Carib Scope

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  • “Just My Mum Saying She Misses Me”: Man Finally Gets Birthday Card

    “Just My Mum Saying She Misses Me”: Man Finally Gets Birthday Card

    A decades-long bond between a mother and her son has captured public attention after an 82-year-old American woman’s heartfelt birthday card completed a weeks-long cross-border journey, finally landing in her son’s hands in Belize in late May 2026.

    The recipient confirmed he took delivery of the long-awaited envelope on May 27, following a series of unexpected holdups that put the small package in limbo for days. Inside the plain greeting card, the mother left a simple, tender handwritten note: “Miss you, love Mom, xxoo & Happy Birthday.” What many might see as an ordinary piece of mail carries extraordinary weight for the pair, who are separated by thousands of miles.

    When customs officials processed the parcel, they opened the envelope to inspect its contents. All they found inside was the handwritten message. “You can see what’s in there, just my mum saying she’s missing me,” the son shared in an interview.

    To beat delivery timelines and make sure the card arrived in time for her son’s birthday, the 82-year-old mother paid a steep premium for expedited international shipping. When asked why his mother would choose to spend such a large sum on a single greeting card, the son offered a gentle, intimate explanation: “That was her choice. She’s 82, I can’t see her, she’s not doing the best, and she wanted to make sure I got the birthday card. That’s all.”

    The road to delivery was not smooth. Initially, customs authorities notified the son that he owed more than 210 Belize dollars in customs clearance fees to claim the package. The parcel was held back multiple times before officials ultimately agreed to release it for just a 10 Belize dollar fee.

    While the mother and son speak to one another over the phone every single day, the physical card represents far more than a birthday greeting. “My mom and I talk every day, but getting the card, it’s definitely something special,” the son said. The story, first published online on June 4, 2026, has resonated with readers around the world, highlighting the quiet power of familial love that transcends distance and bureaucratic red tape.

  • Beleidsplan moet arbeidskansen voor personen met beperking vergroten

    Beleidsplan moet arbeidskansen voor personen met beperking vergroten

    On June 4, a leading advocacy coalition focused on equitable employment opportunities for people living with disabilities marked a key milestone in its push for systemic change, formally presenting a comprehensive policy plan to the Welfare and Work Directorate of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The formal handover was led by Alliance Decent Work for Persons with a Disability chair Renate Wartes, who delivered the document to Naomi Esajas-Friperson, deputy director of the ministry’s Labor Market Division.

    In an official response to the submission, Esajas-Friperson reaffirmed the Dutch ministry’s long-standing commitment to expanding labor market participation for people with disabilities, and to creating pathways to work that upholds human dignity and fair working conditions. She highlighted that the ministry welcomes the Alliance’s targeted proposals, which are designed to narrow the accessibility gap that keeps many disabled people out of the workforce and remove persistent structural barriers that prevent long-term, sustainable employment participation.

    The submission of the policy plan represents another critical step forward in the ongoing collaborative partnership between the Alliance and the Welfare and Work Directorate. Both stakeholders share a core goal of building a fully inclusive Dutch labor market, one that guarantees people with disabilities equal access to paid work, professional development opportunities, and full meaningful participation in wider society.

  • RTA Driver Alleges Police Fed Him False Information, Pressured Him to Accept Fault

    RTA Driver Alleges Police Fed Him False Information, Pressured Him to Accept Fault

    A 2026 motor vehicle collision in Belmopan has sparked serious allegations of official misconduct, as the injured driver claims law enforcement fed him false information to coerce a false admission of fault. The incident unfolded on the night of May 1, Labour Day, along North Ring Road, when Cory Middleton, a driver for Belize’s Road Transport Authority (RTA), was attempting a legal overtake in a designated passing zone. His vehicle collided head-on with a red pickup truck operated by Dean Flowers, sending Middleton’s car careening off the roadway into a nearby ditch.

