In the next of her Bajun Blogs from the beautiful island of Barbados, an evidently proud Dawn-Marie Layne looks at the effect the Caribbean Premier League t20 (CPLt20) tournament is having on cricket lovers in the West Indies.
One’s first thoughts of the CPLt20 would’ve been “money cricket”.
Some would have even made a comparison to that of the likes of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but for a small island girl like me, all I could muster was a sense of pride to see the stride that this region has taken in the advancement of our culture, sport and sportsmen.
The first CPLt20 draft was unnerving!
To hear some of my country’s players tossed about and mixed up in other teams was unbearable, but team Barbados was then compensated with some of the diverse talent from other countries.
In the draft, Barbados lost all of its seasoned fast bowlers and that was something I couldn’t cope with. At the end of the draft, I believed the ‘Barbados Tridents’ to be one of the weaker sides.
I say all this to show that we as Caribbean people are not open to change. We are set in our own ways. The fact that I saw the exchange of players as a limitation to the selected squads is one of the beliefs that is held by most people of the Caribbean.
Prior to the start of the tournament, people were forced to decide whether they’ll support a specific team or a player. When the tournament began, I saw Bajans in ‘St. Lucia Zouks’ jerseys just because Tino Best had gone over, as hard as it may be for someone like myself, I found it astonishing and warmed up to it right away.
I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony, and to see the Kensington Oval packed to capacity filled me with great joy!
The atmosphere was amazing, having my team led by one of the most dominant players of the T20 variation of the game is truly delightful.
Funny thing is that as the tournament progresses, I don’t see Pollard as a “Trinidadian leading a Bajan side”, but as a Caribbean person just like myself.
The fact of the matter is that we are all ONE!
As long as we continue to see it that way, the tournament in years to come will only get better.
Dawn-Marie Layne is the Director of DML Sport Psychology, Mental Skills Coach and Female Cricketer for the University of West Indies and Barbados Women. She has played for two UK Counties and has hopes of playing for the West Indies Women in the near future. She is a right-arm fast bowler and a left-handed bat.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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