Hope returns for Red Force clash

Stroke-maker Shai Hope has returned to Barbados Pride’s squad for their fifth round match in the West Indies Championship against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force starting Wednesday at Kensington Oval.

The 31-year-old joins an array of senior players like Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kemar Roach who have returned to the Pride lineup in recent rounds, after missing the Championship opener due to various overseas commitments.

Hope has not featured prominently in the Championship for Pride in recent years, missing the last two seasons and playing only a single match in 2022.

Having made his name in the longest format after scoring centuries in each innings of the Headingley second Test eight years ago, Hope has successfully reinvented himself as a Twenty20 franchise batsman after his Test career fell away.

He has scored heavily in the Caribbean Premier League for Guyana Amazon Warriors, forced his way into the West Indies T20 squad, while turning out in the Indian Premier League, the Australian Big Bash League and the ILT20 in Dubai earlier this year.

Hope, who has featured in 38 Tests, has not played first class cricket in two years but will be a welcomed addition to the Pride squad, replacing injured all-rounder Kyle Mayers.

He will add further firepower to a batting lineup so far led by captain Kraigg Brathwaite who has gathered 343 runs at an average of 114 and Jonathan Drakes, whose 403 runs have come at an average of 80.

Another West Indies player Roston Chase struck his 11th first class hundred in his first appearance in the Championship last week.

Hope enters the fray at a pivotal moment for Pride as they take on one of the form teams of the tournament, in their push for top spot in the Championship standings.

After a heavy defeat to leaders Guyana Harpy Eagles in the opening round, Pride have hit back strongly with three straight wins – crushing West Indies Academy by an innings and 54 runs, hammering Jamaica Scorpions by nine wickets and brushing aside Combined Campuses and Colleges inside three days last week.

Pride are third in the standings on 73 points, just behind second placed Red Force (77.8) have so far played unbeaten. They opened their campaign with dominant innings victories over CCC and Windward Islands Volcanoes, drew with Leeward Islands Hurricanes before whipping WI Academy by 125 runs.

The other change to the Pride squad sees fast bowler Jair McAllister replacing off-spinner Chaim Holder.

SQUAD – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Leniko Boucher, Roston Chase, Jonathan Drakes, Matthew Forde, Jason Holde, Shai Hope, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Kemar Roach, Ramon Simmonds, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham