Hero Caribbean Premier League

On Saturday, the Patriots fell by 10 wickets to an ever-improving St Lucia Zouks to add to losses against the Barbados Tridents and the Guyana Amazon Warriors earlier in the week.

According to Emrit, the team is yet to get any one facet of its game going the way it should.

On Saturday, he pointed to more than one instance when the team got it wrong.

“There’s a couple of things that you can look at. A couple of chances that went down,” Emrit began.

Adding that; “When you look at the last two overs of the game, after we were pulling them back so well after 18 overs the last two overs went for about 30-odd. We thought we had them. You know, 150-160 might have been ideal on that wicket but we just let it go in those last two overs,” he said after the Zouks scored 172 despite a middle-overs slip.

“We are trying to get everything in place. We are trying to get all aspects to perform. We just can’t get it right at the moment. We have to go back to drawing board,” he said.

With three losses from three starts, Emrit says there is now pressure on the team headed into their fourth game against the defending champions, Barbados Tridents.

“Now it is three out of three so the pressure is on us but we’ve been in this position before and it’s just for us to get a win under our belt and get the momentum.”

Speaking after the Zouks produced an all-round performance to earn a 10-run win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sammy said he was proud of every aspect of the team’s play.

“With Jimbo having to come off because he was having some problems with his vision and to see Mark Deyal, the way he is playing. I’ve told him I played 12 years of international cricket and I don’t have half the talent he has so what’s stopping him,” said Sammy.

“But today Fletcher took the innings deep and this morning I spoke about the impact of my Afghan players and you see Mohammad Nabi again, after losing some quick wickets he was back and the way he controlled that last few overs,” he said.

But that was with the bat, with the ball, Sammy could not ask much more than he was given.

“[Nabi] with the ball, Roston Chase, asking him to bowl in the powerplay, my spinners have responded really really well,” said Sammy.

“When you look at our squad from early I said, we don’t have the superstar guys but from the camp, from the two days that we had at practice, what I saw, with the skill level with the bowlers, we have guys that can turn the ball away from the bat, guys that can bring it in to the bat for both left and right, so we have a good mix,” said Sammy.

According to the former West Indies captain, the superstars may not matter if everybody does their job in the way his Zouks have been.

“At the end of the day, it boils down to execution and I thought today, we executed really really well against them.”

Patriots captain Rayad Emrit chose to bowl, but while Sheldon Cottrell and Sohail Tanvir started tightly to Rakheem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher was able to pick up boundaries off both. Cornwall retired ill in the third over, and while Mark Deyal started with a Hero Maximum first ball, he should have fallen off his third when Ben Dunk missed a slip catch off Jon-Russ Jaggesar. Jaggesar’s frustration grew when Kieran Powell stepped on the rope while trying to complete a juggling catch.

The Zouks were quick to take advantage, Fletcher taking a liking to Tanvir and Deyal, peppering the leg-side off Jaggesar to power the Zouks to 64/0 off the Powerplay. The onslaught continued as the field went back, with Deyal launching his third Hero Maximum to bring up the 50 stand off just 27 balls.

Ish Sodhi took a good juggling catch at mid-off to dismiss Deyal off Emrit’s first ball. The Patriots captain foxed Najibullah Zadran with an array of slower balls, but the Afghan powered a pair of reverse sweeps off Sodhi and the legspinner was frustrated when Fletcher was dropped again on 38. Another Najibullah four saw the Zouks motor to 91/1 at halfway.

Jaggesar finally got his man when Fletcher picked out deep midwicket. With the Zouks so well set, it was a surprise to see the anchorman Roston Chase come into bat, and he fell to a spitting Jaggesar carrom ball before he could make much of an impression. Tanvir picked up Najibullah and Sammy caught behind in the same over, and at 123/5 in the 15th the Zouks were in danger of wasting a good platform.

Cornwall was well enough to return but hit only one boundary before he was freakishly run out. A Nabi leading edge spun back onto the bowlers’ stumps with Cornwall backing up looking for a run, and Emrit had ample time to complete the run-out.

