CARIBBEAN cricket fans, many still in despair at the meltdown of the regional team at a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in midyear, are keeping a close eye on the ICC 50-over men’s World Cup currently ongoing in India.

It’s said that even the worst experiences can produce some good.

Perhaps the only positive from the humiliating experience in June/July is that a perfect window was created for the men’s Regional Super50 Cup which begins next week in Trinidad. The eight-team, franchise-based tournament will last from October 17 to November 11.

Jamaica Scorpions, led by Mr Rovman Powell, are the defending champions after dramatically upsetting the odds last season.

They will be challenged by Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC), Barbados Pride, Guyana Harpy Eagles, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Windward Islands Volcanoes, and West Indies Academy.

Cricket watchers will recall that the youthful Academy squad raised eyebrows earlier this year by topping their seniors, including international players, in the four-day Headley Weekes series.

We take heart that, for the most part, senior international West Indies players have made themselves available. There are a few prominent absentees, most notably Jamaican batter Mr Brandon King who is recovering from injury, and Trinidadian star Mr Nicholas Pooran.

“The teams have all had an intense period of preparation and we know this will lead to an action-packed and entertaining tournament …,” says Cricket West Indies chief executive Mr Johnny Grave.

Beyond entertainment, Caribbean fans are hoping it provides the regional selectors with young and credible personnel options as we look to the future of West Indies cricket.

Obviously, 50-over cricket is not ideal preparation for the Twenty20 (T20) global tournament to be hosted by the Caribbean and United States next year, yet opportunities will be there for those talented and hungry enough.

The situation reminds us that useful though the commercially based Caribbean Premier League (CPL) undoubtedly is — catering as it must for a global televised audience — it gets nowhere close to adequately meeting the need to build and consistently refresh the West Indies T20 squad.

While there are debilitating resource constraints, a properly structured regional, domestic league for the T20 format — catering specifically for the development of young West Indies players — is urgently required.

From a developmental standpoint, we recognise the efforts of Cricket West Indies in 2023. The aforementioned Headley Weekes tournament, men’s ‘A’ team, and Under-19 tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all hit the mark.

We are very pleased that a West Indies Women’s ‘A’ team tour of Pakistan (October 17 to November 8) is about to happen. Performances by outstanding batter and Captain Ms Hayley Matthews apart, the senior West Indies Women’s current tour of Australia underlines that, just as is the case for the men, the women’s game needs emergency care.

A planned series between West Indies Cricket Academy and Ireland Cricket Academy from November 17 to December 5 in Antigua is also pleasing.

More of the same is required if West Indies cricket is to survive and thrive.