The Barbados Pride Cricket team, champions of West Indies cricket Super50, have booked a spot in the Pan American Games qualification tournament. Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced this on Thursday as they outlined the latest series of cost-cutting measures in the middle of severe financial challenges.
Chris Dehring, the CEO of CWI, stated that the regional 50-over tournament, their marquee white ball event, will be scrapped for this year. As a result, they have decided to play the Pan Am Games qualifiers in that slot – in December. Barbados won the 2025 tournament and therefore earned a spot – for what will be a T20 event.
The qualification event for the Pan Am Games in Lima Peru, would then be the qualifiers for the Olympics 2028 as cricket makes a welcomed return to the world’s biggest sporting spectacle in Los Angeles. CWI will pay the players’ fees, but the various countries participating would have to foot the bill for all other costs. This will mean the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) is expected to partner closely with Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to prepare the team. Barbados, with several international standard grounds and modern sporting facilities and infrastructure, has become a strong candidate to host the pre Pan Am qualifiers.
“We will use the results of last year’s Super50 tournament to determine qualification for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, with the top four finishers to represent the Caribbean. Although this format is T20, it still provides an opportunity for both development and national glory, this time in an international setting,” Dehring said. (PS)