There are likely to be as many as 20 teams, including Kenya and twoEnglish counties, playing in the West Indies’ annual limited-overstournament later this year

Tony Cozier27-Apr-2001There are likely to be as many as 20 teams, including Kenya and twoEnglish counties, playing in the West Indies’ annual limited-overstournament later this year.The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) cricket committee has approvedthe plan to double the number of teams in the Red Stripe Bowl and themarketing department is presently seeking increased sponsorship tofinance the expansion.Former WICB marketing director Chris Dehring said yesterday he waspreparing a document detailing suggestions of how the tournamentshould be structured.Kenya, which is already scheduled to compete in the 2002 Busta Series,is also keen to participate in the expanded limited-overs tournamentand two English counties, preferably champions of the two One-Daycompetitions, will be invited.The Leeward and Windward Islands are to be split into their componentparts so that Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent of theWindwards and Anguilla, Antigua, Nevis, St Kitts and either thecombined Virgin Islands or Montserra of the Leewards will competeseparately.They will be added to the Cayman Islands, who were included for thefirst time last year, Bermuda, Canada and the United States, who arerecent entrants, and the WICB founder-members, Barbados, Guyana,Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.The proposed format, to be completed in three-and-ahalf weeks,provides for four groups of five seeded teams each with the Top 2 fromeach group, following round-robin play, advancing to the Super Eightsalong the lines of the Super Sixes of the World Cup.The Top 4 will then move into the semifinals and the winners to thefinal.The ambitious project follows the successful expansion of the BustaSeries last season with the addition of the England ‘A’ and WestIndies ‘B’ teams. It is seen as giving a chance to more players tocompete at a higher level.In the case of the Leeward and Windward Islands, it will be the firsttime competing at West Indies level, creating a national spiritmissing as part of a composite team.