Dwayne Smith ... to play for St Catherine CC. - File

SIX OVERSEAS professional players have been drafted to boost Jamaica's top-flight cricket competition, the Jamaica Super League (JSL), which will bowl off on March 22.

Barbadians Ryan Hinds, who, on Tuesday received another call-up to the West Indies team, Sulieman Benn, who won his first call-up for the regional team to face Sri Lanka, former Test player Floyd Reifer, Dwayne Smith, who has been in and out of the Test team, and first-class pacer Jason Bennett are confirmed for the league.

Hinds will turn out for Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Benn for Manchester, Reifer for Trelawny, Smith for St Catherine CC and Bennett for Kingston, while Antiguan Sylvester Joseph is a pending Westmoreland signee.

St Elizabeth, who opted against taking a pro, will rely on the services of West Indies players Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Brenton Parchment, along with Shawn Findlay and Damion Ebanks. Likewise, Melbourne will have Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Donovan Pagon and André McCarthy in their line-up.

In a move to bring more professionalism to the league, several changes have been made One such is only coaches with at least a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Level Two coaching certificate will be allowed to coach teams, while a selected pool of umpires will been assigned.

The teams in the league will also use names such as St Elizabeth Sharks, JDF Brigade, Melbourne Kangaroos, Westmoreland Wizards, Manchester Lions, Trelawny Buccaneers and St Catherine Saints.

Players with more than 25 Tests and 100 ODIs under their belts will get US$300 per match. Other international players will receive US$200, while first-class cricketers will get US$175 and regular players US$80.

However, of note, the organisers pointed out that only overseas players will be paid in US$, which means local players will collect $21,000, $14,000, $12,250 and $5,600.

Rebuilding stage

Former West Indies captain Courtney Walsh endorsed the league.

"West Indies cricket is in the rebuilding stage and it goes without saying for cricket to improve, cricket in the territories must improve," he said while hinting this Super League is a step in the right direction.

"For the cricket in the territories to improve, cricket in the clubs must improve, along with cricket in the schools," he said. "We need all the clubs in the region to go pro; this will assist the players to develop their game," he said.