ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board has advised that it has approved a few changes to match venues and have updated a number of appointments of officials for the remaining matches in the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament.
The Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua has been identified to stage Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ next two home matches, when they face Guyana Jaguars in the sixth round, starting on Friday, February 13, and Windward Islands Volcanoes in the seventh round, starting a week later.
The Hurricanes however, will confirm the venues at a later date for their final two home matches, when they meet Barbados Pride for the return match in the eighth round, starting on Friday, March 6, a week before the Jamaica Franchise come calling for the penultimate round.
The National Cricket Centre in Trinidad will be the venue for Trinidad & Tobago Red Force’s final two home matches, when they host the Volcanoes in the eighth round, starting on Friday, March 8, and the Hurricanes in the last round, starting on Friday, March 20.
On the umpiring side, the elevation of Joel Wilson to the panel of officials for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand has meant that replacements have had to be identified for three of the upcoming matches.
First, Gregory Brathwaite will join Christopher Taylor, when the Jamaica Franchise host Guyana Jaguars in the fifth round of matches, starting this Friday at Sabina Park; secondly, Patrick Gustard will work with Brathwaite, when the Hurricanes and the Jaguars duke it out next weekend in Antigua; and finally, Wilson’s compatriot Peter Nero stands with Sri Lankan exchange umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri for the eighth round match between Red Force and Volcanoes.
Wimalasiri is one of two exchange umpires that will be working matches over the final two months of the tournament. Steve O’Shaughnessy of England is the other.
Wimalasiri will stand in two other matches: He will form a neutral pair with Leslie Reifer Jr for the match between the Hurricanes and the Jamaica Franchise in Antigua, and completes his assignment, standing alongside Danesh Ramdhanie, when Red Force and Hurricanes confront each other in the final round.
O’Shaughnessy is scheduled to stand with: Reifer, when the Pride clash with the Hurricanes in the fifth round this weekend at Kensington Oval; Zahid Bassarath, when the Volcanoes meet the Jamaica Franchise for the sixth round next weekend at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex; and Brathwaite, when the Pride tackle the Jaguars in the seventh round the following weekend at Kensington Oval.