Caribbean T20 2011 to be played in January

The second edition of the Caribbean T20 tournament will be played in January 2011, just over six months after this year's event. The tournament was advanced so that the West Indian representative for Champions League 2011 can could be identified earlier.

Guyana won the inaugural Caribbean T20, beating Barbados in the final on July 31, and qualified for the 2010 Champions League that gets underway on September 10.

"We were informed by the officials of the Champions League that the regional tournament was played too late in the season," West Indies Cricket Board director Baldath Mahabir explained. "They needed to know who would represent the West Indies at the tournament earlier and this was the major reason in bringing the tournament forward to January, to give them proper notice of our representatives."

The 2010 tournament was marred by poor weather, with three washouts in 16 games, however Mahabir was confident of better conditions following the rescheduling. "Rain affected the tournament this year because we were playing at the tail-end of the cricket season in Trinidad. In January the weather is expected to be much better and this is another plus."