分类： sports

A make-or-break three-match One Day International (ODI) series is set to get underway this Wednesday at Kingston’s iconic Sabina Park, with both West Indies and Sri Lanka chasing critical ranking points to lock in their spots at the 2025 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, to be hosted in South Africa and Zimbabwe. While a series triumph is the immediate goal for both sides, automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup looms as the far larger prize at stake. The ICC’s qualification rules state that the top nine teams in the official ODI rankings as of 31 March 2027 will earn automatic berths to the tournament, and current standings have put West Indies in a precarious position: currently sitting in 10th place, just one spot outside the automatic qualification cut-off. Sri Lanka, by contrast, enters the series comfortably in 6th place, with far more breathing room in the rankings race. The build-up to the series has brought mixed form for both competing sides. West Indies has not played an ODI in six months, and has walked away with just one win in its last five outings in the format, a slump that has put extra pressure on the side to deliver at home. Sri Lanka’s recent form is hardly more reassuring, with only one victory across its past five ODI matches. Still, the visitors hold a key historical advantage heading into the first match: they have won three of the last five ODI encounters between the two sides, and welcome back experienced batter Kusal Mendis as full-time skipper, just over a year after he was stripped of the captaincy in 2024. For West Indies captain Shai Hope, the magnitude of the series is not lost on his side. Speaking ahead of the opening match at Sabina Park, Hope emphasized that his side’s priority is to play to their full potential and collect as many wins as possible to climb the rankings. “There’s always expectations whenever you want to play a series against a strong side; you want to be victorious, so the key is playing the best cricket we can and try to get as many wins as you possibly can. We understand the importance of that March deadline in 2027. So play good cricket and hopefully the results take care of itself in the back end,” Hope said. Hope gave full credit to the team’s pre-series training camp held in Antigua, describing the week-long preparation as extremely productive that left the entire squad aligned on their objectives for the three matches. “So it’s just about executing now. The key is just to win, we’re here on home soil, where we have been playing really good ODI cricket. Just to continue in that vein, the preparation is going pretty nicely so execution is the main thing for the day and hopefully you can get a good start tomorrow and get the ball rolling,” he added. The captain also highlighted the consistent improvement of his side’s top-order batting line-up over the past two years, a unit that has become a reliable backbone for the team’s ODI innings. “The way how we’ve been batting for the last year or two, with the top six barring the opening pair every now and again, we’ve been pretty solid and consistent,” Hope noted. He singled out Keacy Carty, who has thrived in the number three batting position, and Sherfane Rutherford for their consistent run-scoring, adding that the squad has made marked improvements in one of their historic weak points: handling spin bowling during the middle overs of an innings. “We’ve had a pretty strong top six in the last couple of years and the data has shown that we’ve improved in many areas, especially in the middle overs when we usually face a lot of spin. We’ve been finding ways to combat that, so I must commend the guys on that front,” he said. Hope also extended praise to his bowling attack, which he described as “exceptional” across recent home series, pointing to young fast bowler Jayden Seales’ devastating performance against Pakistan in the Caribbean during their last series, where he tore through the opposition’s top order. The captain emphasized that his main goal is to find the right balance between consistent batting and bowling performance, to ensure the side plays its best cricket from the first ball of the series. Turning to his own personal form, which boasts an impressive ODI average of 50.52 with 19 centuries to his name, Hope said he is committed to leading from the front and contributing to the team in any capacity, while maintaining his own consistent run at the crease. “So it’s about crossing that line and executing the best way I can and as we can as a unit. Just trying to lead from the front in all departments; wherever I’m called upon I’m gonna try to do so, and help the guys on the field,” he added.

