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UNDER FIRE: Pollard

CRICKET IN the Caribbean takes a significant step later this month with the introduction of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League starts on July 30 in Barbados and concludes on August 24 in Trinidad with the tournament set to put the spotlight on the sport in the region and generate significant funds for the participants.

The competing teams will be the Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel and St. Lucia Zouks.

Suggestions for the team names were invited through social media and CPL chief Damien O’Donohoe said: “We are thrilled with the final team names and the logos. We believe they are reflective of the character and culture of each country, and I’m sure each team will live up to their name.

“Our fans had some very inspired suggestions, which were taken into consideration, and definitely contributed to the creative process which resulted in these names.”

The 15-man squads for the six teams were finalised through a draft on June 6. The League features top West Indies players like Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo. Among international players, Ricky Ponting, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Herschelle Gibbs and Ross Taylor have been signed on by franchises.

CPL STAR: Samuels will lead Antigua

But Pollard’s appointment as captain of the Barbados outfit has created controversy.

Former Barbados Government Minister Hamilton Lashley told the country’s leading newspaper, The Nation, that a Bajan should have been leading the side as opposed to Trinidad-born Pollard.

“I want to say that I have great difficulty with a Trinidadian captaining the Barbados franchise,” said Lashley.

“I feel that fundamentally and psychologically (it is) wrong. It affects the psyche of some Barbadians. I understand the concept of the whole CPL but the principle is flawed. I believe that Barbadians should embrace Pollard but not as captain.”

VENUE: The famous Kensington Oval will host the first match

The other captains for the CPL are mainly West Indian franchise players.

Dwayne Bravo will be at the helm of Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel; Gayle will lead Jamaica Tallawahs; Sammy will be in charge of St Lucia Zouks; and Samuels will captain Antigua Hawksbills.

The CPL’s first fixture will see Barbados joust with St. Lucia at the Kensington Oval on July 30.