By David Jackson
The 2024 Caribbean Premier League
tournament ended on Sunday, 6th October
with St. Lucia Kings becoming the Champions
for the first time, defeating defending champions
Guyana Amazon Warriors in an electrifying
showdown. Aaron Jones was the star of what
turned out to be a thrilling final. He overcame a
nervous start to slam 27 runs in the 16th over that
changed the course of the match. Jones finished
unbeaten on 48 off 31 deliveries. Roston Chase,
who was named ‘Player of the Match’, made 39
off 22, giving good support to Aaron Jones. He
also had a good bowling performance of 1/13.
Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Lucia Kings
were two of the better teams in this year’s
tournament, with both showcasing their strength,
and skillset throughout the tournament. The Warriors, were led by Imran Tahir, while
Faf du Plessis led the Kings. The final
was a fitting conclusion to an exciting
and hard-fought tournament. The 2024
edition was filled with thrilling matches,
superb individual performances and
much drama. Rain intervened in several
matches and there was even the failure of
the lights at the stadium in Guyana which
enabled Guyana to reach the final. This
incident brought some controversy and
this was unfortunate. The less said on this,
however, the better.
The tournament saw some nail-biting
finishes and superb individual efforts, which
made it quite an interesting and enjoyable
one. Nicholas Pooran of Trinbago Knight
Riders was the leading scorer with an
impressive 504 runs in 11 innings. His
aggressive batting, which included a
hundred and some fifties, including three
scores in the nineties, made him the most
destructive batsman in the tournament.
Shimron Hetmyer was also superb in this
year’s tournament. He was brilliant with the
bat. This guy is indeed supremely talented
and is capable of representing West Indies
in all three formats. In this tournament he
was focused, showing his usefulness and
competence as a middle order batsman.
That strange decision of his team in the
IPL to use him as just a finisher has always been a ridiculous decision. Hetmyer is far better batman
than that. Great to see him back in good form.
The top wicket-taker was Noor Ahmad (St Lucia Kings),
who captured 22 wickets at an average of 13.22. He was
named ‘Player of the tournament. Ahmad was impressive
with the ball, bowling tight lines with several variations that
made it difficult for the opposing batsmen. The emerging
player of the tournament was Jewel Andrews (ANF) who
looks a very promising player for the future. We need
younger players, like him to step up. Another player who
impressed me was Gukakesh Motie who repr3esented
Guyana Amazon Warriors). Motie bowled well, taking 17
wickets in the tournament.
Now that the CPL tournament is over, West Indies look
forward to the tour to Sri Lanka. This week Cricket West
Indies (CWI) announced the squads selected for the eagerly anticipated tour to Sri Lanka. The teams are set
to compete in 3 T20Is and three (3) ODIs from 10 to 27
October 2024. The T20I squad will take on Sri Lanka from
10 to 17 October 2024. Several senior players, including
Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein and Shimron
Hetmyer have opted out of the tour, for personal reasons,
opening the door for other players to get an opportunity
to showcase their skills. Captain Rovman Powell will lead
the side, with Roston Chase continuing in his role as Vice-
Captain.
Head Coach Daren Sammy, who now leads on selection,
under the revamped selection system, claims that this
T20 series is important in evaluating players for key roles
and understanding the conditions ahead of future ICC
Tournaments. The team is as follows: Rovman Powell
(Captain), Roston Chase (Vice Captain), Fabian Allen,
Alick Athanaze, Andre Fletcher, Terrance Hinds, Shai
Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin
Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario
Shepherd and Shamar Springer. A notable omission
from the T20 squad is Johnson Charles, who performed
creditably in the recently concluded CPL tournament. The
decision to omit him is a good one. It is time we move on
from aging players like Johnson Charles. It was therefore
extremely surprising to see Andre Fletcher named in the
squad. Fletcher’s performance in the CPL was barely
average. What possible reason could be given to include
him?
Looking at the other members of the squad, I am glad
to see Evin Lewis back. He is still one of our top players in
this format and I wish him well in this series. Fabian Allen
on the other hand should count himself lucky to be part
of the squad. He hasn’t impressed me much since his
comeback. Allick Athanaze is another player who is yet
to impress me, and in my opinion, seems were suited to
ODIs and Tests.
The ODI series will follow the T201 series. It is scheduled
for the 20th to the 27th October 2024. Shai Hope will
continue as Captain, with Vice-Captain support from
Alzarri Joseph. This is our weakest format, and therefore
this series provides an opportunity for CWI to focus on
building its ODI team ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket
World Cup 2027.
A welcomed inclusion in the squad is Jewel Andrew,
the young Antiguan wicketkeeper-batsman, who has
impressed, and has earned his place in the squad. The
squad also sees the return of several key players, including
Brandon King and Sherfane Rutherford, obviously to add
more depth to the batting, which has been rather dismal
in this format. Head Coach Sammy seems confident that
this is a good squad, a squad he claims has balance and
potential for growth.
This is the ODI squad: Shai Hope (Captain), Alzarri Joseph
(Vice-Captain), Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Keacy
Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph,
Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane
Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden
Walsh Jr. I do not have much issues with this
squad. We just have to hope that our batsmen
in particular put in creditable performances,
build good partnerships and avoid injudicious
strokeplay to insure that the team put up
good totals for the opposition or chase down
challenging targets. Jayden Seales and Shamar
Joseph should help to strengthen the bowling
unit and much is expected of Gukakesh Motie
who has developed into a top class spinner for
the West Indies. Wishing the guys well in these
two series in Sri Lanka.