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  • Pierre withholds judgment on death penalty petition

    Pierre withholds judgment on death penalty petition

    Amid a surge in violent crime and public outrage over a recent high-profile killing, thousands of Saint Lucians are pushing the island nation’s government to bring back capital punishment, a penalty that has been removed from the country’s judicial framework for years.

    During Monday’s regular cabinet media briefing, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre confirmed that demands for the reinstatement of capital punishment have become a constant in his interactions with constituents. He told journalists, “Every day, someone tells me to bring back hanging, every day.”

    The current wave of public pressure gained traction following the fatal murder of 24-year-old Joy St Omer. After the killing, the victim’s estranged husband surrendered to local law enforcement, and the tragedy amplified long-simmering public anxiety over a steady increase in violent crime across the country. It was this growing public conversation that prompted Choice TV reporter Krishna Smith to press the prime minister for an official response during the briefing.

    To formalize their demands, advocacy launched an online public petition on May 21 titled “Petition to Reinstate and Active-enforce Capital Punishment for Capital Murder and Heinous Offences in Saint Lucia.” By the time of the prime minister’s briefing, the petition had already gathered 7,924 signatures from Saint Lucians backing the policy change.

    Organizers behind the petition have announced plans to deliver a formal formal submission to all members of the national parliament. The letter will lay out the group’s concerns over persistent violent crime and urge lawmakers to open debate on reinstating the death penalty, alongside broader reforms to the national justice system that would introduce harsher penalties for serious offenders.

    Despite the growing public outcry, Pierre has declined to take a definitive position on the issue, stressing that the topic requires careful deliberation given deep divides across Saint Lucian society. “I will not venture to give an opinion now, I can’t,” he said. The prime minister noted that key national institutions hold opposing views on the policy, pointing specifically to the Catholic Church, which is a major social and cultural force on the island and has long formally opposed capital punishment. “So, it’s a very complex issue and it’s not an issue that you can just proclaim on, at this point, I’m not willing to say,” Pierre added.

  • St Bernard’s tops BICO zone

    St Bernard’s tops BICO zone

    The National Sports Council’s BICO Primary School Football Competition continued its group stage action on Tuesday, delivering a packed slate of lopsided results and standout individual performances across multiple zonal matches across the country.

    Leading the day’s high-scoring displays was St Bernard’s Primary, which delivered a dominant 6-0 shutout of Hillaby Turners Hall in the Dennis Leacock Zone, hosted at the Conrad Hunte Playing Field. Trazahri Ifill stole the show for the winners, netting three unanswered goals to complete a first-half hat trick, while teammates Aakash Jones contributed two more goals and Shemari Gittens rounded out the scoring with a late strike to seal the comprehensive blanking. In the zone’s other scheduled fixture, Providence Primary cruised to an equally impressive 8-1 victory over St Joseph Primary, cementing their position near the top of the group standings early in the tournament.

    Across the different zones, the Edward Smith/Frank Holder Zone in Speightstown saw only one fixture take place, where Gordon Greenidge Primary secured a solid 3-1 win against Elliott Belgrave Primary to pick up their first three points of the competition. Moving to the Kenville Kab Layne Zone, St George Primary put in a clinical performance to defeat Ellerton Primary by a 5-1 margin, while St Judes Primary earned a narrow 1-0 shutout win over Cuthbert Moore Primary to claim their second consecutive victory.

    One of the most eye-catching results of the day came for last year’s tournament runners-up, Arthur Smith Primary, who maintained their perfect unbeaten start to the 2024 edition with a tight 1-0 victory over St Winifred’s Primary in the Ricardo Mickey Gibson Zone. The result sends a clear signal that the 2023 finalists are once again contenders for the national title this year.

    Completing the day’s results, Wills Primary pulled off a 2-1 come-from-behind win over St Lawrence Primary, People’s Cathedral earned a 2-0 shutout against Shirley Chisholm Primary, St Gabriel’s Primary rolled to a 6-1 win over St Bartholomew Primary, and Milton Lynch Primary grabbed a late 1-0 win to shut out St Christopher’s Primary. The tournament is set to continue its zonal round play later this week, with more fixtures scheduled across all zones to determine which teams advance to the knockout knockout stage of the national competition.