As anticipation builds for Wednesday’s opening One-Day International between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Kingston’s iconic Sabina Park, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President Dr. Donovan Bennett has flagged a troubling issue: underwhelming ticket sales for the three-match 50-over series, even as final preparations for the long-awaited fixture wrap up. This series marks a historic milestone for Kingston cricket, bringing ODI action back to the city for the first time since West Indies hosted Ireland in 2022, and welcoming Sri Lanka to Jamaican soil for the first time in more than a decade – the visitors last competed here back in 2013, during a tri-nation tournament with West Indies and India. In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Bennett shared that logistical preparations for this series have gone far more smoothly than last summer’s hosting of Australia, which required a major venue overhaul. Back then, with financial and logistical support from both the Jamaican and Indian governments, the JCA was forced to rush to install new floodlights, a digital electronic scoreboard, and upgrade the player dressing rooms ahead of the series. This time around, only one minor setback disrupted preparations. “The only little hiccup we had was that the lights were blown out of focus during the passage of the hurricane but we have refocused those — those were done last week. Otherwise, we’re pretty good,” Bennett explained, confirming that the venue is now fully prepared to welcome players and fans. While Bennett says he is encouraged by strong early ticket demand for the three-match T20 International series scheduled to follow the ODIs next week, low sales for the 50-over opener – just one day out from the first ball – remains a major point of concern. He noted that ticketing campaigns launched by Cricket West Indies (CWI) got off the ground later than he would have liked, leading to the slow start in purchases. “I have been pleading and trying to get CWI to get this thing going a little bit quicker, but the sales have gone up a little bit late,” he said. “I would hope that over the next two days there will be a rush, because I am not satisfied with what I am hearing re the 50 over games.” To keep Jamaica positioned as a preferred host for future top-tier international cricket events, Bennett is making a direct appeal to local cricket fans to turn out in force for the series. He stressed that fan attendance is a critical factor that international cricket governing bodies consider when allocating future matches to host venues. “The public needs to understand that the JCA has a part to play in bringing international cricket to Jamaica but the cricketing public also has a part to play because if we don’t get crowds then we don’t get matches — so they need to turn out,” he said. With high-profile Test and ODI series against India and England scheduled to visit the Caribbean next year, Bennett urged fans to act now to secure the island’s spot as a regular host. “And especially next year, when we have both India and England coming to the Caribbean, they need to strengthen our hands by coming out and giving us good support.” Sabina Park has established a strong track record as an international host over the past two years, welcoming sell-out and well-attended series between West Indies and top ranked sides including South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia. Both the West Indies and Sri Lanka squads have already arrived in Kingston and are set to hold their final practice sessions at the venue on Tuesday, ahead of the 9:30 a.m. first ball on Wednesday.

The 2026 Kevin Denny Open Chess tournament wrapped up its multi-day competition over the weekend, with two standout winners emerging from the event’s two competitive divisions. Held in honor of legendary 13-time Barbadian national chess champion International Master Kevin Denny, the tournament also served as the second qualifying event for the 2026 National Open Chess Championship, drawing roughly 40 competitors across its rated and unrated sections.

In the FIDE-rated division, veteran FIDE Master Dr. Philip Corbin pulled off a dramatic late-tournament comeback to secure his first tournament victory in several years, capping off a week of intense, high-stakes play. The title fight came down to the final round, with Jeremiah Farley entering his last match holding a fragile half-point lead over both Corbin and current women’s national champion, Woman FIDE Master Hannah Wilson.

Farley squared off against Justin Kirton in the final round, while Corbin faced Wilson in a matchup that would ultimately decide the overall standings. In a tense, hard-fought game, Farley held his own through the opening and early middle game, but lost critical pawns in the late middle game, allowing Kirton to clinch a win. Meanwhile, Corbin launched a relentless central attack against Wilson’s king, steadily cramping her position and building overwhelming pressure. When Corbin positioned himself to capture a key piece, Wilson conceded the match via resignation.

These final round results pushed Corbin past Farley in the overall standings, finishing atop the division with 5.5 total points. Farley ended the tournament with 5 points, claiming second place on tie-breaks. Kirton, Ronaldo Rochester, and Justin Parsons also finished the competition with 5 points apiece, all having secured wins in their final round matches. Parsons outperformed the other two on tie-breaks to take third place, earning the final qualifying spot for the 2026 National Open Chess Championship. Additional final round wins were recorded by Othneil Harewood, Jefferson Farley, Cyprian La Touche, Rebekah Lashley, Sameera Jaikaran, and Paul Thompson. After the tournament, Dr. Corbin received his first-place trophy from Erskine Simmons, Secretary General of the Barbados Olympic Association, in a ceremony hosted by the Barbados Chess Federation.

In the novice unrated division, competition was even tighter than in the rated section, with three players finishing the tournament with a perfect 6 points. Junior Corbin, who is not related to Dr. Philip Corbin, claimed the division title after tie-breaks, edging out runner-up Raef Clarke and third-place finisher Kevin St. Hill. All three leaders entered the final round tied at 5 points, and each managed to secure a win in their final match to hold their positions at the top of the leaderboard. Other successful competitors in the unrated division’s final round included William Allen, Miguel Mings, Kendrick Corbin, Nia Snow Clarke, and James Alleyne.

Tournament organizers with the Barbados Chess Federation deemed the 2026 Kevin Denny Open a major success, noting strong participation and high levels of play across both divisions. Following this event, the next major competition on the Barbados chess calendar is the 2026 Primary Interschool Team Chess Championship, scheduled to take place June 18-19.