    Middleton was rushed to a local medical facility following the crash, suffering a traumatic head injury and multiple other bodily harms that left him unable to file an official accident report the same night. When he attended the local police station the following evening to give his account, Middleton says one responding officer immediately insisted he had initiated the collision and was fully responsible for the crash. Speaking to local outlet News 5, Middleton explained that he initially accepted the officer’s framing because of the public trust placed in law enforcement.

    “My first statement was made under false pretence of the information that was given to me. I believed him because he was an officer. He is there to help and protect civilians, so I wouldn’t expect the first thing he did to me was lie,” Middleton told reporters.

    According to Middleton’s account, the officer continued to pressure him in the days after the collision, placing two follow-up calls urging him to inform his insurance provider that he accepted full blame for the crash. Growing suspicious of the repeated coercion, Middleton reached out to the officer’s supervising superintendent to request a secondary review of the case. The superintendent launched a follow-up investigation, and told Middleton that physical and witness evidence actually pointed to Flowers as the responsible party, a conversation Middleton says he recorded in full.

    When Middleton returned to the police station to correct his initial statement, he faced pushback from department staff before ultimately being permitted to amend his account. The case moved to Belmopan’s court system for a first hearing on May 29, where both drivers entered not guilty pleas to related traffic offenses.

    Flowers has pushed back forcefully against Middleton’s allegations, responding to News 5’s request for comment with a written statement rejecting the entire narrative of wrongdoing by police or himself. “The young man ran into me and is not taking responsibility. He did file a report accepting responsibility, then a few days after returned to the station to withdraw his statement, so the matter will proceed to court for the court to decide who was at fault. I’m just grateful no one was severely injured or died because of his reckless speeding and overtaking at an intersection,” Flowers wrote.

    The court has adjourned the proceedings to allow for full evidence collection and review, with the next hearing scheduled for July 31. For his part, Middleton says he is not seeking to try the case in the media or undermine the court’s authority, but rather to draw attention to gaps in processing that left him facing wrongful blame. He emphasized that all residents of Belize are entitled to a fair, impartial, and transparent legal process following traffic incidents, and he is seeking full accountability and a clear ruling on who bears responsibility for the May 1 crash.

    As the case awaits its next court date, the allegations have raised quiet questions about the protocols local law enforcement follow when investigating and documenting motor vehicle collisions, particularly when one driver is injured and unable to give an immediate statement.

  • APNU’s parliamentary question on powership negotiations triggers govt’s response

    APNU’s parliamentary question on powership negotiations triggers govt’s response

    Almost one full week of public silence on the future of Guyana’s powership electricity supply came to an end on Thursday 4 June 2026, after the country’s parliamentary opposition tabled an urgent oral question without notice to press for answers on the critical energy deal.

    Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar broke the informational drought in a public statement posted to Facebook, addressing growing public and political commentary around the renewal of the contract for two Turkish-owned Karpowerships that currently supply a large share of the country’s electricity.

    Indar emphasized that negotiations are actively ongoing, with the government focused exclusively on securing the lowest possible commercial rate for the continued supply of power, framing the work as aligned with the best interests of all Guyanese citizens. “I would like to assure the public that the Government of Guyana is working in the best interests of the people of Guyana to get the best possible commercial rate for the renewal of the contract,” Indar said in the statement.

    Prior to Thursday’s public update, all senior government officials—including President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Finance Minister Ashni Singh, and Indar himself—had declined repeated requests for comment on the status of the talks. This silence came even after Karpowership issued a formal warning that power supplies could be interrupted after the end of a grace period on 1 June, when the previous contract expired.

    While Indar moved to reassure Guyanese that the national grid has not experienced any power disruptions to date, he confirmed that no additional details will be released publicly until negotiations conclude between state-owned utility Guyana Power and Light Inc., UCC JV, and Karpowership. “We continue to be in the negotiation process, while the powership maintains an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the national grid. The public will be apprised at the appropriate time on the completion of the contractual negotiations,” he added.

