The umpires made the decision to abandon the match early on the third morning after
Jeremiah Louis, the Leeward Islands seamer, was struck on the helmet by Test fast bowler
Jayden Seales. Twenty-seven wickets had fallen across the first 147 overs of the four-day match, one of only 12 fixtures in a reduced domestic first-class season.
Leeward Islands were 96 runs ahead with three second-innings wickets in hand when Louis was struck on the helmet by a ball which reared sharply from a good length. He was felled by the ball and slapped the pitch in frustration, before jumping to his feet and booting his helmet towards square leg.
Louis then received medical attention before he was stretchered off and taken to hospital in an ambulance. After a lengthy delay, which involved consultation with groundstaff and match referee Johnathan Blades, umpires Leslie Reifer and Zahid Bassarath informed captains Joshua Da Silva and Justin Greaves that the match had been abandoned.
Leewards coach Wilden Cornwall said that it was “devastating” to see Louis stretchered off. “He’s in the hospital at the moment,” he told CWI’s live stream. “I just hope that everything goes well for him and [there is] no really serious damage. It was really devastating to see exactly what took place this morning.” CWI said in a statement later on Tuesday that Louis was “reported to be in stable condition”.
Cornwall said he “had my doubts” about conditions from the first morning and suggested that the pitch had been under-prepared. “To me, it wasn’t given the preparation of a four-day wicket, hence we see so many players get damaged… The pitch has been misbehaving throughout the entire three days,” he said.
Seales had taken all seven wickets to fall in Leewards’ second innings, in addition to three in their first innings. In his first over of the third morning, Seales had one-cap Test keeper Jahmar Hamilton caught at second slip after a ball reared up to hit his glove, three balls after striking the towering allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall on the shoulder with a bouncer.
Trinidad and Tobago coach Rayad Emrit said it was “very disappointing” to see the game abandoned and questioned why it took until the third morning for the decision to be taken. “To be blatantly honest, the bounce has been inconsistent throughout the two-and-a-half days,” he said. “For me, if that’s the decision, they should have made it on day one.”
CWI said in a statement: “Following discussions with the curator, it was determined [by the umpires] that the pitch could not be safely repaired without creating an unfair advantage and was therefore deemed unfit to resume, resulting in the match being abandoned as a draw.
Senior cricket administrator Wasim Khan is set to step down from his role as General Manager (Cricket) at the International Cricket Council (ICC), bringing an end to his four-year tenure.
Khan, who took over the position in May 2022, is expected to officially leave the role at the end of June 2026. Reports indicate that he will move into a new position shortly after stepping down.
During his time at the ICC, Khan played a key role in managing the global cricket calendar, including overseeing the Future Tours Programme and adapting to the rapid growth of T20 and franchise leagues worldwide.
His departure comes amid a period of broader administrative changes within the ICC, with several senior officials having exited or transitioned roles in recent years.
Before joining the ICC, Khan served as chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board and held various leadership roles in cricket administration, building a strong reputation in the sport’s governance.
With Khan’s exit, attention will now turn to who will take over one of the most important operational roles in international cricket.
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