 So we're continuing our focus on the 2024 West Indies regional four-day season, which starts on Wednesday with four matches. Here's a quick reminder of those fixtures coming up over the next four days. Jamaica Scorpions against the Windward's Volcanoes, combined colleges and campuses against Barbados Bride, Leeward's Hurricanes against the West Indies Academy and Guy and the Harpy Eagles against the TNT Red Force. The bottom two games are in St. Kitts and Nevis and the top two games on the screen will be played in Jamaica, the country which has by quite some distance one of the most titles in the competition's history with 23 Barbados Bride enter this season as one of the favourites and due in no small part to their emerging core, two of the players leading that charge Zachary McCaskey and Akeem Jordan, who were both included in the West Indies test squad for their recently concluded tour of Australia. Both men are with us live in the studio. Shall I start there on the experience in Down Under with the Shamar Joseph, making the headlines even now we spoke about him all week last week. Great experience for you guys being on tour down there, even though the West Indies didn't win the series, the way the series turned out. It was a victory of sorts for the West Indies squad. Akeem, you first. Yeah, I mean it was amazing, just from going down there with the young bunch, the energy is going into the series, we went in, we didn't fear anything, what we did we have to lose. We just went in there, put our hearts on the table and we ended up drawing the series one-off. Zachary? Yeah, as Akeem said, it was a great feeling, we went, just with the clear head, clear mind, you know, there was a much to lose as you say, because obviously the expectations were really high for us to be honest, so it was good to come up with a win at the NAD. Shifting focus now to the domestic game because the Barbados pride were champions twice in the last three tournaments played, third last year as a guy in the Harper Eagles Emerge champions. You are both teammates with Will Dee in your club situation, Barbados as well, so you know, there is some level of camaraderie with you two there from the beginning. But Akeem first, how has Barbados pride prepared for this tournament and how confident are you that you can deliver the goods? I'm going to go on a limb and say we're very confident, you know, we have our plans, we've been preparing pretty hard, you know, a coach for Drets, assistant coach for Inlings, I've had the guys, you know, going under some serious work over the last few weeks, some of the new guys into the team working extremely hard. The trainer, Alexander Ford, getting the guys extremely fit, so you know we're trying to cover all of our bases because we want to bring everything out there this season and leave everything on the table. Zachary, you've been monitoring your scores well for years now for Will Dee in the elite division in Barbados, lots of high scores, some hundreds as well, how confident are you with your form going into this four-day tournament? I'm pretty confident in my form, you know, I'm actually just looking forward to doing well for the team, you know, I already focus on personal accolades as much as most people do, it's about servicing the team as best as I can. And you did have a stint with Middlesex second 11 in the past few years, how much would that experience have helped you in your development as a batsman? That experience was great, you know, obviously being in an account to set up was nice and I learned first hand from some of the best players around, so just getting involved in those conditions and getting feedback from them, working with Strat Law, that was really good. Yeah, and Zachary, this one for you, how important is it that you know you'll be under the leadership of the Windy's Test Captain, Greg Brathwaite, I think that adds to the confidence of the squad. Yeah, yeah, obviously having the Test Skipper as you know our regional skipper as well is a bonus, he tries to create a very good environment for the Test Team and for the regional team, so I think it's a good thing for us. If we are, Akim, to pinpoint some of the strengths of this Barbados team without giving away too much, what would you say to me? There's not much I can say to be honest, but I would just say our tactics, you know, as you said, Craig, you know, we have a lot of tactics coming into this season, you know, we have a couple of new guys that no one has seen as yet, so we're honestly looking to use that to the best of our ability, so, you know, the other teams that we have to play, they just have to watch out for what's to come. Yeah, you play CCC starting tomorrow, what do you think, you know, will be your approach and your mindset as you get ready to face them because they haven't played in the regional cricket for some time, then they came back in, what's the approach? You know, simple approach, you know, don't take anything for granted, you know, the guys that we're going to play against have played some sort of 4-day cricket before, so like, and there's a lot of Bajans on the team as well, so they know what's coming, what they're coming up with. And you know what you're dealing with? Yeah, so, you know, it's going to be a lot of friendly faces, but we're not going to be so friendly