It is unlike any other T20 tournament on the planet. It is unique. It has texture. It has flavor. It has taste. It has style. It is symbolic of our culture. It is spontaneous and colorful. It is exotic. It is like bacchanal at a carnival where a cricket match breaks out. It is like a scrubby on steroids. It is the Caribbean Premier League in a league all by itself. It is the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash and then some. It is the Caribbean Premier League where the world comes to play and flamboyance holds sway as day turns into night and white balls take flight hit out of sight by large weapons that masquerade as bats. And stumps explode on impact like fireworks on Independence Day.
The CPL is the debutant that stole the show. Remarkably after just one appearance, it is reasonable to assume that this spectacular is now woven into the fabric of our rich Caribbean culture much like T & T carnival and Mashramani and Crop Over and Vinci Mas and Sun Splash. And it is not a flight of fancy to predict that if it is properly nurtured that this Cricket Pageantry Live – that is the CPL – will be as enduring and entertaining as the aforementioned forerunners of perennial fun and frolic.
And it is most appropriate that attached to this tournament is the title sponsorship ‘Limacol’ – a local product that has stood the test of time, having been around certainly since this writer was a boy and almost as long as international cricket has dominated the sporting culture of the sundrenched shores of the West Indies. Besides with the added dimension of territorial competitiveness as it grows it will tend to be even more meaningful to the Caribbean community.
And what is the CPL if not a shining example of the way the regional political and economic union CARICOM is meant to work, with Trinidad and Tobago’s own Denesh Ramdin representing the Guyana Amazon Warriors gainfully employed as their captain alongside his countrymen Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons, and Jamaican Krishmar Santokie the T20 specialist. And Barbadians Sulieman Benn and Fidel Edwards working hard for the money and the rewards of every victory that they could eke out as they turn out for the Trinidad and Tobago based Red Steel. Meanwhile T & T’s sons of the soil Ravi Rampaul and Kieron Pollard are offering their considerable talents to Barbados for the Tridents, while feisty Bajan Tino Best is firing up for the St. Lucia Zouks, and Jamaican Marlon Samuels is leading the Antigua Hawks bills.
Then there is the international component so typical in the world class T20 genre that shrinks internatonal cricket into an intimate camaraderie that could only benefit the spirit of the game in its more traditional ICC format. That brings the mercurial and immensely gifted former England batsman Kevin Pietersen and Pakistani pacer Sohail Tanvir to ply their trade to the benefit of Darren Sammy’s St. Lucia Zouks. Defending CPL champion Jamaica Tallawahs have included former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and attacking Australian batsman Adam Voges to their line-up.
Pakistani Shoaib Malik, one of the game’s leading offspinners is wearing Barbados Tridents colors while the Guyana Amazon Warriors have enhanced their squad with the inclusion of Kiwis Jimmy Neesham and retained Martin Guptill and Pakistani allrounder Mohammed Hafeez. And in the same vein leading New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien and Pakistani Nasir Jamshed for T & T’s Red Steel all augment the class and character and the standard of their teams. But managers and coaches of the CPL teams should not lose sight of one of the key properties of the tournament which is to introduce talented young local players to international cricket in a – so to speak – relaxed format as they make their initial foray into professionalism. Notably in the CPL inaugural season 17 year old Trinidadian Nicolas Pooran announced his arrival with a loud and proud innings for the Red Steel that apparently launched his career as a wicketkeeper batsman and propelled him as a prolific performer and a standout in the Under 19 World Cup in Dubai earlier this year.
And then there is the commentary team that brings the CPL games together with knowledgeable analysis and sometimes flair and finesse, led by colorful, chameleon character, commentator Danny Morrison, former New Zealand player, who apart from his knowledge and articulation of the games in his inimitable language and lilting lingo, is perfectly willing to flaunt a costume or head dress and meld into the mayhem in the stands with such relish that he should be afforded honorary Caribbean citizenship.
Barry Wilkinson is an able anchor who moves the broadcast/telecast along at times with former West Indies quickie Colin Croft and his sometimes blunt if informed comments. Along the way as part of the commentary team former Windies pacer Ian Bishop the technician, will regale you professorially with the technical aspects of the game and his voluminous vocabulary, while Fazeer (the fountain of information) Mohamed tends to put events and performances on and off the field in historical perspective with a social studies component. Former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Jeffrey Dujon tends to be the voice of reason and lends balance to the broadcast.
As the 2014 CPL caravan rolled into the home of the Amazon Warriors, Providence has been rocking with excitement and ebullience, emitting a warm embrace of the local team even goading them to bend Steel and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Now a CPL championship appears within grasp. From all appearances so far including the enthusiastic turn out by the fans, it appears to be exactly what the doctor ordered for cricket in Guyana.
