Pelicans ready for T20 Breakout

The Barbados Pelicans are eager to get their campaign started for the inaugural West Indies T20 Breakout league which gets underway this Friday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad.

Speaking to Barbados Today ahead of their flight to T&T, Coach Shirley Clarke was upbeat about his team’s expectations and their preparation ahead of the new league being put on by Cricket West Indies.

Coach Clarke said, “I thought that preparations went well, especially the two weeks we had at the National Sports Council venue (My Lords Hill, Blenheim), it was really intense and then the two practice games we had went really good ahead of the tournament.”

When asked about the expectations for the team, Clarke noted, “For sure it’s to win the tournament, once we can execute our plans, I think we have a really good chance to win the tournament.”

All rounder Nyeem Young will lead the Pelicans as captain, Clarke also spoke about his qualities as a leader when he mentioned, “Nyeem is a good leader, great thinker, I have no doubt that he will lead the team well.”

Barbados will feature several players with experience at the regional first class and list A level. Hard hitting batsman Kadeem Alleyne, Shaqkere Parris and Kevin Wickham will bring their knowledge from the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and are expected to play major roles for the Pelicans batting lineup. In the bowling department eyes will be on the West Indies Academy spin duo of Joshua Bishop and Zishan Motara while Ramon Simmonds will lead the pace attack. The squad also includes two dynamic wicket keeper batters in the likes of Leniko Boucher and Dimitrius Richards.

The remaining members of the squad include Barbadians Shian Brathwaite, Nathan Sealy and Amari Goodridge with Junior Sinclair and Sion Hackett are the two overseas based players.

Barbados will battle host Trinidad & Tobago Legions in their opening encounter on Friday the 25th at 7 p.m.

About the Breakout league:

The West Indies Breakout League is a premier T20 cricket tournament designed to spotlight emerging talent from across the Caribbean. The league will feature teams representing the six territorial boards that comprise Cricket West Indies: Barbados Pelicans, Guyana Rainforest Rangers, Jamaica Titans, Leeward Islands Thunder, Trinidad & Tobago Legions and the Windward Islands Infernos.

Players eligible to participate must be under 30 years old or at the start of the tournament, have played fewer than 40 List A T20 matches and fewer than 10 international T20s, ensuring a focus on developing new talent. Each team is closely affiliated with a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise, providing players with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a larger stage and progress their cricketing careers.

(ZM)