This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1946 to 1970.
First-class cricket in the West Indies had begun in February 1865 and the federation began playing Test cricket in 1928, but it was not until the 1965-66 West Indian cricket season that a formal domestic competition was founded, this being the Shell Shield which has subsequently evolved into the Carib Beer Cup.
West Indies cricket received a tremendous boost when its team defeated England in the 1950 Test series. The preceding few years had seen the emergence of truly great players like Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, and Gary Sobers followed during the 1950s.
In 1965, Shell Oil sponsored its Shell Shield and the West Indies at last had a true domestic championship. At first the new competition involved Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Combined Islands team which was an amalgam of Leeward Islands cricket team and Windward Islands cricket team.
EW Swanton's team played four 3-day matches against local clubs, winning 3 and losing 1.