West Indies and USA to Jointly Host 2024 T20 World Cup, Caribbean Premier League Highlights Importance of Regional Readiness

How can he perform any such duties while simultaneously serving as the St Lucia Royals head coach? That is the question that begs to be asked but which, again unbelievably, has seemingly completely escaped all concerned, including, Sammy himself!

For all his inadequacies, which eventually resulted in his resignation from the position, Phil Simmons never once found it necessary or convenient to also serve as head coach of his native Trinidad & Tobago Knight Riders, while being the head coach of the West Indies. Such an occurrence as Sammy’s is not only most likely unprecedented in West Indies cricket history, but also possibly anywhere else in the world.

Thankfully, if “double duty” Daren Sammy does somehow manage to assume a degree of objectivity that would allow him to view the performances of all players at this year’s CPL without any bias, he and his fellow West Indies selectors, Chairman Desmond Haynes and Roland Butcher would have had a fair bit to be heartened by so far.

In particular, as maligned as they have been for his inclusion in the West Indies T20 squad for the recently concluded series against India, the selectors should be ecstatic over Roston Chase’s performances in the St Lucia King’s first three matches in this year’s CPL.

Chase has undoubtedly been this year’s standout West Indies player so far. He has scored one 50 and has taken a three-for with his off-spin bowling. He has also been a livewire in the field and has taken one of the best catches in the entire tournament to date. How Chase fares over the remaining matches will be interesting to see.

No less so though, than the performances of Erin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas, and Haydn Walsh, all of whom have been excluded from the West Indies T2o set up within recent times for one reason or the other, but whose inclusions could undoubtedly be of immense value to the West Indies team’s improved fortunes.

There are also quite a few emerging players that the West Indies selectors will undoubtedly be keeping their eyes on. Kirk McKenzie looked exceptionally good during his time at the crease in his debut outing for the defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs. So too did Jair McAllister in the one over he bowled for the St Lucia Kings in their rain-affected match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

McAllister’s pace set tongues wagging. Many an optimistic Caribbean cricket fan might now, therefore, be licking their chops and entertaining fantasies of the West Indies fielding a real pace attack of Joseph, Thomas, and McAllister. Far from the fabled four-prong, but potentially with sufficient venom to cause severe discomfort among opposing batters.

Whether Thomas and McAllister can demonstrate during this year’s CPL of their capacity to fulfill such lofty ambitions in the near future will be interesting to see. So too will be whether the tournament itself can get back to much firmer footing in its remaining rounds.

About The Writer:

Guyana-born, Tony McWatt is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets/monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted toward Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.