Grenada has an international cricket stadium in St George's, has hosted Test matches and World Cup games, and has produced West Indies Test players. Yet in the region's first-class competition there is no Grenada team. Grenadian cricketers play for the Windward Islands, a combined side drawn from four islands, and from there they hope to be picked for the West Indies.
The arrangement confuses visitors and even some younger Grenadians. It makes more sense once you see how West Indies cricket is built: a federation of island cricket boards, some playing on their own and some grouped together, all feeding a single international team. This piece explains that structure, Grenada's place in it and the players who have come through it.
How West Indies cricket is structured
There is no single country called the West Indies. The international team represents a group of Caribbean nations and territories through Cricket West Indies, the regional governing body. Its members are territorial boards: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.
Those six boards field teams in the regional first-class competition, the four-day championship, and in regional one-day cricket. The Windward Islands team brings together Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica. Each of those countries has its own national cricket association, its own domestic leagues and its own grounds, but at first-class level they combine.
The reason is practical rather than political. Each of the four Windward Islands has a small population and a limited pool of top players. Combining them gives a squad deep enough to compete with Jamaica or Trinidad, and shares the cost of travel, coaching and facilities. The Leeward Islands, including Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis and others, follow the same logic.
What the Windward arrangement means in practice
Selection is shared. Grenadian players must compete for places with cricketers from three other islands, so a strong local season is not always enough to win selection.
Home matches rotate. Windward Islands games are spread across grounds in the four territories, so the National Cricket Stadium in St George's hosts only part of the team's home fixtures.
Local identity remains strong. Within Grenada, parish and club cricket carries its own pride, and inter-island matches among the Windwards have a long history.
Franchise cricket adds a layer. In the Caribbean Premier League, the T20 franchise competition, players are contracted to franchises based around the region, so Grenadians can turn out for teams far from home.
The pathway is long. A young Grenadian usually moves from school cricket and parish leagues to national youth teams, then Windward Islands age-group sides, then the senior Windwards squad, before any West Indies call-up.
The ground at Queen's Park
The National Cricket Stadium sits at Queen's Park on the northern edge of St George's, on the site of the old cricket ground where Grenada had played for generations. It staged its first Test match from 28 June to 2 July 2002, when the West Indies played New Zealand. Chris Gayle scored a double century, and the match was drawn.
In September 2004 Hurricane Ivan caused enormous damage across Grenada, and the stadium was among the structures badly hit. It was rebuilt with support from the government of the People's Republic of China in time to host matches at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, which was played across the Caribbean. That World Cup gave Grenada international exposure, though like many regional venues it left questions about the cost of maintaining a large stadium for a limited number of international games.
The ground has hosted a small number of Tests since 2002, including against Bangladesh in 2009 and England in later tours, along with one-day and T20 internationals. Because West Indies home fixtures are shared among many islands, years can pass between Tests in Grenada.
Grenadians who reached West Indies level
Grenada has produced a steady trickle of West Indies cricketers rather than a flood, which is consistent with its size. Names Grenadian fans regularly mention include:
- Junior Murray, a wicketkeeper-batsman who played Test and one-day cricket for the West Indies in the 1990s.
- Rawl Lewis, a leg-spinner and long-serving Windward Islands player who played Tests for the West Indies.
- Devon Smith, a left-handed opening batsman who played many Tests over a long international career and became one of the most prolific run-scorers in regional first-class history.
- Andre Fletcher, an aggressive batsman known mainly for limited-overs and T20 cricket, including in the Caribbean Premier League.
- Several other Grenadians have represented the West Indies in youth and limited-overs cricket, and the island remains a regular supplier of Windward Islands players.
The parish and club game
Below the international and regional level, Grenadian cricket lives in parish grounds and club competitions. Village teams play on community playing fields from St Patrick in the north to St David in the south, and on Carriacou, often on weekends during the dry season, which runs roughly from January to May. Matches draw families, friends and passers-by, and the social side, with food, music and commentary from the boundary, is as much part of the game as the cricket.
