The Jamaica Tallawahs have announced their overseas signings for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which gets underway on 31 August.
Left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir will be joining the Tallawahs for the first time having represented the Barbados Royals last season, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 13.54.
The other four overseas players have all had experience with the Tallawahs in the past. Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was with the franchise in 2020 where he took 12 wickets and went at an economy rate of just 5.27 runs an over.
Imad Wasim, Chris Green and Miguel Pretorius were all with the Tallawahs in 2021 and will return this season as overseas signings. Brandon King and Fabian Allen have also been signed by the two-time champions.
Power hitter Rovman Powell has been retained by the franchise along with Kennar Lewis and Shamarh Brooks.
The Tallawahs will have seven more spots to fill at the Hero CPL draft with details of these picks released during the draft show which will be broadcast this Thursday – 7 July – at 9am Eastern Caribbean Time.
The Barbados Royals have announced their overseas signings for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League which gets underway on August 31.
Quinton de Kock will appear at Hero CPL for the first time, bringing with him a huge amount of experience. De Kock has played more than 250 T20 matches for South Africa and franchises around the world.
He will be joined by fellow South African David Miller who will be playing for his third Hero CPL team having previously appeared for the Jamaican and Saint Lucian franchises. Miller has more than 8000 T20 runs at a strike rate of 138.
Pakistani batter Azam Khan is returning to the Royals for a second successive season having made his Hero CPL debut in 2021.
Afghan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman will be with the Royals in 2022 having previously played for the Jamaica Tallawahs. Mujeeb has raced to almost 200 T20 wickets and has become a sought-after bowler around the world.
The final overseas spot will be filled by South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch who recently joined the Rajasthan Royals at the India Premier League.
Expressing his thoughts on the team’s overseas signings, Head Coach Trevor Penney said: “We are delighted to have signed some of the best overseas players of the T20 format, who we feel will complement our retentions perfectly.
“Quinton is a proven match winner who has delivered for both his country and all the franchises he’s played for around the world, and we are delighted that he’s chosen the Royals as the team to start his CPL journey at. On the other hand, having worked closely with David Miller and Corbin Bosch at the Rajasthan Royals, we know exactly what they bring to the table and at the same time, they also understand the philosophy of the Royals perfectly.
“We are also happy to have the energy and excitement that Azam Khan can bring to the group, having seen him perform for us last season. While Mujeeb ur Rahman is a world-class spinner who has made his name plying his trade in T20s globally and is a quality and potentially effective addition to our spin department. From my perspective, these signings are an indication of the kind of cricket we want to play here at Barbados, and I’m confident going into the drafts that we’re building a talented and dynamic squad to vie for the title this season,” added the 54-year-old Penney.
The Royals will have five more spots to fill at the Hero CPL draft with details of these picks released during the draft show which will be broadcast on July 7 at 9 am ECT.
Barbados Royals players signed: Quinton de Kock, David Miler, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Obed McCoy, Devon Thomas and Corbin Bosch.
Retained players: Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Azam Khan, Oshane Thomas, Nyeem Young.
Faf du Plessis, who captained the Kings to a second successive Hero CPL final in 2021, will return this season. Tim David and David Wiese will join him after were both instrumental to the Kings' success during the 2021 season.
This season will also see the return of Scott Kuggeleijn who played for the Kings in 2020, where he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket taker that season. The Kings have one more overseas spot left to fill, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Kings will have six more spots to fill at the Hero CPL draft with details of these picks released during the draft show which will be broadcast this Thursday 7 July – at 9 am Eastern Caribbean Time.
The Kings' squad so far: Faf du Plessis,.
To be confirmed: Tim David, Roston Chase, Johnson Charles, Kesrick Williams, David Wiese, Alzarri Joseph, Scott Kuggeleijn, Mark Deyal, Jeavor Royal.
The fixtures for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) have been confirmed. The tournament will visit St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and culminate in the final in Guyana.
The opening day of the tournament will see the Trinbago Knight Riders Women take on the Barbados Royals women before the current Men’s champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, begin their title defence against the Jamaica Tallawahs.
The women’s CPL will feature four matches in the inaugural 2022 season in addition to the seven women’s games at the SKYEXCH 6IXTY which takes place immediately before Hero CPL. This is 11 matches in total, representing a big step forward in the scheduling of women’s franchise cricket in the region, with plans to grow this in subsequent years.
“It is very exciting to be able to confirm the fixtures for this season with this announcement being all the more special with the WCPL taking place for the first time in 2022,” said CPL CEO Pete Russell. “We can’t wait to be back travelling around the Caribbean and we are looking forward to welcoming our wonderful fans to stadiums across the region.”
2022 CPL schedule below:
Wednesday 31 August, 3 pm
Trinbago Knight Riders Women vs Barbados Royals Women
Wednesday 31 August, 7 pm
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men
Thursday 1 September, 10 am
Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men
Thursday 1 September, 3 pm
Guyana Amazon Warriors Women vs Trinbago Knight Riders Women
Thursday 1 September, 7 pm
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Barbados Royals Men
Saturday 3 September, 10 am
Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men
Saturday 3 September, 3 pm
Barbados Royals Women vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Women
Saturday 3 September, 7 pm
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men
Sunday 4 September, 10 am
Barbados Royals Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men
Sunday 4 September, 2:30 pm
WOMEN’S FINAL
Sunday 4 September, 7 pm
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men
Saint Lucia
Wednesday 7 September, 10 am
Barbados Royals Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men
Wednesday 7 September, 7 pm
St Lucia Kings Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men
Thursday 8 September, 10 am
Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men
Thursday 8 September, 7 pm
Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Barbados Royals Men
Saturday 10 September, 10 am
Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men
Saturday 10 September, 7 pm
Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men
Sunday 11 September, 10 am
Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Barbados Royals Men
Sunday 11 September, 7 pm
Saint Lucia Kings Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men
Trinidad
Tuesday 13 September, 7 pm
Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Barbados Royals Men
Wednesday 14 September 10 am
Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men
Wednesday 14 September, 7 pm
Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men
Thursday 15 September, 10 am
Barbados Royals Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men
Saturday 17 September, 10 am
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men
Saturday 17 September, 7 pm
Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men
Sunday 18 September, 10 am
Barbados Royals Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men
Sunday 18 September, 7 pm
Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men
Guyana
Wednesday 21 September, 10 am
Barbados Royals Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men
Wednesday 21 September, 7 pm
Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men
Thursday 22 September, 10 am
Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men
Thursday 22 September, 7 pm
Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men
Saturday 24 September, 7 pm
Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men
Sunday 25 September, 10 am
Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men
Sunday 25 September, 7 pm
Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Barbados Royals Men
Tuesday 27 September, 10 am
Qualifier 1 - 1st place finisher vs 2nd place finisher
Tuesday 27 September, 7 pm
Eliminator – 3rd place finisher vs 4th place finisher
Wednesday 28 September, 7 pm
Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1
Friday 30 September, 7 pm
Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2
West Indies batting star Chris Gayle will miss out on this year's edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in order to focus on the launch of the 6IXTY, a new format of the sport expected to make its debut in St Kitts and Nevis in August.
The tournament is set to feature six men’s teams and three women’s teams who will each battle for a version of the Universe Boss Trophy, which has been named in honour of the legendary T20 player.
The new format will see each team allotted ten overs to bat. In many respects, the game will look very different from the typical 10-over format. The teams will be allotted just six wickets instead of ten, a floating third powerplay will also be unlocked if the batting team manages to hit two sixes in the first two-over powerplay.
The fielding team will be allowed to bowl five consecutive overs from the same end instead of changing ends after every over. If a team fails to complete the overs during the allotted time of 45 minutes will a fielder will be excluded for the final six balls of the innings. The fans will also be directly involved and able to vote for a ‘mystery-free hit’.
“It is a great feeling to actually have a trophy named after The Universe Boss, something fantastic, and I am really and truly looking forward to it. I am sure people will ask if this is real, a trophy named for Chris Gayle. Yes, it is happening, and I am really happy about it. I am looking forward to all the innovations," Gayle said.
"I am looking forward to the mystery team ball and hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls to unlock a third PowerPlay over.”
In addition to taking part in the tournament, Gayle will also play the role of ambassador.
There is a new format coming to the Caribbean in 2022 with Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League bringing you THE 6IXTY – Cricket’s Power Game.
The first edition of THE 6IXTY will take place from August 24-28 in St Kitts & Nevis at one of world cricket’s fastest scoring grounds – Warner Park. Future expansion plans of the 6IXTY include the potential of multiple events at different locations around the Caribbean and beyond.
THE 6IXTY is a joint venture between Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League with the two organizations working closely together to create another world-class event.
“This is a hugely exciting moment for both CPL and Cricket West Indies as we create a tournament that will see cricket fans brought closer to the game,” said CPL CEO Pete Russell.
“There will be world-class men’s and women’s cricketers taking part in a fantastic event for the Caribbean and this combined with cutting-edge innovations, signals a great moment for all fans of West Indian cricket.”
CWI President Ricky Skerritt said he is excited by the introduction of the new format.
"THE 6IXTY has come about because of a close collaboration between CPL and CWI which is the way forward," he said.
"I am really excited about the innovation, excitement and entertainment that it is going to bring to the fans.”
The first edition of THE 6IXTY will see men’s and women’s teams compete in a new 60-ball tournament featuring many of the best cricketers from around the world with SKYEXCH the title sponsor for 2022.
This revolutionary format will see brand new innovations that will change T10 cricket and make the game even faster-paced and action-packed.
Under the rules, each batting team has six wickets – at the fall of the sixth wicket they are all out; each batting team has two PowerPlay overs. They can unlock a third PowerPlay by hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls. This extra PowerPlay over can be taken at any time between overs three to nine.
There will be 30 balls bowled from one end before the action switches to the other end for the final 30 balls, the 30 balls will be delivered as five separate overs, with no bowler being able to bowl more than two overs for the innings.
If teams do not bowl their overs within the allotted time, a member of their team is removed from the field for the final six balls. Fans will vote for the timing of a “Mystery Free Hit” where a batter can’t be dismissed by the bowler.
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Jimmy Adams, Director of Cricket at Cricket West Indies does not believe regional players are taking advantage of the governing body to secure T20 contracts in the more lucrative T20 leagues around the world.
During a press conference on Monday with Lead Selector Desmond Haynes, Adams, who was also present, was asked whether this was the case in the wake of the recent development wherein Shimron Hetmyer took time off from the IPL to attend the birth of his child in Guyana, promising to return to complete the season, but using the same reason, has declared himself unavailable for the West Indies white-ball tours of The Netherlands and Pakistan that start later this month.
There have also been instances in the past where players have declined invitations to represent the West Indies choosing instead to play franchise cricket.
“You will have players who will opt not to take contracts because they want the freedom to go and play whenever and wherever. While I respect that, by the same token I think we kind of understand where those players’ priorities lie. There could be a few others like that around. We live with them and we move on if we have to,” Adams said.
“I don’t think that is a majority, I don’t think it impacts us in a negative sense, per se. We have had many players in the last few years who have played, who are not contracted players - your Chris Gayles, your Andre Russells.
“Yes, it needs managing for sure at both the international and the levels within the regions around the world. I think given where we are now in world cricket, and I believe where we are now in West Indies cricket, that we are doing a pretty good job of it.”
That said, Adams does concede that in regions like the West Indies where player contracts pale in comparison to those offered by the wealthy owners of IPL franchises, there is little that can be done.
“T20 cricket and the leagues are here to stay. I don’t necessarily think that they are a bad thing. At the end of the day what players have nowadays that they did not have in my time and Sir Desmond’s time was choice and I don’t think choice is a bad thing.
“We try to ensure we don’t have any overlaps with either IPL or CPL, so all our contracted players know that there is a minimum of two windows where they will not have any competing international cricket. As it stands now it is not something that sees us losing control.”
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has confirmed that St Kitts & Nevis will be hosting matches during the 2022 tournament which will run from August 30 to September 30. St Kitts & Nevis will host seven matches between August 30 and September 4 with the home team and current champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, playing in four of those games.
Hero CPL will return to St Kitts & Nevis again in 2022 after the Federation successfully hosted the whole tournament in 2021.
Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “The 2021 Hero CPL was an enormous success, and we are hugely grateful to the government and people of St Kitts & Nevis who were fabulous hosts. Warner Park is a fantastic venue, and we are very excited to be back there as St Kitts & Nevis Patriots get their championship defence underway in front of a home crowd.”
The Hon. Jonel Powell, Minister of Sport for St Kitts & Nevis, said: “The hosting of the CPL in its entirety in 2021 in St Kitts & Nevis proved a success in every way for our people. Tremendous direct economic gains were made in our economy and to individuals at a difficult time due to the pandemic. Our people were able to receive some much-needed ‘Covid relief’ socially through the amazing matches, and our very own St Kitts & Nevis Patriots won its first CPL title in the most dramatic style.
“This is why we are very pleased to partner with CPL once again as a host venue for their 2022 edition, and to have the opportunity to see our Patriots defend their title right here at historic Warner Park.”
The 2022 season will take place in four countries, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana with the final set to talk place at Providence on September 30.
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has partnered with SAYTV to create a market-leading live chat app for cricket lovers to discuss the Hero CPL and the other cricketing events around the world all year-round.
Although fans can use the app to chat with other users at any time, the first feature event taking place in the app will be a Q&A session with cricket legend and Hero CPL’s Director, International Cricket, Tom Moody.
He will be joining CPL chat app users to talk about the India vs New Zealand Test series, the Big Bash T20 tournament in Australia and the Abu Dhabi T10 on December 5, 2021, during the Big Bash match between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars.
SAYTV was launched into the German market in March 2021 with the intention of making an all-in-one social chat platform for everything TV-related while ensuring an inclusive and friendly chat community welcoming everyone. Since then, the company has begun entering partnerships to create state-of-the-art live chat and entertainment technology for its clients.
SAYTV provides an easy to navigate app interface with engaging community features such as Quiz, breakout rooms, loyalty badges and more. A fully developed in-app store gives the opportunity to offer CPL specific emoticons, avatars, and custom wallpapers to give fans a truly immersive experience.
Paula Raithel, SAYTV’s co-founder and CMO, said: “SAYTV provided the official live chat app for the CPL T20 tournament in August 2021. The collaboration was a tremendous success. Within a few days the CPL Chat App gathered an amazing Cricket community, sharing their thoughts and celebrating together.
“Now looking forward to the future, we are excited to announce that the CPL and SAYTV have entered into a long-term partnership to provide CPL fans worldwide with a safe, inclusive, fun experience chat app.”
Chris Watson. Hero CPL’s Head of Marketing, said: “We are always striving to bring our fans closer to the action and provide a way for them to engage with the league on a year-round basis. SAYTV’s fantastic chat app allows you to do just that. We were delighted with the success of the live chat app during this year’s tournament, and we are very much looking forward to this long-term partnership.”
The 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the 9th edition of “the biggest party in sports,” reached an exciting conclusion on Wednesday, September 15. After 32 matches had been played for the first time ever at a single venue, St Kitts’ Warner Park, it all came down to the Tournament final. The result of which was a thrilling, last ball three wickets win for the St Kitts Patriots over the St Lucia Kings.
As very keen observers of this year’s CPL having between us watched every single one of its 33 played matches, there were for us several discernible takeaways. The examination of which leaves plenty to ponder over.
First off was St Kitts’ highly laudable hosting of the entire tournament’s thirty-three matches at a single venue, the Warner Park stadium. Kudos of the very highest order are now deservedly due to the Curator and his ground staff, the Tournament Director and indeed everyone who was in any way involved in the hosting of such a very well organized and executed tournament as this year’s CPL was. Hats off also to all concerned for having managed the required Bio Bubble without incident and as well for getting the players and their attending family members in and out of St Kitts safely.
As successful as it was, St Kitts’ single venue CPL 2021 hosting should now fully open the door to the possibilities for other similarly equipped Caribbean territories to host future CPL tournaments. Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, and St Lucia can now be considered as CPL hosts following St Kitts’ conclusive demonstration, that the previously held conception that only countries with dual venues, a la Antigua, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago would be suitable, is now no longer valid!
Regardless of where CPL’s future editions are actually held, there should also be a marked improvement in the tournament’s marketing. Despite the allowance of fully vaccinated fans to attend its matches, this year’s CPL spectator presence at Warner Park was noticeably and dismally low. The validity of CPL’s self-ordained billing as “the biggest party in sports,” becomes highly questionable if its matches are only being viewed by television audiences, albeit in their millions, but not actually by fans in the stands! Furthermore, a massive part of the excitement that is usually associated withT20 cricket is directly derived from the participating players being cheered on by adoring onsite spectators.
It therefore now behoves CPL’s owners to seriously consider the adoption of some far more aggressive and innovative marketing initiatives, as a means of addressing this year’s paucity of spectator attendees. Allowing school-aged children to attend matches free, while offering their accompanying parents half-priced admission tickets is one such innovative practice that should be considered.
Knowledgeable cricket fans are, however, typically only willing to part with their well-earned monies to purchase match tickets, if and when they are confident that doing so will result in their witnessing a relatively high standard of cricket. Unfortunately, the standard of the cricket played at this year’s CPL was disappointingly low.
The tournament’s overall statistics provide irrefutable evidence of the generally poor batting that was far too often on display. Among the top ten batsmen only two, Royston Chase (446) and Evan Lewis (426), scored over 400 runs from ten or more innings batted. No one else managed to score 300 runs in total and six of the top ten batsmen finished with tournament averages of less than 35 runs per innings.
The overall bowling wasn’t that much better either. The tournament-leading wicket hauls of the top three bowlers, Ravi Rampaul (19), Romario Shepherd(18), and Odean Smith (18) were accumulated from either 10, in the case of the former or 11 matches for the other two, at an average of fewer than two wickets per match! Not that impressive at all by even the lowest standards.
Finally, the ground fielding was at times almost amateurish. Some of the catching, particularly during the last two weeks was even worse. Abysmal being the most complimentary description worthy of the numerous rudimentary catches that were spilt!
Far too many of the umpiring decisions were also highly questionable. So much so that the CPL must now seriously consider its adoption of the two reviews per innings that has become standard within other T2o tournaments.
Despite the overall poor quality of cricket played there were, however, some very encouraging performances from a few exciting young, talented Caribbean-born cricketers. As a 26-year-old, Romario Shepherd’s 18 scalps as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker was highly encouraging. So too was the 23-year-old Dominic Drakes 16 wickets as a left-arm, impressively quick seamer. Drakes was also the hero of the St Kitts Patriots Championship Final victory, striking a boundary off the very last ball to exceed the three runs that were required for victory!
The 22-year-old Jevan Royal’s 12 wickets with his left-arm spin was yet another encouraging CPL 2021 performance. Among the batters, the 23-year-old Sherfayne Rutherford’s aggregate of 262 runs, including three half-centuries, from 10 innings batted was also impressive.
As the tournament’s 10th Anniversary next year’s 2022 edition will be as fitting an occasion as any for the CPL to now seriously consider increasing the number of its participating franchises from 6 to 8. T20’s marquee Indian Premier League has recently announced its own intended 2022 expansion from 8 to 10 teams, thereby setting a most worthy example for the CPL to follow.
Our suggestion would be for the CPL to explore the possibilities for the participation of franchises based in Florida and Toronto. The expanded 8 team tournament could then be played in two groups of four, with respective preliminary round home and away matches leading to semi-finals between the two top teams from each Group.
The 17 member respective rosters of the newly added Canadian and US franchises could also be comprised of nine local players, five who are Caribbean born and the remaining 3 being internationally based. In addition to providing both Canada and the USA with much-needed international T20 match exposure to a fair number (9) of their own local players, such a format would also allow similar exposure for 10 more West Indian cricketers. It will also most likely result in intense competition among the world’s very best T20 players for the remaining six available international spots.
Both Miami and Toronto are now replete with very rich cricket fanatical South Asian-born residents. Finding suitable and willing Owners for either franchise should not, therefore, be challenging. Neither should be enticing the respective franchises’ fans, likely to be in the thousands from among the resident Caribbean and South Asian communities, to actively support their teams with visits to the Caribbean as attending spectators of their away matches. Needless to say, the ensuing tourism bonanza would be highly beneficial and most welcome to the Caribbean hosting countries of all such matches.
Indeed, plenty for the CPL to ponder as it looks back on its concluded 2021 Season and forwards to 2022!
About The Writers:
Guyana-born, Toronto-based, Tony McWatt now serves as Cricket Canada’s Media Relations Manager. He is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted towards the Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
Guyana-born Reds (Perreira) has served as a world-recognized West Indies Cricket Commentator for well over fifty years. Reds made his broadcasting debut during the 1971 West Indies-India Test Series, and has commentated on hundreds of matches since then!
Former England captain turned cricket analyst Kevin Pietersen has expressed surprise at the decision by Punjab Kings XI to legendary West Indian batsman Chris Gayle out of the line-up on his birthday.
The iconic ball-beater turned 42 on Tuesday but could only watch from the bench as the team fell to a 2 runs loss to Rajasthan Royals. The West Indian has managed 178 runs in 8 matches, with an average of 25.42. The average is the fourth-best on the team, but on Tuesday the Kings opted for Aiden Markham at the third place in the line-up, which Gayle has been occupying since last season.
Pietersen admits he found the situation to be an unusual one.
"There will be some questions asked. I don’t understand why you would leave Chris Gayle out on his birthday,” Pietersen said on Star Sports.
“If there was one game you were going to play him, it was this one. If he failed then you say ‘ok, you can have a bit of rest’. So, I can’t understand the thinking at all," he added.
Gayle has been selected for the West Indies T20 squad for next month’s ICC World T20, the appearance will mark his 7th at the global tournament.
The 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) team of the tournament has been announced. The team was selected by the Hero CPL commentary team – Ian Bishop, Danny Morrison, Darren Ganga, Simon Doull and Samuel Badree.
Veteran Windies all-rounder and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots captain Dwayne Bravo has cited ‘belief’ and a willingness to give players an opportunity as crucial ingredients in hoisting the team’s maiden Caribbean Premier League title.
The triumphant St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were crowned Caribbean champions for the first time in the franchise’s history on Tuesday, edging out the Saint Lucia Kings in a last-ball thriller.
However, in a team that includes the likes of Bravo, legendary T20 batsman Chris Gayle, and fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell, it was 23-year-old Dominic Drakes who stole the match-winning headlines. In addition to that, throughout the season it was the likes of Evin Lewis, who scored the second-most runs for the competition, Sherfane Rutherford, who also featured prominently in that category, that spearheaded the team’s title charge.
For Bravo, who left the Trinbago Knight Riders at the start of the season, with the aim of becoming a mentor for some of the league’s younger players, that was always the point.
“It’s about belief and giving people opportunities. For me, all I ask is for the guys to just back each other,” Bravo said following the match.
“It doesn’t matter whether you perform or don’t perform, whether you play or don’t play, let’s support each other, let’s stay together, giving the young players the belief and the opportunity," he added.
The title was Bravo’s fifth overall, having previously won four with the Trinbago Knight Riders.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots hero Dominic Drakes has praised the team’s complete overall effort in a thrilling last-ball victory over the St Lucia Kings, which saw the unit claim the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title on Tuesday.
Drakes hit the winning runs to cap off a superb finals performance, which saw the all-rounder end with an unbeaten 48 from 24 balls; in the process, sparking wild celebrations as the Patriots captured their first-ever CPL title.
In terms of momentum, the match had rocked back and forth in frantic fashion as the Kings set a target of 159 for 7. Drakes' innings proved crucial in deciding the thrilling encounter, which saw the team needing 9 off the final over and, in the end, managing to just creep over the line. He was, however, eager to spread the praise around.
“It was the first chance I got to play a full competition and I think I did well, but it was Ruthers (Sherfane Rutherford) and Bravo, Soldj (Sheldon Cottrell), and everyone on the team. It’s an amazing feeling,” the 23-year-old, who made his debut three years ago with the Barbados-based CPL franchise, said.
“I thought it was a great team effort and I was just happy to do my part for the win,” he added.
Overall, Drakes ended with 102 runs and a team-high 16 wickets in 11 matches.
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has expressed delight at the success achieved by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots after joining the team as part of a personal challenge earlier this year.
The 37-year-old all-rounder announced his decision, in April, to join the Patriots after seven years with Trinbago Knight Riders, where he won four CPL titles. Ahead of requesting a trade to the eastern Caribbean team, Bravo had cited a desire to help mould a new generation of upcoming cricketers.
With the performance of some of the Patriot's younger players this season, the move might just have paid dividends. Opening batsman Evin Lewis has an astounding season to date, having racked up a record 420 runs so far, with Wednesday’s final still to be added to the tally. Sherfane Rutherford has also done well with the bat, tallying 237 runs in 10 games so far, with a number of eye-catching performances, while Dominic Drakes has featured prominently among the league’s top bowlers with 15 wickets to date.
“When I decided on making the move I said I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to try and help the younger players in different teams. So to get to the finals, to see the way that Sherfane Rutherford played through the tournament and Evin, young Drakes, that gives me all the pleasure and I think I achieved what I wanted to achieve,” Bravo said, following the team’s semifinal win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
“I wanted to help build a team that could actually compete in the tournament and press on to try and win a trophy and we have one more game, it’s going to be a difficult game because the St Lucia Kings have been playing well.”
The final will be the second for St Kitts and Nevis who also made the 2017 final where they lost to a Knight Rider team of which Bravo was a part.
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