  • China en Suriname markeren bijna 50 jaar strategische samenwerking

    China en Suriname markeren bijna 50 jaar strategische samenwerking

    Fifty years after China and Suriname formally established official diplomatic relations, Chinese Ambassador to Suriname Lin Ji has emphasized the enduring value of the deep-rooted friendship and growing collaborative partnership between the two nations, outlining decades of progress that have turned bilateral ties into a model for South-South cooperation.

    On May 28, 1976, the two countries officially launched diplomatic relations, marking the start of a steady, mutually respectful relationship built on the core principles of mutual respect, strategic trust, and reciprocal collaboration. Over the intervening 50 years, that relationship has expanded far beyond its early foundations to grow into a full strategic partnership spanning political, economic, cultural and social spheres, Lin noted in his remarks marking the golden jubilee.

    A major milestone in the deepening of bilateral ties came in 2019, when the two countries elevated their relationship to a formal strategic cooperation partnership, with Suriname also becoming one of the first Caribbean nations to sign onto cooperative agreements under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This opening has paved the way for an unprecedented expansion of bilateral infrastructure and development projects that have directly supported Suriname’s national growth agenda, the ambassador added.

    Lin highlighted a range of completed Chinese-backed projects that have delivered tangible public benefits to the Surinamese people, including the Wanica Hospital, large-scale affordable housing developments, an agricultural technical cooperation center, national traffic monitoring systems, and a countrywide broadband infrastructure network. Beyond traditional development projects, he noted that Chinese companies are increasingly expanding their investment footprint in Suriname’s emerging high-growth sectors, including digital technology and renewable green energy, opening new pathways for job creation and economic diversification.

    On the political front, bilateral cooperation has been defined by strong, consistent mutual support between the two governments, Lin emphasized. He pointed to Suriname’s longstanding, unwavering commitment to the One-China policy as a key foundation of political trust, while noting that China has consistently respected Suriname’s independent choices for its national development path and strictly adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.

    The ambassador also reflected on the deep people-to-people historical ties that predate formal diplomatic relations, noting that Chinese migrants first settled in Suriname more than 170 years ago, laying a groundwork for cultural exchange that endures today. A particularly notable marker of that cultural acceptance, he added, is that Suriname became the first country in the Western Hemisphere to designate Chinese New Year as an official national public holiday.

    Looking ahead to the next 50 years of the bilateral relationship, Lin reaffirmed China’s ongoing commitment to expanding collaboration with Suriname across a wide range of priority areas, including economic development, infrastructure investment, education, cultural exchange, and regional integration. He closed by noting that both sides are committed to deepening their bilateral ties while also strengthening broader cooperation between China and the Latin America and Caribbean region as a whole.

  • Family Alleges Police Inaction After Machete Attack in Toledo

    Family Alleges Police Inaction After Machete Attack in Toledo

    Nearly two weeks after a violent machete attack inside a family residence in San Marcos Village, Toledo, a bitter dispute has erupted over the lack of arrests and conflicting accounts of what unfolded on May 14. The attack has left one man hospitalized with a serious neck wound and a local family questioning the integrity of local law enforcement and village governance, while community leaders have pushed back against allegations of obstruction.

    Mario Makin, a family representative, told local outlet News Five that the incident began when a group of unidentified men forced entry into his parents’ home. The intruders targeted Makin’s brother, delivering a deep machete wound to his neck, and directly threatened Makin’s mother during the attack. First responders from the local police force transported the injured man to a medical facility for urgent treatment, but no suspects were taken into custody at the scene or in the immediate aftermath, Makin says.

    The following day, Makin’s mother submitted a formal incident report to authorities and formally requested legal proceedings against the attackers. But according to Makin, almost two weeks later, no law enforcement action has been taken. “Up to now, the people that did the chopping, they’re still walking free on the road with the machete in their hand… I don’t know if the police, they afraid to arrest those people,” Makin stated in his interview. He added that his mother now lives in constant fear, unable to feel secure in her own home after the attack.

    Makin further alleged that the local village Alcalde was present during the attack, and suggested that political influence from village leaders is the root cause of police inaction. He explained the violence grew out of an earlier altercation between his brother and the village chairman’s brother, creating a conflict of interest that has derailed the investigation.

    But village leadership has offered a completely contradictory version of events, rejecting all claims of interference and tying the incident to a confrontation that began far from the Makin family home.

