VETERAN PACER Ravi Rampaul makes an anticipated return to this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament as he was drafted by defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) on Friday.
Rampaul’s selection comes on the heels of a dominant display at the 2021 Regional Super50 Cup with eventual winners Trinidad and Tobago Red Force. This, however, would be his first stint with TKR.
After a four-year hiatus from the CPL, the right-arm fast bowler is ready for his long-awaited return to the CPL circuit.
“I’m elated to get picked up by TKR. It’s a good feeling to come back and play cricket in the Caribbean after being away for so long. I’m really happy and excited about the tournament this year. [It's the] first time I would be playing for TKR so I’m glad to be at home,” he said.
GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — All members of the West Indies training squad have tested negative for COVID-19 paving the way for Head Coach Phil Simmons to ramp up preparation for the two-Test series against South Africa starting in 12 days.
The latest round of PCR testing was conducted Thursday and with no positives reported, the 30-man squad was allowed to train in two groups on Friday and yesterday at the Daren Sammy National Stadium.
Preparation will move into high gear on Monday when a four-day match gets underway at the training venue, and Simmons urged players — especially those who had excelled in recent series — not to rest on their laurels.
“I am happy that we are back to full training. We are happy with the preparations up to this point and everyone is fully aware of what is required,” Simmons said in a statement.
“Yes, we had four good Test matches [against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka], but at the same time, people need to know that their position is not guaranteed unless they continue to play well.
Legendary West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, has called on embattled batsman Shimron Hetmyer to answer doubters by scoring a lot of runs whenever he gets the opportunity.
The 24-year-old has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after losing his international retainer contract with Cricket West Indies. The young batsman has long been considered to be one of the region’s premier talents but has struggled to hit top gear in recent seasons.
“The guy has got ability, we know that all he has to do is produce the runs and there should be no problem,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.
Captains say it will be an intense contest, as the players compete in the warm-up match for spots to face South Africa Fans can catch all the exciting action on West Indies YouTube channel (Windies Cricket)
The leading red-ball players in the Caribbean will be on show, as the West Indies training squad stage an intra-squad four-day “Best v Best” match as part of their intense preparations for the upcoming Test Series against South Africa.
The players are all excited and fully prepared for the contest, as this is the culmination of two weeks of high-level training. It is the only competitive action they will have before the squad is selected to take on the Proteas. The players have been in camp in St. Lucia since Sunday, May 16.
The complete squads for the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have been confirmed following the player draft. The 2021 tournament gets underway on 28 August and runs until 19 September.
The star-studded line-ups feature the best cricketing talent from across the Caribbean as well as some of the biggest names in international cricket.
There have been a number of changes to the squads this year. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo are teaming up at the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots with Sherfane Rutherford joining them. Keemo Paul has moved to the St Lucia Zouks and Oshane Thomas will now be representing the Barbados Tridents.
