News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 24, 2017: Here are the stories making headlines in sports from the Caribbean and its Diaspora for this week ending Feb. 24, 2017.
West Indies Cricket
Nevis-born West Indies opening batsman Kieran Powell, is back in the West Indies team after a more than two year absence. Powell who last played an international game in June 2014, has been recalled to the West Indies side for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, which starts from March 3. Powell’s inclusion follows the batsman’s prolific run in West Indies’ domestic List A competition, the Regional Super50, where he emerged as the highest run-getter, scoring three centuries and two fifties.
Meanwhile, Windies cricketer Marlon Samuels was omitted from West Indies’ 15-man squad after electing to miss games in the Super 50 competition in order to play in the more lucrative Pakistan Super League. Current WICB policy is that no player will be considered for the international team unless they have made themselves available for the entire regional competition in that format.
West Indies Schedule
The Windies will play England and Pakistan this March and April in the Caribbean. The full schedule is as follows:
West Indies vs England – Fri, Mar 3 – 8:30 AM – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.
West Indies vs England – Sun, Mar 5 – 8:30 AM – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.
West Indies vs England – Thu, Mar 9 – 8:30 AM – Kensington Oval Barbados.
West Indies vs Pakistan – Fri, Mar 31 – 2:00 PM – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad.
West Indies vs Pakistan – Sun, Apr 2 – 2:00 PM – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad.
West Indies vs Pakistan – Fri, Apr 7 – 9:30 AM – Providence Stadium, Guyana.
West Indies vs Pakistan – Sun, Apr 9 – 9:30 AM – Providence Stadium, Guyana.
West Indies vs Pakistan – Tue, Apr 11 9:30 AM – Providence Stadium, Guyana.
PSL
T20 superstar Chris Gayle has een somewhat of an early disappointment for the Karachi Kings in the ongoing edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). The Jamaican has been relatively quiet so far with scores of 2,10,5,2,11 in the five matches. But Gayle took to Twitter this week to apologize to his fans that miss the Gayle Thunder.
“Sixes and fours, I’ll give you your sixes and fours Ok. If it doesnt happen my bad,” said the mighty hitter, in a video post.”Ill make sure that at the end of the day, the team (Karachi Kings) comes first, and this team is an entertainment team… and were try to make it special for you guys out here.”
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Tickets to the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup went on sale to the general public this week, Wednesday, February 22 at 10:00 am local time. Tickets to the Gold Cup, starting at $25 ($40 for game doubleheaders), are available by visiting or calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Fans can also contact their specific venue or visit venue websites for box office hours and information. The complete Gold Cup schedule and groups will be announced on March 7, during an event held at Levi’s Stadium in the California Bay Area, host of the 2017 Gold Cup Final on July 26.
US Versus Haiti And St. Kitts
The United States under-20 men’s national team defeated Haiti, 4-1, in the second group stage match of the 2017 U-20 CONCACAF Championship at Estadio Nacional in Costa Rica on Tuesday evening, Feb. 21st. The result pushes the young US team back into a stable position in Group B after their tournament-opening loss to Panama on Saturday. They will now look to clinch advancement to the second group stage with a win or draw vs. St. Kitts & Nevis, who have been heavily defeated in their first two games, today, Friday, Feb. 24th.