Nabi showed his class with two huge Hero Maximums off Tanvir, one of which went literally out of the ground. Another flurry off the 20th took the Zouks to an imposing 172-6 despite their mid-innings stutter.

Nabi was back in the action immediately, bowling an excellent first over to Chris Lynn and Evin Lewis. Saad bin Zafar was not so accurate - when he dropped short Lynn pulled, and when he overpitched Lewis drove and paddle-swept - but a stunned Lynn had to depart when Najibullah sprung magnificently to take the catch of the tournament so far.

Lewis toyed with Scott Kuggeleijn, dispatching a Hero Maximum over square leg and paddling the follow-up slower ball very fine for four. But it was the New Zealander who was waiting at long-on when the recalled Joshua Da Silva toe-ended a straight hit off Chase. Kesrick Williams, bowling a rare Powerplay over, mixed up good and bad and the Patriots ended the Powerplay at 52/2.

Chase continued to impress, the ominous Lewis edging a cut to the keeper off a quicker ball. With Obed McCoy also accurate, Sammy was able to ramp up the pressure on Denesh Ramdin and Ben Dunk, and despite Ramdin’s Hero Maximum last ball before the drinks break, the Patriots needed 9.5 an over off the last 10. Dunk succumbed to the pressure, missing a sweep and giving Chase a third wicket of a fantastic spell. Tight overs from Williams and Nabi pushed the required run rate up above 11, and Powell, Ramdin, Tanvir and Emrit all fell trying to slog Kuggeleijn.

The Patriots’ keeper deserves credit for a good lone hand, and Cottrell launched a few lusty blows to narrow the margin of defeat, but other than their mid-innings batting wobble the Zouks were in control throughout, and with their well-stocked spin attack could be a force later in the tournament if the pitches tire as expected. The Patriots meanwhile have work to do if they’re not to be cut adrift.

According to Tamim, the journey to the CPL, which is set for August 18 in Trinidad and Tobago, is long and would keep him away from his family, making it difficult to respond to emergencies.

Due to the COVID-19 there is travel restriction and route to West Indies is very long. Say I make it to the islands but there is an emergency in my family, I will not be able to return easy. I do not want to take that chance,” said Tamim.

There is also the issue of figuring out when Bangladesh’s domestic cricket will restart. The last game was played in March and it is still unknown when a restart is likely but Tamim, in particular, wants to be available when it does.

“The tournament [Dhaka Premier League] is suspended but as you know, we all are waiting for it to resume which can happen any time,” said Tamim.

Mahmudullah and Tamim have played in the CPL before, the former for the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Bangladesh captain for the St Lucia Zouks.

Raza was picked up by the Trinbago Knight Riders in the competition’s draft on Monday.

“CPL was missing from the CV and I’m glad it’s now there. But most importantly, I’m glad that there will be Zimbabwean representation,” said Raza.

According to Raza, the decision by the TKR could now help open the door for other Zimbabwean cricketers trying to break into the major T20 competitions around the world.

“What I believe in is that if one goes, then he’ll bring another one and then if the two impress, the number will double. I’m hopeful that more Zimbabweans can be snapped up next season,” said Raza.

The TKR failed to defend their title in 2019, with the Barbados Tridents claiming the top spot ahead of the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The CPL, this year, will run from August 18-September 10 and be held entirely in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Knight Riders bowled first against the Zouks, who had gotten a good start despite losing Andre Fletcher early. It was just the third over, but already the Zouks had raced to 32 when Bravo was asked to bowl in the Powerplay.

His first three deliveries were dot balls, a yorker on middle stump, and two low full tosses at different paces. Then with his fourth delivery, he bowled back of a length. Cornwall took the bait, driving through cover only to be well caught by Colin Munro.

But before Bravo really celebrated his achievement, he had to refocus and get back to it, taking his 501^st wicket in a series of three overs that accounted for just seven.