    The government’s statement came just two hours after A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the country’s main parliamentary opposition, submitted its urgent question to National Assembly Speaker Manzoor Nadir. APNU parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul, who filed the question around 11:15 AM Thursday, is seeking answers to a series of pressing public concerns: whether Karpowership has demanded additional payments outside the terms of the original contract, the total amount of any such demands and their legal or commercial basis, and whether the government has conducted a formal assessment of grid risks if one or both powerships suspend operations before the long-delayed Wales Gas-to-Energy Project comes online. Mahipaul also pushed for clarity on contingency plans to prevent a return to widespread blackouts and rolling load shedding that would harm households and businesses across the country.

    Currently, the two Karpowerships are anchored off Guyana’s coast: one at Meadowbank in Greater Georgetown on the Demerara River, and the second at Everton on the Berbice River. The status of their contract has emerged as a critical flashpoint amid ongoing delays to the 300 megawatt Wales Gas-to-Energy Project, which has already missed multiple publicly announced completion targets. Without power supplied by the two powerships, Guyana Power and Light does not have enough domestic generation capacity to meet the country’s peak demand of just over 200 megawatts, leaving the national grid heavily dependent on the Turkish firm’s output.

  • Former BEL Workers Protest Outside National Assembly

    Former BEL Workers Protest Outside National Assembly

    On June 4, 2026, as Belize’s legislative body gathered for its scheduled sitting at the National Assembly, a small but determined cohort of ex-employees of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) assembled outside its gates to amplify their months-long fight for unpaid severance compensation.

    Organized under the banner of Belize Energy Workers for Justice, the group centered its demands on urgent government intervention to break the months-long stalemate that has left their severance claims unaddressed. Though their numbers were limited, the protesters made their voices unequivocally clear: they are calling for Prime Minister John Briceño to personally intervene in the dispute, framing him as the only decision-maker with the authority to deliver a just resolution.

    In an interview with local outlet News Five, Dorla Staine, a group representative and former BEL worker, outlined the exhaustive steps the group has already taken to resolve the issue outside of legal channels. “We have tried other means. We have protested before. We had press conferences; we have spoken to the minister,” Staine explained, noting that every prior attempt at negotiation has failed to produce a meaningful outcome.

    Staine added that officials previously committed to elevate the dispute for a full Cabinet review and examination by the Office of the Attorney General, with pledges of support for the workers’ cause. To date, however, no satisfactory resolution has been reached. Compounding the group’s frustration, BEL has signaled it intends to return to court to re-litigate a matter that has already received a formal ruling, a move Staine says the former workers find baffling.

    The choice to protest during a sitting of the House of Representatives was deliberate, Staine emphasized. For the elderly former workers who dedicated decades of their labor to the national utility, the prime minister’s direct attention is the last best hope for ending the impasse before it moves to a drawn-out legal battle. “He has the biggest decision to make and help us, the elderly workers who have already given our time and efforts to the country,” she said.

  • Depeiza: Public transport failures hurting productivity

    Depeiza: Public transport failures hurting productivity

    Barbados’ largest labor umbrella organization, the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), is amplifying longstanding calls for a full systemic overhaul of the Caribbean island’s broken public transportation network, arguing that decades of unresolved deficiencies have dragged down national productivity, eroded quality of life for daily commuters, and slowed overall national development.

    Speaking at the union’s regular monthly press briefing held at its Garrison headquarters this week, CTUSAB General Secretary Dennis DePeiza laid out the scope of the crisis, emphasizing that unreliable and inconsistent service has become a persistent, disruptive force in the daily lives of working Barbadians and members of the general public alike. DePeiza pushed back firmly against ongoing speculation that full privatization of the state-owned Transport Board would resolve the sector’s deep-seated issues, calling the idea a mistaken solution that would not address the core of the problem.

