The Caribbean will get a brand new T20 tournament next year. This was confirmed by Cricket West Indies (CWI) director of cricket, Miles Bascombe yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference in Barbados hosted by CWI, Bascombe announced that the tournament is being earmarked for next May, and will cater to unearthing new talent in the shortest format.
“We recognise in terms of T20 cricket that we need a way to find our next crop of T20 players,” he said. “We have had success in T20 cricket and I’m sure the head coach (Darren Sammy) is anticipating some more success as we play at home in this (T20) World Cup. But we generally still have to work hard at finding our next crop of emerging T20 stars.”
In December last year, CWI vice-president Azim Bassarath and Caribbean Premier League CEO Pete Russell indicated that the two bodies were in discussions about a new tournament. And yesterday, Bascombe acknowledged: “There is some recognition that the CPL may not necessarily be where those stars would emerge, so we are working with CPL to have an emerging players regional T20 tournament.”
In December, CPL’s Russell said of the proposed competition for emerging players: “We feel that’s an important part of any cricket system, even CPL. So, we want to support that in as big a way as possible.”
Bascombe added that all the details of the new tournament had not yet been finalised. “We are still working through the actual format of the tournament with CPL,” he said.
“We would need the permission of CPL who have very willingly come forward, recognising that we do need that aspect of development in our T20 pool. Obviously they know that it would have positive repercussions for them as well in terms of their product.”
However, the director of cricket assured that the tournament would, “definitely be regional players only,” adding,
“Whether there are any limitations on age, that is one of the things that we are considering to ensure that it serves the purpose that we want it to serve, in terms of being that forum for the emerging players to come through. But what we have identified is that we will definitely play that tournament in that May window, post West Indies Championship.”
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