Rain would interrupt the game in the 18^th over with the Zouks 111-6. Duckworth/Lewis’ intervention meant the Knight Riders would have to chase 72 from nine overs. The former champions would end on 74-2 in eight overs.

“It’s a great result for us, we really wanted to win this game. It is very important for us to keep winning cricket games,” said Bravo.

“Every time we and St Lucia play it is a rain-affected game but I am very very happy for the result,” he said.

With the win out of the way, Bravo could celebrate the personal milestone in a more real way.

“I guess I gotta say congratulations to myself are in order. It’s a great feeling. I’ve already gotten a lot of messages from a lot of people. It’s been a great journey so far,” said Bravo.

Bravo also thanked his teammates all around the world, saying achieving 500 wickets would not have been possible without them.

The Queen’s Park Oval, where the match was played, is the home of Bravo’s boyhood cricket club, Queen’s Park Cricket Club. Taking his 500^th wicket at the venue was not lost on the all-rounder.

“This is where I started playing cricket. At age eight is where it all started for me and I couldn’t be a more happy person to have gotten this here at the Queen’s Park Oval,” he said.

But Bravo isn’t dwelling on the achievement, he wants to keep going for as long as possible.

“I want to stay as fit as possible for as long as possible. Continue to build and keep taking wickets for whatever team I play for and enjoy the game. That is the most important thing for me,” he said.

Pollard had big shoes to fill, as Bravo had led the TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

The big West Indies captain, the most experienced T20 player in the history of the format, lost to eventual champions Barbados Tridents in the second qualifier for the competition’s final in 2019.

Still, he has retained his position as skipper in the team and has the blessing of his predecessor.

CEO of the TKR, Venky Mysore, revealed recently that Bravo, though very successful as captain of the team, had, for a long time, wanted to pass the baton, but he had delayed the action.

"The champion DJ Bravo has been coming to me year after year and asking me to give someone else the captaincy because he wants to just concentrate on playing and enjoying the game,” said Mysore.

Bravo, who recently came out of international retirement, has also played under Pollard for the West Indies and has lauded his approach to captaincy.

“I always told him not until I am ready and that time has come and he is very happy to play under Pollard,” said Mysore.

The TKR will open the CPL season against last year’s beaten finalists, the Guyana Amazon Warriors on August 18.

“Pollard was kind enough to accept the position to lead the team at the tournament. He said if we wanted him to do it he will and we said that we will be delighted to have him as captain again,” said Mysore.

Cornwall is no different, with the big off-spinner hoping for a season like the one he had in 2019.

Known more as a bowling allrounder, last season Cornwall was immense with the bat for the St Lucia Zouks, scoring 254 runs in 10 matches, with a highest of 75.

“Obviously, it’s going to be different from the previous CPL where you have the crowd and so on, but at the end of the day cricket still remains the same. I would like to continue where I left off last year because I think I had a pretty good year in the CPL last year where I scored the most runs for the St. Lucia Zouks, and there is no doubt that I want to repeat that this year,” said Cornwall in an interview with the Antigua Observer.

According to Cornwall, players doing well is usually the result of hard work and he has no issue with putting in the effort that it takes to repeat that performance.

“I just have to put in the work and I think we have a couple of days or just over a week to get ready before the tournament, so I am sure I will be fine by then, and I will just keep putting the numbers on the board,” he said.

“As a professional, you have to know what you need to do to get yourself ready for a match. I think you just have to keep practising, and once all of the protocols [quarantine and testing] are over and you are out of isolation, then your mind would automatically switch back to cricket and you just have to know what you need to do in terms of your role for the team, and by then, hitting the 18th [August], you should be ready,” he said.'

Cornwall will again turn out for the St Lucia Zouks who will play their opening game against the Jamaica Tallawahs on August 19 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The Tridents were pulling off a coup on last year’s beaten finalists the Guyana Amazon Warriors, for whom Rashid would have last played for in the CPL.

Rashid will be joined by a team similar to the one that claimed the CPL title in 2020, as the Tridents have retained Jason Holder, Harry Gurney, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer and Justin Greaves.

