Following a months-long break, international cricket officially returned to the global calendar with the West Indies versus England series and is continuing with the England versus Pakistan series. Bishop, however, pointed out that most countries could not match the tremendous resources need to put on those contests.
He believes if the CPL is able to host the tournament successfully on what must certainly amount to a shoestring budget compared to the amount spent by the England Cricket Board, then other countries should be able to as well.
"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.
"I don't think there are too many other countries that will have the resources to do it like that because you've got two grounds where hotels are actually on the ground,” he added.
"Another testing ground is where I am now. I am sitting in the Hilton in Trinidad where our CPL T20 is going to start next week. 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 at 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.”
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.”
The shortest format of the game, which began to gain prominence in the mid-2000s, initially had a bumpy introduction to the region as leagues clashed with the schedule of international cricket.
The scheduling clash, combined with the rules of the then administration, saw several of the team’s top players unable to take part in the longer formats of ODI and Test cricket. The discrepancy saw an experienced West Indies team claim two T20 World Championships but continue to struggle in the other formats.
Bishop believes the availability of the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, and Kieron Pollard, during the period, could have added much-needed experience and firepower to the Windies line-up.
“In the West Indies initially, there was a bad effect on the game since the administrators did not know the value of T20 cricket and the ability of a player as a sole contractor where they had to choose when they wanted to play. We did not handle that well. We lost a few significant players from West Indies cricket for a period of time I wish did not happen,” Bishop told the Hindustan Times.
“And it’s only now when we see England allowing their players to go and play in the IPL. The West Indies have taken a different view now under their leadership that they need to allow their players to earn their living but when they were available, we will have a compromise. But we have missed so many important players. I think it’s set back West Indies cricket a little bit.”
The West Indies captain was contracted by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in September to replace Australia’s Mitchell Marsh, who injured his ankle in SRH’s first match of the 2020 IPL season and was ruled out for the entire season.
The 28-year-old Barbadian repaid SRH’s faith in him on Thursday when he took three wickets and was involved in four dismissals in his team’s emphatic eight-wicket victory over the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai.
The former West Indies fast bowler speaking on T20 Timeout believes it was Holder’s CPL form that has seen him playing in the IPL for the first time since he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.
“What catapulted him back into the West Indies T20 side was last year’s CPL where he picked up 11 or 12 wickets in the Power Play because he swings the ball, he has nice bounce and he was particularly impressive in that phase of the game,” said Bishop, who said his batting also played a role.
“He is not as good at the back end of the innings, and in this year’s CPL he was scoring a lot of runs relative to the Barbados Tridents, who he captained again.
“He looked like a batsman (when compared to most of them) apart from Kyle Mayers.”
Bishop believes Holder’s overall game has been improving.
“He is getting better. I wouldn’t say he is a standout T20 player but I can understand why they (SRH) went for him.”
With a line-up that included the likes of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Colin Croft, the West Indies team of that era became a nightmare for opposing batsmen. The four-pronged bowling attack was relentless but also possessed some skill to go along with sustained aggression.
Despite initially being known for producing top-class spinners, India has in recent years produced a fearsome pace bowling attack of their own. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have proved capable of rattling even the best batting line-ups around the globe.
Bumrah has arguably been the pick of the pack and has developed a reputation for terrorizing opposing batsmen with pace and movement, despite a relatively short run-up. Ironically, it was the West Indies that were rocked back by the bowler last year when he put on an outstanding display during a series between the teams, particularly during a Test match at Jamaica’s Sabina Park. Bumrah returned outstanding figures of 6-16 from 9.1 overs - including just the third Test hat-trick by an India bowler.
“When you have three fast bowlers, sometimes four and an excellent spinner, it takes my mind back to the West Indies pace quartet before my generation, the Marshalls, the Holdings, the Garners, the Roberts – I’ll stick Colin Croft in there,” Bishop told Cricbuzz in Conversation.
“There is no release point, two come out, two come on. There is no flow of runs and there is always a threat of penetration and physical harm to a lesser extent. That is one of the things that makes this group of fast bowlers excellent.”
