Cayman Islands keep 2028 T20 World Cup dream alive

By Daniel Beswick

The Cayman Islands have progressed to the next round of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2028 qualifying thanks to victory on home soil in Sub-regional action.

In the first T20 World Cup qualifier held on the islands, the hosts turned George Town's Jimmy Powell Oval into a fortress, winning all six matches to finish four points clear of nearest rival Argentina.

The Caymans' bowling proved almost unstoppable, keeping Argentina, Mexico and Suriname to under 100 in the first five matches of their campaign. They lost just two wickets across three successful chases to begin the campaign, starting with a 10-wicket win over the Argentinians to lay an early marker down, before nine-wicket wins over Mexico and Suriname.

A 93-run win over Mexico to go four from four meant they sat in the box seat, before a second nine-wicket win over Suriname put them in an almost unassailable position when factoring in their superior net run rate over the Argentinians.

To finish off the campaign, the Caymans went on to beat Argentina a second time, chasing down a target of 115 inside 17 overs. Jermaine Baker's 248 runs at the tournament was only bettered by young Argentinian standout Pedro Baron (275), while Caymans seamer Romario Edwards (11 wickets) was only matched by Suriname off-spinner Xaviee Smith in the wickets department.

They join fellow Americas sides USA and Canada in the next round of qualifying, with the pair's participation in the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup earning them a direct path to the second stage of qualifying.

Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil and Panama will feature in the second sub-regional qualifier in the region, with the Bermudians to host the event in June.