In yesterday’s CPL draft, the Tridents also picked untested Pakistan medium-fast bowler Shayan Jahangir, Afghan wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz and re-drafted Kyle Mayers.

In addition, they have also picked up powerful English opener Alex Hales, despite a relatively lean time with the team last season.

Hales will be joined by new signing Australian middle-order batsman Marcus Stoinis and West Indies under-19 standout Nyeem Young.

Barbados Tridents: Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Kyle Mayers, Joshia Bishop, Nyeem Young, Justin Greaves, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Shayan Jahangir.

Following a draft yesterday, it was revealed that the Warriors retained 11 players, including South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

Tahir, a veteran of 290 T20s has 365 wickets in the format with a best of 5-23 at an incredible average of 19.85.

The leg spinner goes at seven runs per over but more than makes up for that with his strike rate of 16.9. To date he has enjoyed two five-wicket hauls in his career along with 10 four-fors.

For company, Tahir will depend on the pace bowling of Jamaican, Odean Smith, as well as the intelligence of bowling allrounder Keemo Paul, and Romario Shepherd.

There is also some powerful batting on offer for the Warriors who have retained the services of Nicholas Pooran and signed former Tallawah’s player, Ross Taylor.

Taylor, the New Zealand middle-order batsman, is joined in that batting line-up by the return of Brandon King, who had a phenomenal 2019 with the Warriors.

King is expected to partner up with Chandrapaul Hemraj at the top of the order, with the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer also being retained.

Chris Green, last season’s skipper has also been retained, along with Sherfane Rutherford, and Anthony Bramble.

Afghanistan leg-break bowler, Qais Ahmad, was again signed by the Warriors, along with 20-year-old West Indies Emerging Team player, Kevin Sinclair.

There were draft picks for Afghan medium-fast bowler Naveen Ul Haq, West Indies under-19 left-arm orthodox, Ashmeade Nedd, and American medium-pacer, Jasdeep Singh.

Guyana Jaguars: Imran Tahir, Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King, Ross Taylor, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Green, Qais Ahmad, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Naveen Ul Haq, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmeade Nedd, Odean Smith, Anthony Bramble, and Jadeep Singh.

The Knight Riders have retained all of 11 players for this season’s CPL, set to run from August 18 to September 10 after a remote draft held earlier today.

The Knight Riders will return this season with Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein and Muhammad Ali Khan.

They have also signed 18-year-old West Indies under-19 medium-pacer Jayden Seales, as well as carrying back Australian Fawad Ahmed and New Zealand’s Colin Munro after they had stints away last season.

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert is the new name in the line-up after Denesh Ramdin was transferred to the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.

Seifert comes to the team with 83 T20s under his belt, scoring a century and eight half-centuries at an average of 25.26. He has had 65 dismissals behind the stumps, inclusive of 13 stumpings.

The Knight Riders have drafted four players though, picking up 48-year-old Indian leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, Anderson Phillip, who played with them las season, showing good pace, as well as Zimbabwe all-rounder, Sikandar Raza.

Trinbago Knight Riders:Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Australia’s Fawad Ahmed, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Tim Seifert, Sikandar Raza, Anderson Phillip, Pravin Tambe, Jayden Seales, Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, and Muhammad Ali Khan.

Joshua De Silva, the only man to score a century during the West Indies intra-match practice games over the last two weeks, has been drafted into the Patriots line-up, while Australian, Chris Lynn has come over from the Guyana Jaguars.

De Silva showed he can bat, but the 22-year-old Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper-batsman has never played a T20 match and averages 32.88 from his 16 First-Class games. He averages 41 in List A cricket but that is just from 10 games.

While De Silva is an unknown quantity, Lynn’s quality with the bat is world-renowned and he could form a dangerous partnership with Evin Lewis at the top of the Patriots order.

Lewis has been retained along with Jamaican pacer Sheldon Cottrell, and allrounder Rayad Emrit.

The Patriots also chose to retain Fabian Allen, West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, and Dominic Drakes.