    Juan Caal, secretary to the Alcalde, explained that when the incident occurred, both the village chairman and the Alcalde were attending an off-site meeting. They received an emergency report that two intoxicated men were assaulting the chairman’s brother on a remote backstreet within the community. Caal says the Alcalde rushed to the scene immediately and attempted to take the two suspects into custody, but the pair managed to flee before they could be detained.

    Due to the severity of the incident, which involved a deadly weapon and explicit threats of violence, the Alcalde’s office referred the entire case to the national police force to lead the investigation, Caal said. “We handed over to the police so that they can handle the matter from there because it involved a machete, it involved threatening words. And all we know is that someone tried to attack the chairman’s brother,” Caal explained. He also suggested the incident may have been a case of self-defense, raising the unsubstantiated possibility that the injured man’s neck wound was self-inflicted during the physical struggle.

    Caal explicitly denied two core allegations from the Makin family: he refuted claims that Chairman Muku was present during the home attack, and rejected suggestions that any village leader interfered to block police from making arrests. He stressed that referring the case to police was a deliberate recommendation from the Alcalde’s office.

    Despite these denials, the Makin family stands by their original account, pointing out that police have the names of the suspected attackers and a formal incident report on file – and still have not taken any suspects into custody. “I don’t know what they’re investigating when they already received the report and they’re not acting on it,” Makin said. The ongoing lack of resolution has left the family feeling failed by the institutions meant to protect them, and has cast a spotlight on potential gaps in local law enforcement response in rural Toledo.

  • Caribbean tourism leaders to gather in New York for Caribbean Week 2026

    Caribbean tourism leaders to gather in New York for Caribbean Week 2026

    One of the Caribbean tourism sector’s most anticipated annual industry gatherings is gearing up to kick off in New York City next year, with top public and private sector stakeholders from across the region set to convene for Caribbean Week in New York 2026.

    Organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the week-long event will open its doors on June 1, 2026, at the InterContinental New York Times Square, aligning perfectly with the annual observance of Caribbean American Heritage Month. Under this year’s central theme, “One Caribbean: Infinite Experiences,” the gathering aims to unite industry voices to shape the future of the region’s $50 billion-plus tourism economy.

    A high-profile delegation will lead the event, including Albert Bryan Jr., Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, Natalio Wheatley, Premier of the British Virgin Islands, and Ian Gooding-Edghill, CTO Chairman and Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport. They will be joined by a broad cohort of tourism ministers, government commissioners, destination marketing directors and C-suite executives from leading regional and international hospitality, travel and aviation brands.

    In comments ahead of the gathering, Dona Regis-Prosper, CTO Secretary-General and CEO, framed the event as far more than a networking session: it is a critical strategic hub for the entire Caribbean tourism ecosystem. “Caribbean Week in New York is a critical platform for collaboration, strategy development and celebration of our region’s tourism industry,” Regis-Prosper said. “We are delighted to welcome Governor Bryan, Premier Wheatley, Minister Gooding-Edghill and senior tourism leaders from across the Caribbean as we highlight the strength, resilience and infinite potential of our destinations.”

    The event’s opening day will feature a stacked lineup of keynotes and addresses. Governor Bryan is scheduled to deliver remarks to attendees during the official opening ceremony on June 1, while Gooding-Edghill will deliver the conference’s flagship opening keynote address. Wheatley will join the CTO Council of Ministers for a popular featured panel discussion, “Around the Caribbean in 60 Minutes,” which will touch on pressing challenges and emerging opportunities across the region’s top destinations.

    Over the course of the week, attendees will take part in a diverse roster of programming focused on the most pressing issues facing Caribbean tourism. Workshops, strategy meetings, networking mixers and industry roundtables will cover topics ranging from sustainable tourism development and inclusive growth to next-generation destination marketing, expanding air connectivity, and integrating new technology to improve visitor experiences.

    Standout events on the full schedule include a one-day dedicated marketing conference for destination and industry marketing teams, the annual Caribbean Media Awards honoring outstanding travel journalism focused on the region, and the CTO Foundation Scholarship Awards Luncheon, which supports the next generation of Caribbean tourism professionals. The 2026 event will also mark the official debut of CTO TV, the organization’s new digital media platform, alongside a curated tourism marketplace connecting media and travel trade professionals with destination representatives. An allied members showcase breakfast will highlight the work of industry partners, and the event will host the official launch of a new regional supply-side tourism development initiative aimed at strengthening local participation in the sector.

