into radio, where he was an editor before becoming a news editor and then an entertainment editor with one of the biggest media houses in the Caribbean.
'I'm up for the fight' - Roach ready to put in hard work needed to take Bangladesh wickets
West Indies fast bowler, Kemar Roach, insists he is ready for the challenge of trying to take wickets on Bangladesh pitches, despite the surfaces being more suited to spin-bowling.
Despite the presence of several spinners in the squad, the 32-year-old is expected to lead the West Indies bowling line-up, along with fellow pace bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph. If the dominance of spinners in the One Day International series, on pitches that offered very little assistance to pace bowlers, is anything to go by they will certainly have their work cut out.
Having been in Bangladesh on two prior Test series, Roach would know first-hand what it takes to succeed on spin-friendly terrain.
In 2011, he claimed 0 for 52 off 9 overs and 1 for 49 off 13.2 overs in the second Test of the series. When he returned in 2018, he claimed 1 for 74 off 18 overs in the first Test and 2 for 61 in 25 overs as Bangladesh made a mammoth 500 in the second Test.
“It mostly favours the spinners but I think there is enough there for fast bowlers to get something as well. It’s just about having your plans, executing, and being disciplined,” Roach told members of the media via a press conference from Bangladesh on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be tough, we know we have to bowl a lot more overs to get our rewards but once you are willing to put the work in you can get some rewards over here…so it’s going to be tough but I’m up for the fight.”
The Windies have had recent success with pace bowling in Bangladesh with Tino Best claiming a five-for in 2012 and Fidel Edwards claiming 8 wickets in the 2011 series.
'Extra time helps us prepare for 'difficult' conditions' - WI spinner Cornwall grateful for long lead-up to Test series
West Indies spinner, Rahkeem Cornwall, believes the unusually long preparation time before the start of the Bangladesh Test series has been beneficial for players needing to get used to ‘difficult’ conditions.
The regional team arrived in Bangladesh on January 10 and was required to quarantine for 7 days based on the country’s COVID-19 protocols. Since clearing that hurdle, however, the Test team has been free to train and will not start the series until February 1.
The Asian team is known for being particularly difficult to beat on their home turf and easily dispatched the West Indies 2-0 on their last visit in 2018. One of those advantages is said to be the team’s pitches.
“It has helped (extra time) you have to adapt to these conditions. These conditions are difficult to play in, so the more time we get to understand the conditions is the better it is for us,” Cornwall said.
“It spins a bit more here. It is always going to be drier than the Caribbean. So, we just have to adapt to it and play to the best of our ability,” he added.
The inexperienced West Indies team will be hoping for a better showing than in the recently concluded One Day International (ODI) series where the team was summarily swept aside 3-0. The ODI batting line-up found the top class Bangladesh spinners on the surfaces a difficult task to cope with.
CG Insurance Super 50 bowls off Feb. 7 with Hurricanes versus Volcanoes
The CG Insurance Super50 Cup bowls off on Sunday, February 7 with the Leewards Hurricanes taking on the Windwards Volcanoes at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only 19 matches will be played in the tournament scheduled to conclude on February 27.
According to Cricket West Indies, the health risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruption to all domestic cricket since late March 2020, with no competitive cricket allowed regionally except for an abridged version of the Caribbean Premier League which took place last August in Trinidad.
This year’s annual CG Insurance Super50 Cup will provide a platform for the region’s six major cricketing rivals to clash in 19 action-packed 50-over matches starting from Sunday, February 7 when Leeward Islands Hurricanes host the Windward Islands Volcanoes.
The tournament will come to an exciting climax when the new champions are crowned on Saturday, 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 CG Insurance Super50 Cup champions.
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.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said it was good to have regional cricket back after a one-year break.
"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,” he said.
CWI has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sport in Antigua & Barbuda to orchestrate logistics and agree the safety and medical protocols for the commencement and duration of the tournament.
All players, support staff, match officials and supporting professionals will be tested with negative COVID-19 results before their arrival into Antigua. Players, support staff and match officials will operate within a bio-secure bubble and will be tested at regular intervals during the tournament with assistance from the local Ministry of Health and CARPHA.
“A huge amount of planning and work has been put in to ensure that the Super50 Cup can return and CWI would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, title partners CG Insurance, our host broadcasters ESPN Caribbean and our colleagues at the Leeward Islands Cricket Board and the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association, for all of their support in helping to stage the tournament during these unprecedented times,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.
Meanwhile, Naz Farrow, CEO of CG Insurance said the company was happy to be able to continue supporting regional cricket.
“CG Insurance is proud to sponsor the CWI Super50 Cup and thrilled to be a part of the first tournament of 2021. We are happy to support the many players and organizers involved and recognize the major efforts that have gone into the preparation of this event during these unique times. By partnering with the CWI series, we have the opportunity to support our various Caribbean nations and to showcase that we are stronger together,” he said.
The CG Insurance Super50 Cup is the marquee 50-over event in the West Indies featuring the six long-standing territorial rivals– Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, and the Windward Islands Volcanoes.
This is the second edition of the Super50 Cup featuring CG Insurance as title sponsors, and the event promises to stage big performances and memorable moments as the teams go in pursuit of winning the coveted CG Insurance Super50 Cup and being awarded the Sir Clive Lloyd Trophy.
Below is the match schedule for the CG Insurance Super50 Cup
Sun, Feb 7 - Leewards Hurricanes v Windwards Volcanoes (day match) - CCG
Mon, Feb 8 - Guyana Jaguars v Barbados Pride - CCG
Wed, Feb 10 - Leewards Hurricanes v Barbados Pride - CCG
Thur, Feb 11 - Jamaica Scorpions v Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - SVRS
Fri, Feb 12 - Leewards Hurricanes v Guyana Jaguars - CCG
Sat, Feb 13 - Windwards Volcanoes v Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - CCG
Sun, Feb 14 - Jamaica Scorpions v Guyana Jaguars - CCG
Mon, Feb 15 - Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Barbados Pride - SVRS
Tue, Feb 16 - Windwards Volcanoes v Jamaica Scorpions - CCG
Wed, Feb 17 - Leewards Hurricanes v Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - CCG
Thu, Feb 18 - Windwards Volcanoes v Barbados Pride - SVRS
Fri, Feb 19 - Leewards Hurricanes v Jamaica Scorpions - SVRS
Sat, Feb 20 - Guyana Jaguars v Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - CCG
Sun, Feb 21 - Barbados Pride v Jamaica Scorpions - CCG
Mon, Feb 22 – Windwards Volcanoes v Guyana Jaguars - SVRS
Wed, Feb 24 - SEMI-FINAL 1 - CCG
Thur, Feb 25 - SEMI-FINAL 2 - CCG
Fri, Feb 26 - Fifth placed v Sixth placed -SVRS
Sat, Feb 27 – FINAL - CCG
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