As for signings, the Patriots will have South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen, Former Pakistan medium pacer, Sohail Tanvir, and returning New Zealander, Ish Sodhi.

The Patriots also have the experience of Denesh Ramdin along with Colin Archibald, John Russ Jaggesar, Sunny Sohal, and Dennis Bulli.

The CPL held it’s online draft earlier on Monday, with the Tallawahs also drafting Nepaleese leg-spinner, Sandeep Lamichhane.

The Tallawahs team threatens to look very different from it has in previous years, though they have retained the services of Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Glenn Phillips, Chadwick Walton, and Oshane Thomas.

Brathwaite and Lamichhane will team up with fellow draftees Fidel Edwards, Asif Ali, Preston McSween, Nicholas Kirton, Jeavor Royal, Veerasammy Permaul, and Ryan Persaud.

The Tallawahs will also welcome the services of South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who was a hit with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in a previous iteration of the CPL.

Jamaica Tallawahs:Andre Russell, Sandeep Lamichhane, Carlos Brathwaite, Rovman Powell, Tabraiz Shamsi, Glenn Phillips, Chadwick Walton, Oshane Thomas, Asif Ali, Fidel Edwards, Preston McSween, Andre McCarthy, Nicholas Kirton, Jeavor Royal, Nkrumah Bonner, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan Persaud

Gayle, who had made the move from the Jamaica Tallawahs to the St Lucia Zouks, announced that, for personal reasons, he would be sitting out the Hero Caribbean Premier League.

The decision, meant the Daren Sammy-led unit, would be hard pressed to find another big hitter this season.

Roussouw’s signing could be just the Philip they are looking for.

The South African is a seasoned campaigner, having played 199 T20s throughout his career. He averages 29.72 and though he only has two centuries, he scored 27 half centuries in the format at a strike rate of 135.

Along with Rossouw, Sammy has Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, Chemar Holder, Mark Deyal, Leniko Boucher, Javelle Glen and Canadian, Saad Bin Zafar at his disposal.

The team has retained South African Colin Ingram, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Rahkeem Cornwall, Obed McCoy, and Kavem Hodge.

They have also signed West Indies under-19 captain Kimani Melius, as well as Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad and South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje.

St Lucia Zouks:Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nabi, Daren Sammy, Colin Ingram, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Anrich Nortje, Chemar Holder, Obed McCoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Mark Deyal, Noor Ahmad, Kimani Melius, Leniko Boucher, Kavem Hodge, Javelle Glen, and Saad Bin Zafar.

The grievance appears to have been caused because local players from the TKR did not join the bio-secure bubble at the Hylton Hotel, continuing to train.

The first teams allowed to train were announced on Tuesday with the St Lucia Zouks and the Knight Riders getting the go ahead. According to a release from the CPL, local players had gone through the mandatory testing process and would this week enter the bubble.

“Everyone should have been part of the bubble from the first day to “guarantee” that the health and safety of all stakeholders is not “compromised”, read a social media post from Zouks skipper Daren Sammy.

"How can everybody else be in a bubble no access to training or practice games while others on the outside in a COVID infected area be training and playing practice games. Then allowed to join the bubble without self-isolation," read another from the Zouks skipper.

According to reports, defending champions, Barbados Tridents have also not taken kindly to the difference being shown to the local TKR players and asked why it was that all players from the franchise were not asked to enter the bubble and undergo the mandatory weeklong quarantine everybody else did.

But according to Michael Hall, operations director of the CPL, it was necessary to take precautions to ensure local players entering the bubble were not a threat to the environment’s bio-security.

Cricket has been at a virtual standstill, with a smattering of games being undertaken in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but according to Bishop, if a big tournament like the CPL can maintain its bio-security, then the world has a model from which it can re-start regular programming.

According to Bishop, the resources of England made it easier for that country to host the recent #raisethebat series against the West Indies but that the CPL would prove that even countries without those resources can also maintain the same kind of safety.

