March 31, 2025

Kraigg Brathwaite has stepped down as the West Indies Test captain, while Shai Hope is the new T20 International skipper. In a media release this morning, Cricket West Indies made the shocking announcement that the 32-year-old Brathwaite, who served as Test captain for the past four years, had indicated his intention to step down earlier this year ahead of the completion of the West Indies’ tour of Pakistan. His resignation comes just one day before West Indies head coach Daren Sammy assumes responsibility for the Test team. A new Test captain will be announced in the coming weeks. Hope has replaced Rovman Powell as the West Indies’ T20 captain. Powell, who had been at the helm since 2023, secured home series victories against India, England, and South Africa. He also guided the team to the Super 8 stage at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and played a key role in the team’s rise from 9th to 5th in the ICC T20I rankings.

A double women’s cricket tournament is set for the Easter weekend from April 18 to 22 at the Mapp Hill Ground. It’s the 2025 edition of the West Indies Women’s Softball International Cricket Festival, which will have nine teams from the five participating countries in two zones. The two tournaments will be a one-day T6 competition followed by the Hamilton Lashley Challenge Shield. Hosts Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and St. Vincent will field two teams each, while Antigua has one. Organiser Rodney Simpson highlighted what’s up for grabs. The Barbados’ teams are being sponsored by Managing Director of Tree Trimming, Dave Lovell, who presented the shirts to captain Kim Waldrond. Mr. Simpson believes softball cricket has helped to develop cricket in the entire Caribbean over the years, and now it is not being taken as seriously as it should.

Barbados’ karate team has won a second medal at the Central Caribbean Cup Karate Championships, securing another bronze at the Gimnasio Roberto Durán venue in Panama. Team captain Sheridan Greaves delivered a nail-biting victory in the senior men’s over-84-kilogramme division, battling his way to an 8-6 triumph over Curacao’s Ruviene Mathilda. Earlier in the competition, Delano Allsopp captured the first bronze medal for Barbados in the under-21 75kg category. In other results, Ric-Anne Brathwaite narrowly missed out on bronze in the senior women’s under-68kg kumite match. Joseph Tseu reached the quarter-finals of the senior men’s kata repechage, while Shannan Skeete was eliminated in the first round of the senior women’s kata.