ORGANISERS are confident the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Women's Twenty20 (T20) Tournament to be held in Jamaica will be smoothly-run and should offer exposure to the game locally.

Chairman of the organising committee Dudley Bryan told the Jamaica Observer preparing for the August 8-18 tournament has been a challenge but his team has worked hard to lessen the burden on his shoulders.

"We've been doing well and I'm hoping that by the end of the tournament the reward will be fulfilling. I think it will be a smooth process and it should help to spread the sport's popularity.

"When I was asked to chair the committee I didn't understand the magnitude of work required. I can tell you I've gotten outstanding assistance from all the persons I've taken on board and it has made my job a little bit easier.

"We (Jamaica) hosted a women's competition a long time ago, but it was not as structured as this one is," he said at yesterday's press launch at Sabina Park.

Committee member and former West Indies women's player Dorothy Hobson is also expecting a successful staging.

"I'm expecting a very good tournament. I'm a part of the organising committee so I see the plans and things are coming together. This press launch has kick-started the promotions that will follow throughout the tournament," she said.

Last season when the WICB Women's competition was based on the 50-overs format, Jamaica won for the first time since 2008.

This year, the home team will be hard-pressed to retain the title against many-time winners Trinidad & Tobago, as well as Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Hobson believes Jamaica, blessed with the likes of world-leading batter Stafanie Taylor, have a strong chance of going all the way.

"Jamaica has an excellent team. We have retained 11 members from last year's squad and we have Stafanie on our team and any team with Stafanie Taylor must back its chances. It's not a one woman band because we have key players who will help us," she argued.

At the launch, the tournament was endorsed by WICB events manager Cindy McLean.

The competition will see two matches being played each day at the respective Kensington Park and Chedwin Park venues for the league games, while Sabina Park will stage the third-place play-off and the final.

Bryan said he wanted to incorporate a venue outside of the urban area, but this did not materialise.

Jamaica Squad — Stafanie Taylor, Shanel Daley, Natasha McLean, Jodian Morgan, Chedean Nation, Tameka Sanford, Vanessa Watts, Chinelle Henry, Karla Cohen, Alecia Bookal, Peta-Gaye Hanson, Roshana Outar, Nickesha Gayle, Neisha-Ann Waisome.