    Caribbean Week 2026 has drawn broad backing from a diverse group of regional and international sponsors spanning governments, hospitality brands, aviation companies and travel technology firms. The United States Virgin Islands holds the event’s top Platinum Elite sponsorship level, while Antigua and Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands serve as Gold Elite sponsors. Additional tiered sponsors include The Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Global Ports Holding, Grenada, Sandals Resorts, SITA, Barbados, Sojern, Travel & Adventure Show, and Trove Tourism Development Advisors. Contributing sponsorship comes from Bay Gardens Resorts, Carnival Corporation in partnership with Acordis International Corp., Diamonds International, Expedia Group, Sunrise Airways, Travel Unity, TRÈFLE and Virgin Voyages. The Inter-American Development Bank and Royal Caribbean International are partnering to support the event’s Regional Nex-Gen Tourism Showcase, which highlights innovative young leaders and startups in the Caribbean travel space.

  • Commonwealth recognises Saint Lucia as model for public debt management

    Commonwealth recognises Saint Lucia as model for public debt management

    Small Island Developing States across the global policy landscape share a common set of fiscal challenges, particularly when it comes to managing public debt. Today, one Caribbean nation stands out as a trailblazer in this space: Saint Lucia has earned official acclaim from the Commonwealth Secretariat for its far-reaching public debt management reforms, cementing its status as a blueprint for peer nations facing similar fiscal pressures.

    The island nation’s finance department-led overhaul of its debt governance framework has drawn such praise that the Commonwealth Secretariat is now producing a feature documentary to walk other member states through Saint Lucia’s modernization journey. The documentary will be distributed across the Commonwealth’s social media channels and broadcast partners spanning the Caribbean and Pacific, where many small island states grapple with comparable debt management hurdles.

    At the core of Saint Lucia’s transformation is a strategic adoption of new digital infrastructure: the Commonwealth Meridian Debt Management System. This cloud-based, web-enabled platform was rolled out in 2019, making Saint Lucia the first Caribbean country to implement the tool. The system grants government officials real-time, centralized access to comprehensive debt data, streamlining processes for tracking repayment obligations, mitigating lending risks and monitoring lender exposure.

    Reforms, spearheaded by the government’s Debt and Investment Unit, have delivered more than just technological upgrades. According to senior officials, the overhauls have dramatically boosted fiscal transparency, tightened evidence-based policy decision-making, and positioned the island as a regional leader in 21st-century debt governance. These gains have already reinforced Saint Lucia’s standing as a responsible borrower in global markets.

    Imran Williams, Director of Finance for Saint Lucia, emphasized the critical role of the partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat in driving these changes. Beyond the adoption of the Meridian platform, the Secretariat provided targeted support for revising the nation’s Public Debt Management Act, refining day-to-day operational protocols, and building institutional capacity within the Debt and Investment Unit. Williams noted that robust, transparent debt management is non-negotiable for retaining investor confidence, a key pillar that allows the government to continue funding critical national development projects in a sustainable, responsible manner.

    For Vera John-Emmanuel, Deputy Director of Finance overseeing the Debt and Investment Unit, the true test of the Meridian system’s value came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. When public sector operations were forced remote to slow virus spread, the platform allowed debt servicing teams to keep working seamlessly, all while meeting mandatory international and domestic reporting deadlines on schedule.

    Snobar Abbasi, Senior Communications Officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat, explained that the documentary is just one part of a broader organizational initiative to highlight successful collaborative debt management outcomes across the 56-nation Commonwealth bloc. By elevating the Saint Lucia model, the Secretariat aims to equip other small island developing states with actionable insights to strengthen their own fiscal frameworks.

    Following the completion of reforms, Saint Lucia’s government reports tangible progress: the overhauls have deepened fiscal openness, elevated the standards of public financial management across the public service, and cemented the island’s reputation for disciplined, responsible debt governance moving forward.

  • Bajan entrepreneur among Caribbean POSH award honourees

    Bajan entrepreneur among Caribbean POSH award honourees

    As the regional nonprofit Caribbean POSH prepares to mark a decade of empowering women across the Caribbean, six outstanding women who have driven progress across the region’s public, private, and nonprofit sectors have been selected to receive top honors at the 2026 Caribbean POSH ICON Woman Awards, to be held next month in the British Virgin Islands.

