Mixed emotions about start of CPL

Wed, Aug 23, '23

West Indies and the USA will jointly host the ICC’s 2024 T20 World Cup next June, less than a year from now. As the only major T20 tournament being held in the region before then, this year’s 11th edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has, therefore, added significance.

Not just as the final opportunity for players to state their cases for inclusion in the West Indies’ World Cup squad, but also for the region itself to demonstrate its readiness to fully capitalize on all the available benefits that can be derived from hosting such a marquee tournament, upon which the entire cricket world will be focused..

However, with St Lucia hosting the opening round matches of this year’s CPL, the tournament has gotten off to a very rocky start.

One of the most questionable developments is the decision of West Indies white-ball head coach Daren Sammy to retain his position of head coach of the St Lucia Kings.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the cricket itself has generally been of astonishingly low standard with spilled catches having been the order of the day.

Alzarri Joseph must now surely believe that clean bowled and lbw are the only two viable modes of dismissal available to him. That many catches have already been dropped off his bowling.