"Firstly, the economic resources that England and the broadcasters put into that West Indies-England Test series and the Pakistan one that's going on now is significant," Bishop said during a press conference organised by the ICC following the worldwide premiere of its documentary Beyond the Boundary.

Bishop made mention of the fact that the two grounds at which the #raisethebat series were played had hotels there which is not the norm.

But Bishop, who is in T&T where he will operate as one of the commentators on the CPL, believes this tournament an even more important testing ground than the Manchester and Southampton models.

“We don't have as many resources, economically, to put into it, but our folks have been brilliant in utilising the hotel and the staff, the protective forces in carrying out this bubble so far. We still have a month to go, but the end of that month, we will know even better how teams and countries and boards without the economic advantage can carry this out safely,” said Bishop.

According to Bishop, the success of the CPL will depend heavily on the discipline of players as well, saying responsibility in maintaining a safe environment was huge.

“The players have to take responsibility, they have to take ownership of this, discipline themselves and mentally steel themselves in this new normal about staying away from the public and doing things responsibly,” said Bishop.

The CPL example, Bishop went on to say, was also important to the women’s game in the Caribbean, which has been stagnant since sport’s lockdown, months ago.

“Now the women's game and the administrators can look at this without endangering anyone's lives and say, 'Ah, we can play cricket safely.' So now is the time to get back on the bicycle and start putting things in place because I don't know the women's game can continue to be as inactive as it has been. We must now look to drive it forward, even if it's for bilateral tours because we know we can do it safely,” he said.

“So this [the CPL's bubble] is another research and development project. And if we can do it here in Trinidad, I promise you that anyone else in the world can do it because we are doing it without the millions of dollars that other territories may have, so keep an eye on the Hero CPL and if we can do this properly, it will be great.”

Thomas did not have a fantastic CPL for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots last year, and says he needs to show improvement even though he feels disappointment.

According to Thomas, who was speaking with the Antigua Observer, his performances over the years matter very little in franchise cricket and what you have done last may count against you.

“Playing for St Kitts, I have been the second leading scorer over the last few years, so I was a bit disappointed but at the end of the day, it’s a franchise and they are coming with a different plan and different owners,” he said.

“Also, last year I got a few starts but I didn’t capitalise on those starts so I have to look back on myself and say I let myself down as well,” he said.

Thomas only scored 180 runs in the CPL last year, even though he had a high-score of 71.

But Thomas isn’t sitting on his laurels. The 30-year-old is already looking at making an impact in next season’s Super50 and four-day competition for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

“They [LICB] have given us a programme to work with and I think that it was just last week Friday we did a fitness test, a yoyo test, so I’ve been keeping in good shape. I am just lacking of hitting balls, that’s the only thing,” said Thomas.

“As I’ve said, I have to be more consistent and I wasn’t consistent enough. I did okay in the Super50 but I had a poor run in the Four Day so I have to try and fix those things and have better consistent performances going forward.”

Thomas was not retained by the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and had gone into the CPL draft as a result, but was not picked up by any of the other five franchises.

The CPL will have a full season and will feature overseas and Caribbean players with the standard higher than it has ever been with the likes of Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Alex Hales and Kieron Pollard all set to take part.

Last year’s CPL had a combined broadcast and digital viewership of 312 million and with the tournament being the first franchise T20 event to take place in several months there will be more interest than ever.

The CPL have worked with the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health and the CPL’s own board of medical advisors to create protocols which minimize risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus to the population of Trinidad and in amongst those who will be travelling to Trinidad & Tobago from overseas.

All teams and officials will be housed in one hotel and everyone will be subject to strict quarantine protocols for the first two weeks they are in the country. Everyone travelling from overseas will be tested for COVID-19, before departure and then again on arrival in Trinidad.

Teams and officials will be put into “households” where social distancing will need to be in place. There will be smaller clusters within each household where these measures can be relaxed. However, if any member of this cluster display signs of COVID-19 at any time during the tournament all members of that cluster will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days from the time that a member of that cohort first shows symptoms.