National competitions organised by the Grenada Cricket Association bring the best clubs together, and representative youth teams are picked from those competitions and from school cricket. Young players who impress may move into Windward Islands age-group squads, where they first compete against the best juniors from St Lucia, St Vincent and Dominica.
Softball cricket, played with a tennis ball or a taped ball on streets, beaches and open lots, remains hugely popular. It is where many Grenadians first learn to bat and bowl, and some tape-ball tournaments attract big crowds and lively commentary. For many young players it is the gateway to the hard-ball game.
Women's cricket and the next generation
Women's cricket has grown across the Caribbean since the West Indies women's team won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2016. The regional structure mirrors the men's game, with the Windward Islands fielding a women's side in regional competitions, drawing players from Grenada and the other three islands.
In Grenada, the challenge is to keep girls playing beyond primary school, when many drift to netball, athletics or simply stop playing sport. School programmes, coaching clinics and clubs willing to field girls' teams make the difference. Cricket officials and coaches have argued that a stronger women's game would also help the sport compete for public attention and sponsorship.
The broader point applies to boys and girls alike: the next West Indies cricketer from Grenada is most likely to emerge from a school or parish programme with a committed coach, decent equipment and a pitch that is properly prepared, rather than from talent alone.
Why cricket has had to compete for attention
Cricket was for generations the main team sport in Grenada, as it was across the English-speaking Caribbean. Village grounds, club rivalries and school competitions made it a part of community life. In recent decades, however, it has faced competition for young people's time from football, basketball and, since 2012, athletics.
There are reasons for that shift. Athletics has produced Olympic champions and a visible route to US college scholarships. Football and basketball offer quicker, cheaper games that suit limited facilities and time. Cricket, by contrast, needs well-prepared pitches, expensive equipment and long matches. The decline of the West Indies team from its dominant era in the 1970s and 1980s also weakened the sport's glamour across the region.
Even so, cricket remains deeply embedded. Domestic leagues continue, school cricket persists, and a major international match at the National Cricket Stadium still draws crowds from across the island and Carriacou.
Common confusions about Grenada and cricket
A few misunderstandings come up regularly among visitors and casual fans:
- Grenada does not have its own team in the regional four-day championship. Its players represent the Windward Islands at that level.
- The National Cricket Stadium and the Kirani James Athletic Stadium are separate venues, although they sit close together in the Queen's Park area.
- A West Indies home series is not always played in Grenada. Fixtures rotate among many islands, so check the schedule before planning a trip around a match.
- Grenadian players in the Caribbean Premier League may play for franchises based on other islands, depending on contracts and drafts.
- Hurricane Ivan in 2004 damaged the stadium, but it was rebuilt and has hosted international cricket since 2007.
Frequently asked questions
Does Grenada have its own cricket team?
Grenada has a national cricket association, domestic leagues and representative youth teams, but at first-class level its players represent the Windward Islands, alongside cricketers from St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica.
When was the first Test match in Grenada?
The first Test at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's was played from 28 June to 2 July 2002 between the West Indies and New Zealand. Chris Gayle scored a double century and the match ended in a draw.
Which Grenadian cricketers have played for the West Indies?
Well-known names include wicketkeeper Junior Murray, leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, opening batsman Devon Smith and limited-overs batsman Andre Fletcher. Others have represented the West Indies at youth and limited-overs level.
Did Grenada host matches at the 2007 Cricket World Cup?
Yes. The National Cricket Stadium, rebuilt with Chinese government support after Hurricane Ivan damaged it in 2004, hosted matches at the 2007 World Cup, which was played across several Caribbean countries.
Why do the Windward Islands play as one team?
Each of the four islands has a small population and limited pool of top players. Combining them creates a stronger squad and shares the costs of travel, coaching and facilities in regional competition.
