As usual this time of year — height of summer — sports fans have choices aplenty in terms of their favourite events on television and related audiovisuals.

But the FIFA World Cup now ongoing in the United States, Mexico, and Canada means 2026 is no ordinary year.

The World Cup literally means that the great majority of sports fans across the globe are glued to the premier football extravaganza which only happens every four years.

In the current atmosphere, it hardly seemed reasonable to expect Jamaican sports lovers to leave home to watch cricket at Sabina Park.

But that’s exactly what happened just recently with West Indies hosting Sri Lanka under the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme. And, to the surprise of many of us, thousands actually turned out.

On the first weekend of the World Cup, including Saturday, June 13, when ultra-popular Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco, cheering fans packed into the huge North Stand of the Sabina Park venue to watch West Indies overcome Sri Lanka in their three-match Twenty20 (T20) series.

No wonder, then, that in an interview with The Gleaner newspaper, Cricket West Indies President Dr Kishore Shallow had high praise for the Jamaica Cricket Association’s organisational and promotional efforts.

Crucially, of course, the turnout for those games also reflected affection for “instant cricket”, with a T20 game typically lasting four hours at most.

That’s the case not only in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean but globally, despite continuing designation of, and respect for five-day Test cricket as the pinnacle of the glorious sport of bat and ball.

Readers will recall that a week prior to that keenly-contested T20 series, in early June, a much smaller crowd at Sabina Park watched as Sri Lanka won the only game of a rain-ruined 50-over One Day International (ODI) series.

And now, West Indies all-format Coach Mr Daren Sammy, and long-format, red-ball Captain Mr Roston Chase will strive to win their first Test match, having lost seven and drawn one since taking the helm just over a year ago.

Those two will be under the microscope in every respect as West Indies face Sri Lanka and then Pakistan over four Tests in Antigua and Trinidad, starting next Thursday.

However, men to one side, the most intriguing development in Caribbean cricket over the last week has been the progress of the regional women’s team at the ongoing T20 World Cup in the United Kingdom.

On June 13, West Indies Women, without two of their leading players, stunned everyone by beating defending champions New Zealand by seven wickets.

And, two days ago, the Ms Hayley Matthews-led West Indies, driven by a 19-ball 47 not out from former Captain Ms Stafanie Taylor, got past Scotland by seven wickets.

There’s still a long way to go, but as all-rounder Ms Chinelle Henry was reported as saying on Thursday: “Winning our first two games puts us in a good spot. We just have to go back to the drawing board… and keep trusting our skills.”

Against all odds, in 2016 West Indies Women won the T20 World Cup, matching their men counterparts. Can they repeat in 2026?

We dare not rule them out. The mental strength and determination of Caribbean women know no bounds.