    “Privatizing the Transport Board is not the fix for the inefficiencies plaguing the public transportation sector,” DePeiza stated. “As an initial step toward building a more reliable, efficient system, we must first confront long-neglected failures in both management and regulation. CTUSAB holds that the government must recognize public transportation as a critical national public good, not a disposable service.”

    DePeiza pointed to the 2019 Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP), a government initiative launched to fill service gaps across the island, noting that the patchwork measure has failed to fully resolve the challenges that commuters face daily. Without a consistent, functional public transit network, he argued, Barbados is seeing measurable declines in national output, largely driven by massive unproductive time lost as workers wait hours for unreliable connections to and from their workplaces.

    He stressed that the Caribbean government must prioritize transit reform as an urgent national priority and take decisive action to resolve problems that have gone unaddressed for generations. “It is fundamentally unfair that Barbadians living outside major urban centers are forced to continually endure the indignity of second-class access to public transportation,” DePeiza said. “It is completely unacceptable that commuters are forced to wait hours for a bus to any destination, or live with the constant uncertainty of not knowing when, or even if, a bus will arrive.”

    DePeiza called for an end to the government’s decades-long piecemeal approach to reform, urging officials to adopt a cohesive, comprehensive national strategy. “Since public transportation is a core national priority, the government must redirect funding to acquire the full fleet of buses the country actually needs. While there is a legitimate role for private sector vehicles within the public transit ecosystem, it would be a fundamental failure if the government and its agencies refused to reassess how these private operators can be properly integrated into a fully reformed system,” he added.

    The union leader also called out widespread unsafe and unprofessional conduct among some public service vehicle (PSV) operators, demanding a strict zero-tolerance policy for dangerous driving practices that put commuters and other road users at risk. He questioned why compliance failures have persisted for decades, noting that Barbados could learn valuable lessons from proven transit management models already in place across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

    “These unregulated practices put the lives of commuters and other road users in direct danger. Many operators refuse to complete their permitted routes, consistently violate road traffic rules, and engage in reckless habits like overloading, speeding, and route hogging — none of these can be ignored or tolerated any longer,” DePeiza said. “Barbados stands to gain a great deal from adopting the successful management systems and practices already used by CARICOM member states like Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia.”

    DePeiza also addressed the persistent problem of unlicensed illegal PSV operations, widely known locally as “pirate” taxis and buses, arguing that the growth of this black market is directly fueled by licensed operators’ consistent failure to service their approved routes. “Licensed operators complain about pirate competition, but that competition only exists because they refuse to run the routes they are legally required to serve. When registered operators don’t go where they’re supposed to, unlicensed operators step in to fill the gap. If they want the competition gone, they need to fix their own conduct first,” DePeiza insisted.

    He also criticized the glaring lack of transit service during evenings, weekends, and public holidays, questioning how this gap can persist in an island that promotes itself as a 24-hour international business hub and a top-tier global tourism destination. “It is long past time we built an island-wide reliable transit system that does not only serve the tourist-heavy corridors of Highway 1 and Highway 7, or cater exclusively to the west and south coasts,” DePeiza noted.

    Alongside his criticisms, DePeiza offered praise for one recent government proposal: the planned introduction of a dedicated school bus service. He said the initiative would ease overcrowding and competition for space on the existing public transit network for working commuters, while also reducing schoolchildren’s exposure to the negative social influences commonly reported on private minibuses and ZR vans. “This is a genuinely positive step that reduces pressure on regular commuters. More importantly, it moves children away from the antisocial behavior that has become linked to ZR and minibus culture, so it is a step in exactly the right direction,” he said.

  • World Cup coverage boost

    World Cup coverage boost

    One of the most anticipated global sporting spectacles is just around the corner, and Caribbean football enthusiasts can now breathe easy: regional media firm Rush Sports has locked in exclusive broadcast rights for 13 markets across the region, guaranteeing extensive access to every moment of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

    In an exclusive conversation with Barbados TODAY, Michael Look Tong, Chief Executive Officer of Rush Sports, outlined the scope of the landmark rights deal. The company’s coverage portfolio spans a wide swath of the Caribbean, including major markets such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, alongside smaller island nations and territories: St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bonaire, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica, Belize, Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands.

