All eight teams in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Caribbean T20 will be out to get their hands on the tournament’s biggest prize – the brand new silver Caribbean T20 trophy. The specially designed, cup-shaped prize – which stands nearly two feet tall – was unveiled late Tuesday by the WICB.
Championship Trophy
The prize money for the July 22 to 31 event was also announced by the WICB. A total of US$53 000 will be up for grabs when the top regional teams as well as Team Canada face-off. The champions will take home US$25 000 – nearly half the overall tournament prize money. There is also the huge incentive to win the Caribbean T20, with the leading Caribbean team going on to represent the region at the Airtel Champions League in South Africa in September.
The second placed team will receive US$10 000, the third placed side will pocket US$6000 while US$4000 will go to the fourth placed team. The most outstanding player in each of the 16 matches will receive US$500 and a showpiece Caribbean T20 Man-of-the-Match plaque.
“There is a certainly a lot to play for in the Caribbean T20. The cricketers participating will have every reason to go out and give their all for their team and their country. Every step of the way they will know the bountiful rewards are in store. There is also the honor of being the first team to lift the magnificent Caribbean T20 trophy, which has been specially designed for this event,” said Nelecia Yeates, the WICB Commercial Manager.
Eight teams will compete in the Caribbean T20. Zone A includes: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands and Canada; while Zone B includes: Windward Islands, Barbados, Guyana and Combined Campuses & Colleges. There will be a round-robin stage in each group – each team will play three matches – with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the semi-finals.
The winners of the semi-finals will advance to final while the losing semi-finalists will play a third-place play-off. The matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados will be played on July 22 to 25 and the matches at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad will be played on July 28 to 31, with August 1 as the reserve day for the finals.
ESPN and the WICB have reached an agreement for the broadcast of the Caribbean T20 and over 61 million viewers will see the tournament. In the Caribbean, fans will be able to view all the matches LIVE on the two ESPN Caribbean networks ESPN and ESPN2, while highlights will be available the following day on Caribbean Media Corporation stations.
The ground-breaking agreement also includes unprecedented live multimedia coverage on ESPN digital platforms including ESPN3.com, ESPN, Inc.’s U.S. broadband platform, and ESPN360 broadband platforms in Australia and Latin America. The agreement also includes television coverage on ESPN networks in the UK, the Middle East and Africa, and in Australia and New Zealand.
Match schedule for Caribbean T20
Thursday, July 22 at Kensington Oval
Trinidad and Tobago v Canada – 4 pm
Jamaica v Leeward Islands – 8 pm
Friday, July 23 at Kensington Oval
Guyana v Windward Islands – 4 pm
Barbados v CCC – 8 pm
Saturday, July 24 at Kensington Oval
Jamaica v Canada – 4pm
Trinidad and Tobago v Leeward Islands – 8 pm
Sunday, July 25 at Kensington Oval
Guyana v CCC – 2 pm
Barbados v Windward Islands – 6 pm
Wednesday, July 28 at Queen’s Park Oval
Leeward Islands v Canada – 4 pm
Trinidad and Tobago v Jamaica – 8 pm
Thursday, July 29 at Queen’s Park Oval
Guyana v Barbados – 4 pm
Windward Islands v CCC – 8pm
Friday, July 30 at Queen’s Park Oval
Semi-Final 1: Winner of Zone A v Second of Zone B – 4 pm
Semi-Final 2: Winner of Zone B v Second of Zone A – 8 pm
Saturday, July 31 at Queen’s Park Oval
Third place play-off – 4 pm
FINAL – 8 pm