on the field, so you know, it's just a matter of being cautious still, but having our plans and just sticking to them, hoping it goes well. What's your team about where your career is at at the moment? I remember you winning a Super 50 title, didn't you, with CCC, with some impressive performances from you bowling as well. How satisfied are you with the growth of your game? I can say I'm pretty happy, but there's still a long way to go. You know, so much that I still would like to achieve as my creating career going, so I'm just here still putting in the hard work, hoping to take my game further and further each day. Zachary, Barbados is, I would say, among the territories in the region that has a structure for developing players better than most. I remember you having a lot of success with the Barbados youth team in the elite division as well, and Barbados is one of the countries that actually has a youth team playing in your senior top flight competition. Do you think that is helping Barbados cricket to develop young teenagers battling the best players in Barbados on a weekly basis for championship honours? Yeah, I believe the Barbados youth system is very important, you know, helped a lot of cricketers obviously from all the way back to probably Corey Collamore and those guys time. So getting the exposure to play against, you know, somebody who is the best around in the region from early age is really good. When they first came in they would have been playing against Ryan Hines and he was still playing test cricket. And your assistant coach now? Yeah, assistant coach now, so, you know, it was a good experience, you know, good to get out there and be able to play against those guys at the age. Yeah, it's a 50 over format, we just come off a West in East Whitewash against Australia, are you planning to battle the 50 overs and make sure that it's not a repeat of what we saw? Yeah, I guess, obviously it's a case where, you know, a young side went to Australia for some new faces and obviously they were trying out a different team, so it's, yeah, I guess you can just battle that as best as you can. You know what, a lot of people are looking in the coming year or two, players putting their hands up for test cricket for the West Indies, obviously coming out of the test series in Australia, it was very encouraging, but the batting didn't really click Zachary and there are spaces for new players coming in to put their hands up. Do you see this coming domestic season as an opportunity for Zachary Makasky to score some hundreds and put some pressure on the selectors to get in? Yeah, yeah, I see it as an opportunity, you know, to do well. Obviously, this competition, you know, you're going to be trying to do well, other good, you're trying to do well, so for me it's just about putting my best foot forward and hoping, you know, that my best is good enough. What do you consider to be your strong points as an opening batsman? I'm relatively aggressive, so I pretty good at square cricket. I like to score, I like to get a score going, I don't really like to be stuck, I decrease, so that's pretty much it. So that sounds like a good combination with your captain, Craig Brathwaite, who tends to be, you know, more measured and more safe with his approach. Yeah, yeah, I think that we could complement each other well. I'm going to say that I'm overly aggressive, you know, I got my moments, you know, I could go for them as well, but I like to get the score going. Yeah, and Akeem, let me get the same question to you as a fast bowler who is reasonably experienced, because you've been playing regional cricket now for some time. And what would you consider your strong points to be? My concentration, first of all, my discipline as well. The skill, my skills to put the ball on the length are designated area for a long period of time. So it's for me, it's just basically putting the batsmen under some sort of test, like making sure that they're always thinking. So for me, those things work for me and I just try to improve them every day. I keep working with them. And your coach, Vaspert Drakes, was an international fast bowler himself. How much work have you been able to do with him? Well, recently been traveling in a lot, so I haven't really been able to do a lot of work. But over the period, a few seasons ago, we've done a lot of work together. Actually, Vaspert is a, I would actually say he's one of the best I've worked with, you know, sometimes he may not know how to get, to tell you to get something, but he can show you and that's the trick that a lot of other coaches don't have. So if it wasn't for Vasi, probably I wouldn't be where I am right now. So I have to give him thanks. Yeah. Yeah. Zachary, I want to ask you about the point that Akeem made earlier on about the CCC team having a number of Barbadians in their team as well, which can be a plus or a minus, because just as well as you know about them, they know about you as well. How do you feel about that aspect of this matchup here against the CCC? As you said, it could be a plus and it could be a negative as well. It's just about winning a game and just doing well, just going out there and obviously playing against guys that you know, you could call it a bit easier because obviously you know what they expect. So just going out there