PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel all-rounder Kevon Cooper says he will be going all out to prove his worth in the Caribbean Premier League which bowls off later this month.
The 26-year-old, a specialist in the game’s shorter forms, says he is also keen on making the West Indies squad and has been working hard in local cricket to improve his form.
For the first time a few seasons, the 26-year-old is not campaigning in the ongoing lucrative Indian Premier League where he played for Rajasthan Royals but says he has now focussed his efforts primarily on readying himself for Red Steel’s CPL campaign.
“I have been working really hard on my batting since the [Regional Super50] and I got an opportunity to captain Queen’s Park this year and the guys have been doing well and I am also performing,” Cooper told the Trinidad Express newspaper.
“Unfortunately I missed out on the IPL this year but that is behind me now. I am really looking forward to the CPL and trying to break into the West Indies team and get a chance in that squad.”
He added: “It is always good to play in front of plenty people and remind the world of what I can do. I made my debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2010 and it was good experience for me. I really enjoyed those moments and hopefully I can bring back some of those moments in my career.”
Cooper was the best Red Steel bowler on show last season, picking up 12 wickets with his medium pace at an economy rate of six runs an over and an average of 22.
However, he could prevent Red Steel from a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Jamaica Tallawahs in the first semi-final, as they bowed out the competition eventually won by Barbados Tridents.
This season, Red Steel open their campaign on the road, with games against St Lucia Zouks at Beausejour, Barbados Tridents at Kensington Oval and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Warner Park.
Cooper says Red Steel would be hosting home matches at a critical time of the tournament and this would be important, as they possessed an excellent record at Queen’s Park Oval.
“There is always good support at home and there is always a lot of energy and vibes. We won all our games at home last year so we are looking forward to it and it will give us something to look forward to knowing that if we reach the business end of the tournament, all the matches will be at our home venue,” he pointed out.
“But having said that we still need to play well at the start of the campaign to give ourselves a good chance of making the semi-finals.”
Both semi-finals and final will be hosted at Queen’s Park Oval.
The CPL bowls off on June 20 in Barbados and wraps up July 26.
