BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH a little under two months before the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) bowls, the franchises selected their squad players which overlooked the three Kittitians who were eligible through the draft.
The three Kittitians, Shane Jeffers, Jacques Taylor and Steve Liburd, were among a list of over 200 cricketers from across the globe and were divided into three categories.
The Kittitians were not selected by any team, and while five of their counterparts from sister isle Nevis were also on the list, only Kieran Powell was drafted. He was drafted by the Antiguan franchise.
At a press conference held in Barbados last month (May 24), CPL Operations Manager Carlisle Powell explained to media operatives who and what would comprise the selected teams.
Powell said that each team would have a selection committee consisting of the Head Coach, Assistant Coach, the West Indies Franchise Player and the International Franchise Player, and that together they would plan and formalise their strategy and picks for each round going into the official draft.
Attendees also learned that there are three pools of players – A, B and C – who will be a part of the draft.
Pool ‘A’ players are those who have played international cricket and are considered top players based on their current form, while Pool ‘B’ players are cricketers who play mostly regional cricket although they may have also played at the international level. And Pool ‘C’ consists of developing, talented under-23 players from across the region.
Powell also gave the names of the players who were selected to represent the three pools.
West Indies Pool ‘A’ - Andre Russell, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Johnson Charles, Kemar Roach, Kieran Powell, Lendl Simmons, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tino Best.
International Pool ‘A’: Aaron Finch (Aus), Albie Morkel (SA), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Dirk Nannes (Aus), Luke Pomersbach (Aus), Shakib al Hasan (Ban), Shaun Marsh (Aus), Shoaib Malik (Pak), Steven Smith (Aus), Tamim Iqbal (Ban), Umar Akmal (Pak) and Vernon Philander (SA).
International Pool ‘B’: Elton Chigumbura (Zim), Davy Jacobs (SA), Justin Kemp (SA), James Franklin (NZ), Martin Guptill (NZ) and Kevin O’Brien (IRL).
Powell however noted that the West Indies Pools ‘B’ and ‘C’ are some 200 players strong and are listed on the CPL T20 website.
“We have secured a broad selection of cricket talent that we feel will appeal to cricket fans everywhere,” said Jamie Stewart, CPL Commercial Director. “The variety of players, from the experienced and well-established to the rising star on the cricket scene, should make the inaugural CPL an exciting tournament that showcases the best of the best.”
The following are the squads for each franchise:
Trinidad and Tobago - Dwayne Bravo, Ross Taylor, Darren Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Aaron Finch, Samuel Badree, Kevon Cooper, Kevin O’Brien, Suliman Benn, Adrian Barath, Delorn Johnson, Nicholas Pooran, Yannic Cariah, