Former West Indies fastbowler and cricket commentator, Ian Bishop, is watching the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with bated breath, as he sees the tournament and as a proof of concept for cricket’s way forward.
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.”