    Look Tong emphasized that securing the broadcast rights to the FIFA World Cup marks a major milestone for the independent regional sports broadcaster. As the most-watched sporting event on the planet, bringing the World Cup to audiences across these 13 Caribbean territories fills a key gap for local fans, he noted. This is not the first high-profile sporting event Rush Sports has brought to the region in recent weeks; just days before the announcement, the network aired both the UEFA Champions League Final on Saturday and the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket final the following day, demonstrating its track record of delivering top-tier global sports content.

    One of the biggest benefits for fans is the network’s ability to broadcast every single one of the tournament’s 104 matches live, including simultaneous fixtures during the early group stage. Unlike many regional broadcasters that are forced to choose between overlapping matches, Rush Sports’ multi-channel infrastructure allows viewers to switch between concurrent games seamlessly, never missing a goal or a upset from any group.

    Beyond traditional television and streaming broadcasts, Rush Sports is expanding access through a popular innovative partnership with local cinemas across the region, a program that will continue throughout the World Cup. The network is currently working with cinema operators in Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad to select which matches will screen on big screens, giving fans the option to enjoy the electric atmosphere of a public viewing in a premium cinema setting. Look Tong added that this model was already put to the test during the recent Champions League Final, where the big-screen screenings earned glowing feedback from fans across all three test markets.

  • Mona retains UWI Games title as regional competition makes successful return

    Mona retains UWI Games title as regional competition makes successful return

    After eight days of thrilling inter-campus competition across 10 sporting disciplines, the 2026 edition of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Games officially came to a close on May 29 at the St. Augustine Campus’ Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC). Marking a triumphant return of the beloved regional sporting gathering under the theme “Reunited, Reignited, Ready,” this year’s event blended fierce on-field rivalry with heartfelt celebration and cross-regional camaraderie that anchored the core mission of the games.

    Five campuses across the UWI system fielded talented student-athletes, with the Mona Campus delivering a standout performance to successfully defend its overall championship title. The defending champions topped the final standings with a total of 136 points, clinching seven gold, five silver, and two bronze medals across the competition. Mona’s athletic dominance was on full display in cricket, table tennis, tennis, and track and field, and the campus also secured top gold finishes in women’s football, women’s basketball, and men’s volleyball.

    Host campus St. Augustine claimed the second spot on the overall podium with 114 total points, rounding out its performance with four gold, four silver, and five bronze medals. The home team claimed gold in four key disciplines: swimming, men’s basketball, men’s football, and hockey. The Cave Hill Campus followed closely behind to secure third place with 108 points, earning three gold, five silver, and four bronze medals; Cave Hill’s female athletes led the charge with gold wins in netball, hockey, and women’s volleyball.

    The 2026 games marked a historic milestone for the Five Islands Campus, which made its debut appearance at the event and finished fourth with 44 points, taking home bronze medals in men’s basketball, men’s football, and women’s volleyball. Rounding out the overall standings, the UWI Global Campus finished fifth with 22 points, fielding its largest delegation in the history of the games. One of the Global Campus’ standout competitors, Imani Edwards Taylor, earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award for her performance in table tennis.

    The closing ceremony brought together top university leadership, government officials, athletes, and coaching staff for an evening of celebration that honored the achievements of all participants. The event opened with a highlight reel of the tournament’s most iconic moments and a celebratory athletes’ procession, followed by a formal prize-giving ceremony to recognize outstanding competitors, coaches, and teams. The festive atmosphere was amplified by a lineup of culturally rooted entertainment, including performances by the UWI Games Flag Dancers, award-winning Trinidad and Tobago singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador Neval Chatelal, and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Band, with a soundtrack blending classic soca and contemporary Caribbean music that reflected the region’s vibrant cultural identity.

