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Caribbean T-20 Cricket

Aug 30, 2013 Editorial

The inaugural season of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League has just been completed and it might be appropriate at this time to reflect on what it means for the region. That the event was successful beyond the wildest expectations of even the most diehard local cricket groupie, is beyond dispute. But while the success might have been most visible in the massive crowds that thronged the venues at every one of the twenty-four games that comprised the tournament, it went beyond that particular boundary.
There was never any doubt as to the exciting nature of Caribbean cricket. Ever since we tore up the international scene from the 1960s, West Indian cricketers were loved throughout the world for their dashing “calypso” cricket. While some might have scoffed at their unorthodox methods, their exuberance captivated everyone. The shorter formats of the game, first the 50-over One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and then the Twenty/20 (T-20), were even more suited to their buccaneering style. Consequently, while their fortunes might have waned in the Test arena from the nineties, they were perfect for ODIs and T-20 fixtures.
It was ironic that the T-20 format reached its zenith in India, which had always played cricket in the staidest manner possible. The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was as much a marketing success as a cricketing one. Lalit Modi, first Commissioner of the IPL, combined the presence of the most exciting foreign players with Indian domestic ones with a plethora of hype – including dancing girls, Bollywood stars, fireworks and any number of on-field innovations to promote excitement.
Some insiders felt that the burgeoning Indian middle class that was willing to pay to see the “tamasha” or spectacle was the reason for the IPL’s success and doubted that it could be replicated elsewhere. It is now clear that the Limacol CPL has equalled the oomph of the IPL. What is a bit disappointing from a nationalistic standpoint is that it took a foreigner, Ajmal Khan, Chairman of Verus International, to found the CPL. But in this day of mobility of capital, maybe we can look at his involvement as a “Foreign Direct Investment”.
While the games were broadcast throughout the cricketing world, because of doubts about the organisational ability of West Indians to pull off a venture of this magnitude and logistical complexity, it did not command the same mega-financing that the IPL was able to demand from those broadcasters. In the second season, the broadcasting bids will be much higher.
But even with the initial investment, everything was done in style and with panache: the games started on time, the fans were provided with all sorts of trappings to get involved with the action on the field, the music was pulsating and most important of all, the cricket was scintillating, even when the games were low scoring. The six teams – tAntigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St. Lucia Zouks and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel – were successful in introducing the concept of “franchise cricket” in which players were playing for teams and not nation.
But now that the people have shown that they will support the new format, the owners and organisers have to ensure that cricket will be nurtured in the region. Our cricketing problems were always due to our lack of funds to finance the institutions necessary to sustain the local game. We hope that each franchise will work with local cricket boards to sponsor club cricket that will become nurseries for national and franchise players. The exciting new players such as Krishmar Santokie, who had slipped below the radar of regional selectors, are only the tip of the iceberg of talent that resides in our region.
Finally, we appreciate the move to involve the older players from our glory days in the 70s and 80s. With their guidance and the marketing savvy displayed, happy days may be here again with our cricket.

 

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