Return of Mayers and Drakes adds intrigue to Pride-Volcanoes battle

Barbados Pride will be hoping the return of a pair of Carlton all-rounders will be the spark that will spur them to victory and revive their flagging fortunes when they face bogey side, Windward Islands Volcanoes in the West Indies Championship, starting on Wednesday.

It will be an extra special occasion for explosive, ambidextrous all-rounder Kyle Mayers and clubmate Dominic Drakes after they were named in the Pride 14-member squad for the sixth round contest at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia.

Mayers, who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm medium-fast, will be playing his first red-ball match for Pride in five years and appearing in a long format match for the first time since he played for West Indies against South Africa in March 2023 in Johannesburg.

His presence offers a bit of intrigue to the contest. After all, Mayers previously played in the Championship for the Volcanoes, and his father, former Barbados Under-19 captain Shirley Clarke previously coached the home team, so he will be hoping that familiarity will breed immeasurable success and could fire up the Pride against his old teammates.

The return of Drakes, a left-arm pace bowling all-rounder, and son of Pride head coach Vasbert Drakes, and a teammate of Mayers at Carlton, is also worthy of note.

The 27-year-old last played for Pride against Leeward Islands Hurricanes two years ago in Trinidad, and he will also give an edge to the attack, which appeared toothless against the Red Force and could also offer a bit of depth to the batting.

Pacer Shaquille Cumberbatch and off-spinner Chaim Holder are the other players returning to squad in place of the missing international players.

They will be without four of those international players that featured in the previous round with newly installed West Indies Twenty20 International captain Shai Hope, as well as world-rated all-rounders, Jason Holder and Roston Chase, and long-standing pacer Kemar Roach all unavailable.

Pride are fourth in the standings on 78 points and require a huge haul of points against the Volcanoes, on 45.8 points, after they squandered a golden opportunity against second-placed Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the previous round that preceded a two-week break.

The Barbadian side, packed with Hope, Holder, Chase and Roach, failed to get their act together and stumbled to an embarrassing innings and 56 runs defeat inside two days against their arch-rivals on home soil at Kensington Oval to undermine their title chase.

The Volcanoes in whatever carnation has been a banana peel for Pride in the past, and the home team will be hoping that they could finish the season strongly with an upset win and spoil the plans of the visitors to regroup.

In other matches, defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles, leading the eight-team standings on 102.6 points, will try to forge ahead when they travel to St Kitts to face the Hurricanes at Warner Park.

The Harpy Eagles have won four of their five matches in the Championship, and they are almost guaranteed of a playoff spot with one more round of matches remaining after this week’s contest.

The Hurricanes currently sit third on 79.6 points and will also be eager for a victory that could help them to secure a top four finish.

With the Pride close behind and Jamaica Scorpions in striking distance, on 59.8 points, a defeat for the Hurricanes could prove to be costly.

The Scorpions will also need maximum points when they battle the unbeaten Red Force, on 101 points, in a day-night contest under the lights at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

The Red Force will no doubt be favourites heading into the contest, but a loss for the Scorpions will most likely end their playoff push, especially if the Hurricanes and Pride win their matches.

A bottom-of-the-table contest between the winless pair of Combined Campuses & Colleges and West Indies Academy at the Frank Worrell Ground in Trinidad will hold little significance, with both sides well out of playoff contention, but they could earn bragging rights. (BT)