All members of the CPL party will be subject to regular temperature checks and will be re-tested for the virus throughout their stay in Trinidad and again before departure.

Pete Russell, COO of Hero CPL, said: "We would like to express our gratitude and thanks to The Hon. Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, The Hon. Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs, The Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister for Health, Dr. Roshan Parasram, Chief Medical Officer for Trinidad & Tobago, Douglas Camacho, Chairman of Sport TT and their respective ministries and organisations for their support and guidance in making this all possible.

“We are really excited to bring high-class cricket to the Caribbean and to the rest of the world. The standard of players involved in this year’s tournament will be higher than ever and we can’t wait to get the tournament under way.”

The teams feature the best cricketing talent from across the Caribbean and from around the world with Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Shoaib Malik, Sunil Narine, Faf du Plessis, Ravi Bopara, Glenn Phillips and Kieron Pollard all set to take part.

The tournament gets underway on 26 August with the first match seeing current champions Trinbago Knight Riders taking on Guyana Amazon Warriors.

 The final squads are as follows:

Jamaica Tallawahs: Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Chris Green, Carlos Brathwaite, Haider Ali, Chadwick Walton, Fidel Edwards, Qais Ahmad, Jason Mohhamed, Migael Pretorious, Kennar Lewis, Shamarh Brooks, Veerasammy Permaul, Abijhai Mansingh, Joshua James, Kirk McKenzie, Ryan Persaud.

St Lucia Kings: Faf Du Plessis, Keemo Paul, Wahab Riaz, Timothy David, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Usman Qadir, Samit Patel, Obed McCoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Javelle Glen, Keron Cottoy, Jeavor Royal, Kadeem Alleyne, Alzarri Joseph.

Trinbago Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Yasir Shah, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Isuru Udana, Tim Siefert, Anderson Phillip, Denesh Ramdin, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Leonardo Julien, Ali Khan.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bopara, Paul van Meekeren, Sherfane Rutherford, Sheldon Cottrell, Fawad Ahmed, Devon Thomas, Rayad Emrit, Asif Ali, Colin Archibald, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Dominic Drakes, Joshua Da Silva, Mykile Louis.

Barbados Royals: Glen Phillips, Jason Holder, Thisara Perrera, Mohammad Amir, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Oshane Thomas, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr, Azam Khan, Justin Greaves, Ashley Nurse, Jake Lintott, Nyeem Young, Joshua Bishop, Samit Patel.

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammad Hafeez, Brandon King, Naveen Ul Haq, Romario Shepherd, Waqar Salamkhiel, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Odean Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd.

More particularly, Walsh Jr is relishing the opportunity to turn out for defending Hero Caribbean Premier League champions, the Barbados Tridents.

Walsh Jr was the leading wicket-taker for the Tridents, bagging 22 wickets on his way to helping the side lay claim to its second CPL win. More interesting than the success for Walsh Jr, though, is the experience of playing for the Barbados franchise and being led by West Indies Test captain, Jason Holder.

“I really enjoyed the Tridents setup last year with the whole coaching staff and the team and everyone just jelled together and even in the times where we looked as if we were going to go out quite miserably we still stuck together and fight it out to win the championship. So I think that was the most rewarding part of being part of the setup,” said Walsh Jr.

To boot, Walsh Jr was coached by the man who went on to lead the coaching staff of West Indies cricket in former West Indies opening batsman turned all-rounder, Phil Simmons.

“He’s like a father and I’d say he’s like a father-coach. He’s stern when he needs to be stern, he jokes around when it’s time to joke around and when things are not right he puts them into place, so it’s like when your parents or father sees things are out of place and they would put them in place. I think he has been a real father figure for all of us, even the big stars and stuff, so I really enjoy playing under him,” said Walsh Jr.

As of now, the CPL is still scheduled from August 19 to September 26 but that remaining so will depend on the spread of the Coronavirus up to that point.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the Coronavirus, has so far affected more than 1.6 million people worldwide and led to almost 96,000 deaths.