    The awards gala, scheduled for June 26, is the centerpiece of Caribbean POSH Weekend 2026, a six-day celebration of regional excellence running from June 25 to 30. This year’s event carries a special milestone theme: “10 Years of Purpose and POSH,” honoring 10 years of the organization’s work lifting up women leaders across the Caribbean.

    Among the 2026 honourees is Dr. Legena Henry, a Barbados-based entrepreneur and leading sustainability advocate who founded and leads Rum & Sargassum, a social enterprise turning one of the Caribbean’s most pressing ecological threats into marketable opportunity. Event organizers recognize Henry for her groundbreaking work at the intersection of sustainability and entrepreneurship. Her work re-frames widespread sargassum blooms and other climate-driven environmental challenges as avenues for inclusive economic growth, while pushing regional stakeholders to prioritize climate resilience and green innovation across the Caribbean.

    Henry is joined by five other distinguished honourees from across the region. The list includes Cora Richardson-Hodge, the Premier of Anguilla; Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Tourism Organization; Jennifer Matarangas-King, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands; Hilma Roebuck, a veteran regional media executive; and Lynette Harrigan, a senior tourism official based in the British Virgin Islands.

    Janette Brin, founder and CEO of Caribbean POSH, noted that each of this year’s honourees exemplifies how women’s leadership is reshaping the Caribbean’s future. Through consistent demonstration of resilience, forward-thinking innovation, and purpose-driven action, these women have driven meaningful change across key sectors critical to the region’s growth. “This year’s honourees represent visionary leadership, resilience, innovation, and impact at a time when the region is navigating important conversations surrounding economic growth, sustainability, tourism, entrepreneurship, and regional collaboration,” Brin shared in a statement announcing the honourees.

    The upcoming 10th anniversary celebration brings together stakeholders from across the Caribbean and beyond to recognize the contributions of women leaders who have worked to advance the region, while laying the groundwork for greater collaboration and inclusive progress in the years ahead.

  • UN says Ebola response in DR Congo faces challenges amid rising suspected cases

    UN says Ebola response in DR Congo faces challenges amid rising suspected cases

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is grappling with an accelerating Ebola outbreak that has sent suspected case and death counts climbing, prompting global health bodies and humanitarian networks to ramp up emergency interventions on the ground. Latest figures compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) put the total number of suspected infections above 900, with roughly 220 people already suspected to have died from the virus, underscoring the rapid spread of the disease across affected regions.

    As global response efforts intensify, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced plans to travel to the DRC to personally oversee and coordinate the outbreak response, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General. In a recent public update shared via social media, Tedros outlined that the WHO and 55 partner humanitarian organizations are already embedded in impacted communities, delivering not just Ebola-specific care but also critical basic health services, including life-saving treatment for acute malnutrition that disproportionately endangers local children and vulnerable groups.

    WHO technical and operational teams are working hand-in-hand with DRC national health authorities across nearly every pillar of outbreak control. Their work spans critical activities ranging from tracking close contacts of confirmed cases to managing active infections, upgrading infection prevention protocols in healthcare facilities, strengthening local laboratory capacity to process test results quickly, running dedicated Ebola treatment centers, engaging local community leaders to build trust, and communicating clear public health guidance to at-risk populations.

    Despite this coordinated push, major barriers continue to hinder the response. The UN has issued a stark warning that persistent insecurity and active violence in some of the most heavily affected hard-to-reach areas have thrown major logistical and safety challenges in the path of response teams, severely limiting their ability to reach isolated, vulnerable communities that need care the most.

    Working in close partnership with the DRC national government, the UN and its humanitarian allies are moving forward with plans to expand emergency operations, while also working to address the broader long-standing humanitarian and healthcare gaps that leave communities more vulnerable to Ebola spread. The UN spokesperson emphasized that two critical needs remain unmet: urgent, sustained funding to scale up operations, and guaranteed safe access for response teams. These resources are essential not only to protect frontline responders from infection, but to ensure they can deliver comprehensive care and full life-saving aid packages to every community impacted by the outbreak.

  • Hilaire says no threat to tourists despite crime wave

    Hilaire says no threat to tourists despite crime wave

    A recent uptick in violent criminal activity across the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia has sparked widespread anxiety among both local residents and the international travel community, putting new pressure on government leaders to address public safety as the country’s cornerstone tourism industry hangs in the balance. As the largest contributor to Saint Lucia’s national economy, tourism is inherently sensitive to perceptions of safety, and growing public discourse on social media and community forums has amplified worries over whether travelers can remain secure amid the shifting crime landscape.

