NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – An arena that bears the name of a batsman that terrorised bowlers all around the World during his playing days appropriately provides the backdrop, as the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship opens today.
The slogan for the tournament is, “Where Stars Are Born!”, and organisers will be hoping that the players will find inspiration inside the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, and put on a show for fans inside the stadium and a global television audience.
Opening day coughs up two intriguing contests in Group-A between the Combined Campuses & Colleges and Windward Islands in the first instance, and old rivals Guyana, the reigning champions, and Jamaica in the second.
The Guyanese are missing one of the key prongs of their success last year, with Lennox Cush overlooked by the national selectors.
Narsingh Deonarine also suffered an injury last week, but durable, fellow West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul should more than compensate for his absence.
Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan remained confident however, of his side playing as steadily as they always do to win the competition.
“We just have to take [the tournament] one step at a time, while our main objective is to win six games,” said Sarwan before his side’s departure from Georgetown to St. John’s.
“I don’t think I could ask for more from the players. Even though we had bad weather, everyone really put in the effort, and I was really pleased, so it is just a matter of trying to stick to our game plan, and hopefully we will be able to do it on a consistent basis.
“I want for us to play well as a team. I am not too focused on me personally, but of course it would be good if I do well in the tournament. I think the picture is much bigger and that is important.”
Jamaica’s failure at the semi-final stage in last year’s competition, along with their early exit from the regional One-day competition on home soil brought upheaval in their side.
Former Trinidad & Tobago captain and West Indies batsman Gus Logie replaced Junior Bennett as national coach, and Wavell Hinds took over from Tamar Lambert as captain.
The Jamaicans are hoping that this combination works miracles, and they can claim their first regional T20 title, after going so close last year, and two years under the Stanford T20 Cup.
“I think the players have to relax,” said Hinds before leaving Kingston. “There is a lot being bandied around about taking the trophy, and we all want to do that.”
He added: “But having said that, we have never won it before, so in my estimation that means no pressure on us.
“We have nothing to lose, but everything to play for so the players just need to relax and make sure they execute.”
Last year, the CCC and Windwards both gave creditable performances, and were carded to face each other in their final group match. But Trinidad’s unseasonal rainy weather forced the match to be abandoned without a ball bowled.
Windwards are again being led by West Indies captain Darren Sammy, and they should be on their toes, following two warm-up matches against Leeward Islands at the end of last week.
“This is it! This is an opportunity for us – a huge opportunity,’ he said. “Everyone is fit, and we are ready to go.
“We arrived in Antigua early because we wanted to get things right and get fully prepared. We did not have a lot of preparation during the Christmas period, so we came early to get ready.”
He continued: “We know we have to play hard and be consistent to win. We can’t take anything for granted. We have to be fully focussed when we go onto the field on Monday.
“In Twenty20 cricket, things happen quickly, and you have to be a quick thinker. If you blink and lapse at any stage, you could make a mistake and it could put you out of the match, and even out of the tournament.”
Ironically, the CCC is being led by Romel Currency, a former Windward Islands opening batsman.
The squad includes Kyle Hope, the top batsman in last year’s Barbados Cricket Association Division 1 championship, and Nkrumah Bonner, a Jamaican leg-spinning all-rounder, who played for the West Indies Under-19s at last year’s Youth World Cup in New Zealand and was also part of the first intake at the West Indies High Performance Centre.
In last year’s competition, the CCC were involved in one of the most tense finishes against territorial rivals Barbados, when their match ended in a tie, and a fielding error by Currency saw them lose off the last ball in a one-over eliminator.
This year’s CT20 features 10 teams, with English county side Somerset completing Group-A, and Group B comprising 2010 beaten finalists Barbados, as well as Trinidad & Tobago, Leeward Islands, along with invitational sides Canada and English T20 champions Hampshire.
The first leg concludes this coming Saturday, and the second leg, which will feature the semi-finals and the Finals will be contested from Tuesday, January 18 to Saturday, January 23 in Barbados.