and having as much fun as possible. So based on the teams on paper, because we didn't go out there as yet, right, which will be your toughest opponent? Out of all six weeks? It's just the Jamaican girl. They didn't bring you to the studio. You might not have a right. So you should say Jamaican then. All right. So let's go with that. I'll probably say Ghana. Obviously, they've been the defending champions. Yeah. They tend to have a good battle against Barbados a lot as well. So probably say Ghana. Yeah. What about you? I would say I would say Lee Words. They haven't beaten Lee Words in a well now. So those are Lee Words as a team for sure. That me personally. You want to beat? Yeah, I want to get on top of them. I like the sound of that. Rakeem Cornwell has been appointed captain of the Lee Words and Kofi James will be the vice captain. I saw their squad announced over the past week. What is it about the Lee Words team? Apart from the fact that you say that your track record against them hasn't been that good. But strategically, what are what are the things about the Lee Words team for you, Rakeem, that that makes them worthy, worthy challengers? Well, for starters, Carl Wall, he tends to get most of the hits every season. I then we did like so. Well, the appointed captain does not hear which would be. I was sorry. You know, he's a bit aggressive, so he likes to come after us agents, you know, and even when we were in Australia, you know, he was giving us a lot of chat as well. So to get on top of those guys, you know, I think I'm going to be completely honest. They're very strategic, you know, very, very strategic. So they really have good plans coming up against us. Like for some reason, whatever they do, it tends to work. So we have to find a way to counter out that. And for me, that's the part that I'm looking forward to the most. Zachary just mentioned the guy and the Harpy Eagles, obviously, as the defending champions being were the challengers as well. They have a new captain because they're longstanding. Captain Leon Johnson has retired from from from cricket and Kevillian Anderson is now in the captain of the team. Zachary, do you think that the Harpy Eagles will be weaker without Leon Johnson's astute captaincy? Well, I'm not sure, to be honest. Obviously, a captain can make a big difference in a team. I think Kevillian understands cricket well. So obviously, he played a bit around Leon as well. So I think he probably picked up a few stuff that he could just roll over and implement into him his captaincy as well. One of the things that I've noticed about the four day championship recently, which is a bit worrying for Weston, this cricket, some of these matches don't go four days. That's why I asked. I'll put I'll put that to you, you too. Is that troubling for you and can the fans expect more battles going down to the end of all four days in this this year's competition? Akeem first, well, to be honest, we've been asking for better pitches. So if we get better services to play on, I'm sure that the games will go to four days. Yeah. In the past, you know, pitches spinning from ball one, you know, like teams teams running to spin first change because they know what the surface is going to give. So that's why I feel the games don't really last long because teams go spin heavy and a lot of guys in the Caribbean don't really like the bat spin, you know. So those things, those things hamper the games going on before four days. Yeah. Zachary is an opening batsman, which which may make him to that human, not be all that comfortable against spin, but I'd allow him to answer that question himself. How are you on batting spin? I'm confident about his spin. Obviously as an opener, you probably feel for a fast ball and a bit more than a spin, but I don't really see it as a trouble or a big problem. Even when the pitches are favouring spin, as Akim just mentioned, yeah, obviously if his favourite spin is then you might be a little bit, you know, more watchful. Yeah, watchful and conservative around it. But for me, it's just about consistent bounce. So even if a wicket is spinning, the bounce is consistent. You know, it's a true pitch and you could trust trusty surface there. You know, it's a lot easier to bat on whether it's spinning or whether it's good for fast ball than a spin or a spin. And Akim, who wins this weekend? In your game, I'm not asking you about the Jamaica Scorpius game. I have to support my own, so I'm definitely going to win. I know you're supporting that. I just want an honest answer. It's who you think will win and how impressively. Really? You want him to get dropped? CCC is not a team to be underestimated and I think they both know that. I strongly agree, I agree. But Barbados Pride? Yeah, but Barbados, you know, if I have to bat my teammates, you know, we have to go and then give it our best. If we don't come out on top, well, there's not much I can say, but as for now. Game on. Great game on. OK, Akim. Great talking to you, Zachary Makasky. Thanks for talking to us as well here on the Sports Mac Zone. Barbados Pride, 23-time champions of first class cricket in the Caribbean, the most outstanding team in the history of the tournament and they open against CCC this Wednesday in Jamaica. Back with more on the Sports Mac Zone after that, after this.