2026 West Indies Championship: Round 3 Recap
Guyana Harpy Eagles topped the group stage with a 93-run win over Windwards, while Barbados Pride secured their playoff spot with an innings victory over Jamaica. Pride and Red Force will now face off in a one-off Qualifier for the right to challenge Harpy Eagles in the final.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua - The third and final round of the 2026 West Indies Championship delivered drama, dominant batting and a late twist in the tale as Barbados Pride stormed into the playoffs at Jamaica Scorpions' expense, while Guyana Harpy Eagles confirmed their place in the final with another commanding performance.
Pride's innings-and-11-runs victory at Sabina Park inside three days was the headline result of the round even as defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles completed a 93-run victory over the Windwards Volcanoes to finish top of the table and with a berth in the final.
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force were denied a winning finish by a remarkable batting rearguard from a plucky Leeward Islands Hurricanes side and settled for a draw.
Barbados recovered from an earlier deficit in the series and produced a commanding all-round performance at Sabina Park to level their bilateral series against Jamaica Scorpions at one apiece to advance to the playoff round of the West indies Championship.
Taking first strike with the bat, the Pride amassed an imposing first-innings total of 439, built largely on 94 from Jonathan Drakes and an attacking 84 from Roston Chase, they continued their trend of formidable batting with their fourth consecutive score above 300.
The real damage came with the ball as spinners Chase and Joshua Bishop combined to dismantle Jamaica for just 142 in their first innings. With a massive 297-run lead, Barbados enforced the follow-on and the Scorpions never recovered.
Although Jamaica improved to 286 in the second innings, Bishop’s five-wicket haul, which contributed to his overall match figures of 9 for 103, underlined why captain Kraigg Brathwaite described the 25-year-old Bishop’s selection as strategic after his historically positive performances against Jamaica.
“I remember Joshua playing against them two years ago and he got nine wickets and after looking at the pitch it was drier than the previous game so that was the decision for him to come in and it paid off because he has been working hard and it is good to see it paying off.”
The result flipped the standings between the two teams. Barbados moved to 42.2 points and Jamaica slipped to 34 after starting with a slender advantage of 9.8 points.
Brathwaite praised the mental strength of his players to bounce back from the opening round defeat to the home team.
“After losing that first game, we knew we had to bounce back with a win, but Jamaica scored over 400 runs in the second game and for us to respond by gaining first innings was very important for us and that effort gave us confidence and belief even though the game ended in draw.”
At Coolidge Cricket Ground, the Guyana Harpy Eagles wrapped up a 3-0 bilateral series sweep over the Windwards Volcanoes to finish the group stage on 63.8 points, well clear of the chasing pack.
Their batting was anchored by opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who made a patient 69 in the first innings before producing an unbeaten 117 off 297 balls in the second, to lift his side from a precarious 129 for six to 299 all out.
With the Volcanoes set a target of 318 to win, Gudakesh Motie was Guyana's standout bowler with four wickets in each innings. Veerasammy Permaul provided able support with three scalps.
Despite 64 from Alick Athanaze and a 74-run fourth wicket stand with Johann Jeremiah, the Volcanoes were bowled out for 225, 93 runs short of the target. Guyana captain Tevin Imlach acknowledged areas for improvement even in victory.
"The bowlers have been brilliant for us throughout this three-match series. To win four-day games you need 20 wickets. They did that and that was brilliant for us. A concern would be our batting. We have some stuff to iron out as a batting group, and once we get that right, hopefully we can have a complete performance in both games to come."
At the Antigua Recreation Ground, Red Force dominated proceedings but were ultimately denied. Captain Joshua Da Silva’s career-best 220 off 304 balls, featuring 20 fours and two sixes, lifted his side to 522 for nine declared. Anderson Phillip was relentless with the ball, finishing with eight wickets across the match. Forced to follow on after being dismissed for 345, the Hurricanes mounted a stirring rescue act.
From 160 for four at the start of the final day, Keacy Carty crafted a composed century, 147 off 212 balls while skipper Justin Greaves struck 122 off 178, adding 174 for the fifth wicket. An unbroken 112-run stand between experienced campaigners Rahkeem Cornwall (66*) and Jahmar Hamilton (50) then slammed the door shut and secured an unlikely draw.
Da Silva was nonetheless upbeat:
"This third game was a great one for me with my first double hundred. We saw a lot of good things. Anderson Philip getting eight wickets on that pitch was a tremendous effort with the marathon spells that he bowled and it shows the quality that he has and why he's playing at the top level. It was a fantastic game for the boys and we are looking forward to the next step."
The stage is now set for a compelling conclusion to the West Indies Championship.
Standing between Pride and Red Force and a crack at Guyana’s title is a one-off Qualifier and given the form both sides showed in this round, it promises to be a contest well worth watching.