One of Caribbean first-class cricket’s most storied rivalries is set to resume when two regional heavyweights, Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions, face off in the opening round of the 2026 West Indies Championship, hosted across Jamaica from April 12 through May 2. For Barbados Pride, the upcoming tournament carries an extra edge of motivation, after the side fell agonizingly short of claiming the 2025 title, finishing just 5.4 points behind the champions despite a dramatic final-day win over Leeward Islands at St Kitts’ Warner Park. That narrow defeat has only sharpened the squad’s hunger to climb back to the top of regional cricket by the tournament’s closing on May 2.
Over the past 10 years of first-class competition between the two sides, Barbados Pride have held an unbroken dominant streak. The franchise has remained undefeated against Jamaica across that decade, notching eight wins – including a commanding nine-wicket victory at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval just last year. Despite this lopsided historical record, long-serving Barbados captain Kraigg Brathwaite has stressed that his side will not underestimate their hosts, ahead of the opening clash at Kingston’s Sabina Park.
Reflecting on his own standout performance at the venue during his last regional outing, where he scored a brilliant 142-run innings, Brathwaite highlighted that consistent focus and clinical execution will be key to a strong start. “Jamaica is always a competitive team when they play on home soil. You always enjoy competing against a side that plays the game with their intensity, but you can never afford to take any opponent for granted,” Brathwaite explained. “They are a very strong side, so we need to show up as a cohesive unit, and the whole squad is excited for this challenge.”
Pre-season trial matches have given the five-time regional champions a clear picture of where their players stand in terms of form and match temperament. Young batter Shian Brathwaite and opener Kevin Wickham both notched centuries during warm-up play, while multiple other batters posted consistent half-centuries across practice outings. Even with this strong pre-season form, the veteran captain, who has competed in 228 first-class matches throughout his career, has urged his squad to stay anchored in the present rather than looking past the opening fixture.
Brathwaite credited the team’s coaching staff for laying solid pre-season groundwork, noting that the structured training program and trial matches gave selectors and players a valuable opportunity to assess every squad member’s ability to contribute at different stages of the long tournament. “The groundwork the coaches have put in has made our preparation much smoother, and it’s given everyone a chance to prove they can step up when called on,” he added.
For home side Jamaica Scorpions, the opening clash represents a golden opportunity to end their long losing streak against the reigning dominant franchise, and captain John Campbell says his squad is relishing the chance to topple the giants on their home ground. While Campbell acknowledges that Barbados Pride’s recent track record makes them a formidable opponent, he says the opening round gives his side all the opportunity they need to pull off an upset.
Campbell shared that the squad has put in months of purpose-driven training since the end of the 2025 Super 50 tournament, with players focusing on refining individual technical skills to lift the team’s overall performance. The 2025 campaign ended with Campbell as the Scorpions’ leading run-scorer, notching more than 500 runs across the tournament, and he carried that form into pre-season, hitting a double century in a recent trial match. Several other Scorpions batters also found form in warm-up play, with Peat Salmon, Abhijai Mansingh, and Carlos Brown all registering centuries in the lead-up to the championship.
“We’ve had this great rivalry spanning decades, and right now, as a group, we’re in a really good position,” Campbell said. “We’ve got multiple practice matches under our belts, and players have stepped up across the board, showing maturity and making solid contributions that bode well for the tournament.”
Looking back at recent matchups between the two sides, Campbell identified a key weakness his side is targeting ahead of the clash: the Scorpions lost 23 of 40 wickets to Barbadian spin bowling in their most recent meeting, a flaw the captain says the squad has worked hard to address. “Over the years, we’ve lost far too many wickets to spin, so if we can cut out those soft dismissals against Barbados’ spin attack, we’ll be in a great position to compete and get a result here,” he explained.
The full Jamaica Scorpions squad for the tournament is: John Campbell (captain), Brad Barnes, Carlos Brown, Javelle Glenn, Brandon King, Abhijai Mansingh, Kirk Mckenzie, Marquino Mindley, Romaine Morris, Jeavor Royal, Peat Salmon, Ojay Shields, and Odean Smith.
The full Barbados Pride squad is: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Joshua Bishop, Jediah Blades, Leniko Boucher, Shian Brathwaite, Jonathan Drakes, Johann Layne, Kyle Mayers, Jair McAllister, Shayne Moseley, Shamar Springer, Jomel Warrican, and Kevin Wickham.