Cricket

The Global Super League T20, a groundbreaking five-team tournament, is set to ignite Guyana from November 26 to December 7. Sanctioned by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and backed by the Guyanese government, this inaugural event boasts a prize pool of US$1 million.As South America's first standalone cricket spectacle, the Global Super League will showcase Guyana Amazon Warriors, the reigning Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions, alongside four renowned T20 teams from across the globe. ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that Hampshire, the three-time English T20 Blast winners, is among the invited participants.The tournament format features 11 matches, with each team playing four group stage encounters. The top two teams will advance to the final, with all matches taking place at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence."The passion for cricket in Guyana is unmatched," said Global Super League chairman Clive Lloyd. "We are thrilled to share our love of the game and our vibrant culture with fans worldwide."The Amazon Warriors, Guyana's home team, have a rich history in the CPL, having won the title in 2023 and finished as runners-up six times.Guyana's President, Mohammed Irfaan Ali, expressed his support for the Global Super League, stating, "Cricket is deeply ingrained in our heritage and plays a vital role in our economic diversification strategy, with a focus on tourism."The Global Super League will coincide with the Abu Dhabi T10 and Bangladesh's tour of the Caribbean. However, the Test matches in the latter series will conclude before the Global Super League begins.

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has announced that the finals for the next two years will be held in Guyana and Barbados. Guyana will host the final in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year that the Providence Stadium will host the championship match. In 2026, the final will be held at Kensington Oval in Barbados for the first time ever.The CPL made the announcement in a press release on Friday, stating that it had agreed to one-year deals with the two venues. Guyana's President, Mohammed Irfan Ali, expressed his support for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, the defending CPL champions, and announced Guyana's hosting of the 2025 final.Barbados Royals, two-time CPL winners, will be eager to reclaim the trophy on home soil in 2026. CPL CEO Pete Russell praised Guyana and Barbados for their partnership with the league over the past 12 years and thanked the governments of both countries for agreeing to host the finals.The Amazon Warriors secured their berth in Sunday's final after defeating the Barbados Royals in the second qualifier. Quickfire knocks from Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Shai Hope helped the Warriors chase down 149 runs in just 15 overs. The Warriors will now face the St Lucia Kings in the championship match on October 6.The CPL is one of the most popular cricket tournaments in the Caribbean, featuring some of the world's top players. The league has played a significant role in developing cricket in the region and has helped to promote the sport globally.

India's T20 World Cup Semifinal Fate: Guyana Bound on June 27India's quest for an elusive ICC trophy will take a crucial turn on June 27, as they are set to play the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup in Guyana if they qualify for the last four stage. According to the ICC's playing conditions for the tournament in the USA and Caribbean, a reserve day is only allocated for the final in Barbados on June 29.The decision to schedule India's potential semifinal in Guyana was made considering the timing of the semifinals in Trinidad and Guyana. The first semifinal in Trinidad on June 26 is a night affair, while the knock-out game in Guyana is a day game, which aligns better with the Indian TV audience's viewing preferences.The second semifinal will commence at 8.30 PM IST and will have an additional 250 minutes of playing time if the match is affected by weather. The added time for the first semifinal will be spread over two days."The Final on 29 June will have a reserve day on 30 June. The semi-finals will each have additional time added in order to complete the match which will total 250 minutes," the playing conditions state."For the first semi-final on 26 June, 60 minutes will be available at the end of the day's play with the remaining 190 minutes scheduled for 2pm on 27 June.""Whilst the additional 250 minutes for the second semi-final scheduled on 27 June will be utilised if needed through extended playing hours on the scheduled day," the playing conditions further explain.India will be eager to break their ICC trophy drought and will commence their campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5. They will then face arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue on June 9.

India's T20 World Cup Semi-Final: Guyana Bound with No Reserve DayIndia's path to the T20 World Cup semi-finals has been laid out, with the team set to play in Providence, Guyana, on June 27 if they qualify for the knockout stage. This decision, confirmed by the ICC's playing conditions, is driven by the match timings and India's large television audience.The Guyana semi-final will commence at 10.30am local time, which translates to a more favorable 8pm in India, ensuring maximum viewership. In contrast, the first semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad, is scheduled as a night game, starting at 8.30pm local time, which would be 6am in India.To accommodate the Guyana semi-final's timing, the ICC has allocated an additional 250 minutes of extra time to the match. This is in contrast to the 190 minutes allotted to the first semi-final and the final, which have reserve days. The tournament schedule does not allow for a reserve day for the second semi-final, hence the extended extra time.However, this extended extra time may not be sufficient in the event of persistent rain, as a decisive result requires both teams to bat for at least ten overs. In most T20 matches, the team batting second only needs to face five overs for a result to be achieved in weather-affected games. However, in the semi-finals and final, the team batting second must face a minimum of ten overs for a result.This rule was also in place for the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals and final in Australia. The ICC's decision to allocate the second semi-final to Guyana and provide additional extra time highlights the importance of India's television market and the desire to ensure a fair and decisive result in the event of weather interruptions.