Bridgetown, Barbados - Kieron Pollard starred with bat, ball, and in the field to rescue the Barbados Tridents and start the home team’s Limacol Caribbean Premier League campaign with a victory.
He didn’t do it all by himself, but was the star of the show in a week that has his seen role in the team come into question.
Before the players even hit the field though, a rousing opening ceremony, consisting of almost every element of Caribbean lifestyle was on show in the opening ceremony. From carnival girls to Konshens, the spectacle had started with a bang. It was made even sweeter when the legend of Sir Garry Sobers, the man hailed as the greatest cricketer of all time, out in the middle of the field, officially unveiled the tournament, directly after Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bat.
Cricket Wellington continues to aim high, confirming it has Twenty20 superstar Chris Gayle in its sights for a Firebirds cameo before the West Indies tour opens in December.
Fairfax Media understands the big-hitting left-hander is a legitimate target for one or two matches in the Firebirds' Twenty20 campaign in November. Chief executive Peter Clinton said no offer had been tabled, but Gayle was an obvious focus for one of their two import slots, given the West Indies would be in the country anyway.
The League has signed Limacol, Digicel, Guardian Group, Courts, El Dorado Rum, Scotiabank, SM Jaleel (Busta), Ericsson and Virgin Airlines as League Sponsors.
CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe remarked, “The level of support from the corporate community in the Caribbean and elsewhere has been overwhelming and we thank all our Partners for helping to make this massive undertaking possible. Without the support of our Partners, Governments and the fans, a venture of this scale and ambition is simply not possible, and we look forward to a very long and successful relationship with all those who have been with us at the beginning.”
Even as the cricket world settles down following the scandalous details that emerged during and after the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League, there are reports that suggest the recent One-Day International series between West Indies and Pakistan might not have been free of wrongdoing.
The Mail on Sunday reported that the series is "set to be investigated" as "suspicious betting patterns were identified during the low-profile five-match series", which Pakistan won 3-1 after one match was tied.
Umar Akmal's 46 off 36 gave Pakistan the final surge to take them to 135, which their bowlers made look like 185 on a slow, dry and used pitch to give them the Twenty20 series to go with the ODI spoils. Pakistan threatened to leave Ahmed Shehzad's platform of 44 off 46 to waste, but Akmal did just enough - with 38 in the last four overs - for the bowlers, who were soon all over the West Indies batting.