    Addressing the assembled crowd, Pro Vice-Chancellor and St. Augustine Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine emphasized that the games extend far beyond on-field competition, teaching lifelong values that translate to all areas of life. She highlighted the core principles of “honour, courage, fairness, reliability and discipline,” urging athletes to carry these values into every aspect of their lives. Professor Antoine famously encouraged competitors to “play sports, not games,” stressing that success in sport, as in life, comes only from genuine effort, hard work, and discipline, rather than shortcuts or advantage.

    Professor Antoine also underlined the unique role the UWI Games play in strengthening regional unity across the Caribbean. Noting that participants hail from different territories, campuses, and cultural backgrounds across the region, she reminded attendees that “we are part of one extraordinary region,” calling for continued collaboration and connection across borders, and urging the university to continue creating spaces for students to “get to know and value each other.” She closed her remarks by thanking all participating campuses, partner organizations, and volunteers for their financial support and collaborative work that made the 2026 games a resounding success.

    Pro Vice-Chancellor and Mona Campus Principal Professor Densil Williams, speaking on behalf of UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, praised host St. Augustine for crafting an experience that celebrated the region’s shared identity, calling the 2026 games a showcase of “Caribbean hospitality at its best.” He noted that the tournament provided a critical opportunity for cultural exchange and student integration across the diverse UWI system, bringing together young people from across the Caribbean with varying backgrounds and experiences. Williams also highlighted two special additions to this year’s event: the Caribbean Night celebration that showcased regional music, cuisine, art, and cultural traditions, and an outreach initiative with St. Mary’s Home for Children that helped students deepen their understanding of social responsibility, aligned with the UWI’s mission to graduate well-rounded, community-focused leaders.

    Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Senator the Honourable Emeritus Professor Prakash Persad, echoed these reflections, drawing on his own experience as a former school cricketer and martial arts practitioner. Persad framed the games as a space for “growth, connection, and the pursuit of excellence,” noting that the event builds character by teaching athletes to accept both defeat and victory with grace. “It is not only useful to produce graduates who are good academically but graduates who are physically strong, mentally resilient, emotionally balanced and socially aware,” he said. The minister also called for martial arts to be added to the roster of competition in future UWI Games, encouraging all students to prioritize sport as a core part of their personal and academic development.

    As the 2026 games came to a close, attention quickly shifted to the next edition of the historic event. In an official handover ceremony during the closing proceedings, the Cave Hill Campus was formally announced as the host of the 2028 UWI Games. Cave Hill Deputy Campus Principal Professor Winston Moore accepted the ceremonial games baton from St. Augustine Deputy Principal and 2026 UWI Games Organising Committee Chair Professor Derek Chadee, marking the official transition of hosting responsibilities.

    After the formal closing ceremony, celebrations continued with an outdoor fete-style reception headlined by a live performance from popular soca artist Yung Bredda, bringing an end to an event organizers described as a distinctly Caribbean celebration of the “One-UWI” spirit that unites the entire university system across the region.

  • Thousands of Students Put Skills to the Test in Nationwide Assessment

    Thousands of Students Put Skills to the Test in Nationwide Assessment

    In a groundbreaking step for Belize’s education system, more than 20,000 primary school students across the nation are currently participating in the country’s first simultaneous multi-grade nationwide academic assessment, a comprehensive initiative designed to map current learning outcomes and target targeted support for students and institutions.

    The assessment is being rolled out across 287 primary schools, including students from three distinct grade levels: Standard One, Standard Four, and Standard Six. The two-day testing schedule kicked off on Wednesday with the Language Arts examination, after which students returned to their regular classrooms on Thursday to complete the Mathematics portion of the assessment.

