If the opening round of the 2026 West Indies Championship was an appetiser, the second round promises to be a full-course feast.
When action resumes on Sunday, April 19, three compelling matchups will unfold across the region, headlined by a heavyweight showdown at Sabina Park where the Jamaica Scorpions will host the Barbados Pride in a battle between two teams fresh off dramatically contrasting results.
The Scorpions authored the comeback story of round one. Chasing 324 for victory against the Pride at Chedwin Park, captain John Campbell (126) and Kirk McKenzie (135 not out) produced a jaw-dropping 242-run opening stand to steer their side to a seven-wicket win. It was the kind of chase that demoralises opponents and announces title ambitions.
But here’s the rub for Barbados: they did everything right except win. Kevin Wickham entered the record books with twin centuries (153 and 108 not out), becoming just the third Barbadian this century to achieve the feat in a regional match. Yet his brilliance was rendered a footnote by the Campbell-McKenzie masterclass.
Now the Pride travel to Kingston’s Sabina Park, a venue where pace and bounce can unsettle the best. For Barbados, the equation is simple: find a way to dismiss Jamaica’s openers before they rewrite history again.
Barbados Pride have strengthened their batting lineup with the return of West Indies Test captain Roston Chase, who boasts 11 centuries at this level, replacing Shian Brathwaite.
For the Scorpions, the question is whether their middle order can be trusted if the top order stumbles.
Elsewhere, the defending champions, Guayna Harpy Eagles, looked vulnerable, then inevitable. The Harpy Eagles trailed the Volcanoes after the first innings at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, but Gudakesh Motie happened.
The left-arm spinner’s ten-wicket match haul (10 for 119) turned a deficit into a comfortable four-wicket victory.
Sunil Ambris’s unbeaten 107 for the Volcanoes was heroic but lonely.
Now Windwards must regroup at the Antigua Recreation Ground, a venue that traditionally aids spin less than the sir Vivian Richards ground.
Tevin Imlach’s gritty 82 in the chase showed why Guyana remains the team to beat. If the Harpy Eagles’ batting can provide even a par total, Motie will likely do the rest.
Over at North Sound. The Red Force didn’t just win in Round One; they sparkled. An innings and 271-run demolition of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Coolidge Cricket Ground was as complete a performance.
Amir Jangoo’s flawless double century (203 not out) and Terrance Hinds’ supporting hundred powered Trinidad to 507 for 5 declared, while Khary Pierre (4 for 37) and company skittled the Hurricanes for 138 and 98.
Now these same teams meet again at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, just a short drive from the scene of the massacre. For the Hurricanes, the psychological scar tissue is real.
Captain Justin Greaves’ fighting 56 not out in the second innings was admirable, but his team was already buried. The Hurricanes make two changes to their squad with Kofi James and Carlon Bowen-Tuckett replacing Nathan Edward and Daniel Doram, respectively.
Joshua Da Silva called it a “perfect performance” after Round 1. The Red Force captain now faces a different challenge: maintaining intensity against an opponent that may already be beaten before a ball is bowled.
ROUND 2 SCHEDULE (Sunday, April 19)
Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride – Sabina Park, Kingston (10 am start)
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles – Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John’s (10 am)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad and Tobago Red Force – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua (10 am)
(CMC)
