One of Caribbean first-class cricket’s most storied regional rivalries is set to resume this month, as two heavyweight sides—Jamaica Scorpions and Barbados Pride—kick off their 2026 West Indies Championship campaign with a three-match bilateral series hosted entirely on Jamaican soil. The tournament will run across Jamaica from April 12 through May 2, with the overall championship concluding on May 20.
For Barbados Pride, the upcoming series comes on the heels of a devastating near-miss in the 2025 title race. Despite a dramatic final-day win against Leeward Islands at Warner Park, the side finished just 5.4 points short of claiming the crown. That narrow defeat has only amplified the squad’s hunger to claim the top spot in regional cricket this year, according to pre-tournament comments from team leadership.
Barbados has held a decisive upper hand in this rivalry over the last 10 years, remaining undefeated against Jamaica in first-class competition while notching eight wins—including a commanding nine-wicket victory at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval just last year. Even with this dominant historic track record, longtime Barbados captain Kraigg Brathwaite has stressed that his squad will not underestimate the hosts. Brathwaite, who boasts 228 first-class appearances under his belt and scored a polished 142 at Jamaica’s Sabina Park during his last outing there, emphasized that complacency has no place in the upcoming clash.
“Jamaica is always a competitive team at home, you always enjoy playing against them for that fight,” Brathwaite said. “As I always say, you cannot take any team for granted. They are a very good side, so we have to perform as a unit, and all the guys are excited to step up to that challenge.”
Pre-season trial matches have given the six-time regional champions confidence in their form ahead of the opening round. Shian Brathwaite and Kevin Wickham both logged centuries in warm-up play, while multiple other batters delivered consistent half-century contributions to round out solid preparation. Kraigg Brathwaite added that the coaching staff has built a comprehensive pre-season program that allowed the side to evaluate every player’s potential impact across the long tournament, urging his squad to stay focused on the opening matches rather than looking too far ahead.
For home side Jamaica Scorpions, the opportunity to end Barbados’ decade-long undefeated streak on their own turf is a chance captain John Campbell says his side is eagerly embracing. While the visitors’ historic winning record makes them a formidable opponent, Campbell noted that the opening series at home gives Jamaica a clear path to upset the odds.
“The guys have put in a huge amount of intentional work since the end of the Super 50 tournament, not just going through the motions in training,” Campbell explained. “Every player has focused on improving their own game, especially sharpening technical skills, and that collective work is going to pay off for us this series.”
Campbell, who ended the 2025 season as the Scorpions’ leading run-scorer with more than 500 runs, underscored his own match readiness with a double century in a recent trial match. He also highlighted strong pre-season form across the squad, with Peat Salmon, Abhijai Mansingh and Carlos Brown all notching centuries in warm-up play.
“We’ve had this great rivalry going back decades, and right now as a group we’re in a really good place,” Campbell said. “We’ve got multiple practice matches under our belts, and players have stepped up across the board, showing maturity and delivering solid contributions when it counts.”
One key area of focus for Jamaica heading into the series is shoring up its performance against spin bowling. In their most recent meeting with Barbados, the Scorpions lost 23 of their 40 wickets to spin, a recurring vulnerability that Campbell has made a priority to address.
“Over the years, we’ve given away far too many wickets to spin bowlers,” Campbell noted. “If we can cut out those dismissals against Barbados’ spin attack, we’ll be in a great position to compete and get a good result this series.”
Both squads have made clear that past results, whether favorable or disappointing, will carry no weight once the first ball is bowled. Both sides are fully prepared to leave everything on the field in their push to claim the 2026 regional title, starting with this opening series.
The three-match series is scheduled as follows: Round 1 will take place from April 12 to 15 at Chedwin Park, while Rounds 2 and 3 will be held at Sabina Park from April 19 to 22 and April 26 to 29 respectively.
Full squads for the series are listed below:
Jamaica Scorpions: John Campbell (c), Brad Barnes, Carlos Brown, Javelle Glenn, Brandon King, Abhijai Mansingh, Kirk Mckenzie, Marquino Mindley, Romaine Morris, Jeavor Royal, Peat Salmon, Ojay Shields, Odean Smith
Barbados Pride: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Joshua Bishop, Jediah Blades, Leniko Boucher, Shian Brathwaite, Jonathan Drakes, Johann Layne, Kyle Mayers, Jair McAllister, Shayne Moseley, Shamar Springer, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham