PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Cricket West Indies vice-president Azim Bassarath believes the formation of a second regional Twenty20 tournament will only come about through ongoing collaboration between the regional governing body and the Caribbean Premier League.
Speculation has been rife over a second league to supplement the 11-year-old CPL, aimed at harnessing grassroots talent and exposing a larger pool of talent for international development.
And Bassarath, also the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, said CPL organizers would play a vital role in any such tournament in concert with CWI.
“Discussions are going on, and I am quite sure that something has to be done to make sure that the talent we have in the Caribbean is exposed and developed,” Bassarath told the Express newspaper here.
“And it will also serve CPL’s interest to ensure we continue to produce quality cricketers that are needed to ensure the tournament, which is the second-best T20 franchise league in the world, continues to flourish.
“I think they (CPL) will have a part to play in getting involved in the game’s development and helping to produce quality players needed for the CPL and West Indies cricket.”
Talk of a second T20 tournament emerged following West Indies’ failed campaign at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates two years ago when then-captain Kieron Pollard said another competition was required to “unearth new talents.”
Pollard claimed the current CPL was recycling “the same players over and over and over again” and said discussions were needed over an additional tournament.
CPL chief executive Pete Russell told the Express the league was willing to be “part of the solution” in producing new talent, but the responsibility ultimately lay with CWI.
“I think if people expect us to be providing the next group of players, yes, we’re going to be part of the solution, but I think that’s probably CWI’s remit, not ours,” Russell pointed out.
“We feel that’s an important part of any cricket system, even CPL. So, we want to support that as much as possible. I’m hoping we can get to a place to put that tournament on.”
He added: “A lot of planning has gone into it. As it always is, it’s down to dollars and cents, so we’re just seeing how best to do it.”
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