St John's [Antigua], January 26 (ANI): Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the return of regional 50-over cricket to the Caribbean with the fixtures for the rescheduled Super50 Cup to be played in Antigua in February.

The health risks related to the coronavirus pandemic caused major disruption to all domestic cricket since late March last year, with no competitive cricket allowed regionally except for an abridged version of the CPL which took place in August 2020 in Trinidad.

This year's annual Super50 Cup will provide a platform for the region's six major cricketing rivals to clash in nineteen 50-over matches starting from February 7 when Leeward Islands Hurricanes host the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

"It is very good that cricket is coming back to the Caribbean. Players will get the opportunity to showcase their skills and entertain our fans," Kieron Pollard, West Indies ODI captain said in the CWI release.

"It has been a trying 2020 for cricketers and the whole Caribbean, so it is really good that we have the CG Insurance Super50 Cup being played at this time and hopefully it can unearth some new talent," he added.

Each team will play each other on a round-robin basis with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals and the opportunity to reach the final. The tournament finals will be played on February 27.

Matches will be played at Antigua's two international cricket venues -- the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS). There will be 13 matches at CCG including the semi-finals and final, and six matches at SVRS.

The Super50 Cup is the marquee 50-over event in the West Indies featuring the six long-standing territorial rivals -- Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and the Windward Islands Volcanoes. (ANI)