    In an official address to reporters ahead of the latest cabinet meeting, Saint Lucia’s Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire stepped forward to clarify the government’s position on the crisis, pushing back against growing unease over tourist safety. Acknowledging he is not a trained criminologist and that full formal analysis of the latest crime data is still ongoing, Hilaire outlined key preliminary findings that draw a clear geographic and demographic line between recent crime incidents and tourist zones. He emphasized that the overwhelming majority of violent offenses reported in the current wave have occurred far outside the concentrated resort and recreational areas that attract international visitors.

    “There is a very clear differentiation between the types of crimes that take place across the island,” Hilaire explained. “Our visitors tend to gather in spaces that are not normally where day-to-day criminal activity occurs. What we have seen in this latest wave is primarily a surge in domestic violence. There has been no corresponding upsurge in criminal activity targeting the areas or the visitor populations that form the core of our tourism sector.”

    Now serving his second term at the helm of Saint Lucia’s tourism ministry, Hilaire highlighted a key policy step the government has already taken to reinforce tourist protection: the reinstatement of the island’s specialized Rangers Unit, a dedicated security force deployed specifically to safeguard travel hotspots. “We now have a significantly expanded security presence both in local communities and in all the common areas that visitors frequent,” he noted. While Hilaire stressed that full expert analysis is still needed to determine root causes of the crime increase – including links to gun access and the prevalence of domestic disputes – he maintained that there is currently zero credible threat to international travelers on the island. “To date, there have been no formal reports of visitors feeling unsafe during their stay in Saint Lucia,” he added.

    Hilaire and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre have jointly urged local residents and media outlets to avoid sensationalized coverage of the rising crime rate, warning that overblown narratives could cause lasting damage to Saint Lucia’s global reputation as a safe, desirable travel destination at a time when the sector is still recovering from pandemic-related disruptions.

  • Campbell backs fresh start ahead of Sri Lanka showdown

    Campbell backs fresh start ahead of Sri Lanka showdown

    As the West Indies men’s cricket squad enters its second day of high-performance training at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, opening batsman John Campbell has voiced strong confidence in the team’s preparation, saying a unified tactical approach and full team commitment have put the side in a strong position heading into their upcoming One Day International series against Sri Lanka.

    In an exclusive interview with Cricket West Indies Media, Campbell shared his first impressions of the camp’s early sessions, noting that the work the group has put in already is starting to show tangible progress. “Our morning session went really smoothly today,” Campbell explained. “We’ve had structured plans in place for a while, and the way we’ve been rolling those out across these training sessions is really encouraging. We even held detailed conversations before this camp about what we need to adjust and improve as a unit, and right now, it feels like every single player has bought into the vision. We’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

    Unlike routine pre-series training camps that focus primarily on fitness refreshers, this 10-day intensive program carries much greater long-term weight for the West Indies. Team leadership has framed the camp as both a direct launchpad for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, set to be played in Jamaica, and a foundational building block for an ambitious 18-month-wide strategy to reverse the team’s recent fortunes in the 50-over international format.

    For Campbell, however, the focus right now stays rooted in the immediate challenge ahead. He emphasized that the team is taking a one-game-at-a-time approach to avoid overlooking any matchup. “Obviously, every international series matters a lot, every game carries real weight for us,” Campbell said. “If we can step onto the pitch and execute our game plan and skills consistently, we’ll put ourselves in a great position to succeed.”

    The opening batter also zeroed in on what he sees as the most critical factor for securing a series win: early momentum. Campbell argued that getting off to a fast start in the series would pay huge dividends down the line. “I truly think that if we can start well, if we can grab a win in that opening game, it will give us all the momentum we need to push through and take the series,” he said. “Once you have that solid early platform, you can just keep building on it game after game throughout the whole series.”

    Over at Coolidge Cricket Ground, the facility has been a buzzing hub of intense activity throughout the camp. Players have completed grueling skill drills, run through full simulated match scenarios to prepare for game-day conditions, and participated in multiple in-depth tactical planning sessions. Coaching staff have made discipline and consistent execution of game plans core priorities for the entire duration of the 10-day program, as the squad finalizes its preparation for the Sri Lanka series.