    Dian Maheia, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Education, highlighted that this large-scale, simultaneous assessment across multiple grade levels has never been attempted in the country before. She explained that the core goal of the exercise is to give education stakeholders at every level a clear, data-driven snapshot of where students currently stand in their core academic skills.

    “This initiative gives us the chance to get a really solid understanding of student performance across the entire country, across three key grade levels all at once,” Maheia noted in an interview. “From the Ministry of Education down to individual classroom teachers, every stakeholder will get actionable insights from the results.”

    According to Maheia, the data collected from this assessment will serve as a critical foundation for improving education outcomes across Belize. By identifying which learning areas are already strong and which gaps exist, education officials can better allocate limited resources, adjust instructional strategies to meet student needs, and ensure that extra support reaches the schools and students that require it most.

    “If we know exactly where our students are in their learning journey, we know exactly how to support them,” Maheia explained. “We can see what we’re already doing well, and what we need to improve to help every student succeed.” The assessment is sponsored by RF&G Insurance, whose slogan “It Pays to Get it Right” aligns with the government’s commitment to building a more data-informed education system.

  • Hope calls for improvement ahead of second ODI against Sri Lanka

    Hope calls for improvement ahead of second ODI against Sri Lanka

    Ahead of the second One Day International (ODI) between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Jamaica’s iconic Sabina Park this Saturday, West Indies skipper Shai Hope has issued a clear call for across-the-board improvement from his side. The demand comes just 24 hours after the Caribbean team fell to a 41-run defeat in the series opener at the same ground, a result that has left the side looking to bounce back quickly to stay in contention in the five-match series.

    In the opening fixture, Sri Lanka won a comfortable victory after posting a imposing first-innings total of 303 for seven from their 50 overs. Opener Pathum Nissanka led the visitors’ scoring with a polished 79 off 103 deliveries, while captain Kusal Mendis backed him up with a rapid 72 from just 62 balls to push the total past the 300 mark.

    West Indies’ response got off to a promising start, but the hosts lost wickets at critical intervals and never managed to build the sustained momentum required to chase down the target. A collapse from 125 for two to 262 all out handed Sri Lanka the win, with pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera claiming the standout bowling figures of four wickets for 67 runs. Hope himself top-scored for West Indies with a 66-ball 56, but his knock was not enough to turn the tide for the home side.

    In his post-match press briefing, Hope underlined that every department of the side needed to step up ahead of the second match, noting that fielding and early innings bowling were particular areas for improvement. “In all three areas of the game we could have been a lot stronger, especially in the fielding department. Our bowlers probably could have bowled a lot tighter lines, especially at the start of the innings,” Hope said. He added that the team was well aware of Sri Lanka’s strength capitalizing on loose wide deliveries: “We know the Sri Lankan batters tend to prey on that width that we tend to give them. So we’ve got to tighten up the lines in the next game and then obviously in the field, we gave a chance first ball of the game. So we know where you give great players the opportunity, it’s always going to be difficult.”

    Hope also pointed to a lack of clinical batting as a key factor in the defeat, saying: “The openers got off to a great start once again and then we just kept finding ways to get out. We just have to take more responsibility as batters and take the game as deep as we can, and find ways to win games from any position.”

    Despite the loss, Hope stood by his decision to put Sri Lanka into bat after winning the pre-match toss, arguing the conditions justified the call. “I just feel in Jamaica you usually get a bit more moisture in the morning time and so the last few years I’ve played here, every time you start at 9:30 a.m. it’s always in the bowler’s favor, so I wouldn’t change that decision,” he maintained.

    Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Hope said the side would not dwell on the opening defeat, instead focusing on turning lessons learned into a improved performance. “You need to put it away. You can’t change anything that’s happened and what’s gone is gone. You just gotta look ahead and ensure that all the learnings we gathered from this particular encounter, we gotta turn things around as fast as we can. We need to make sure we have all the right remedies to come up victorious in the next game and then make it two-one at the end of the series,” he said.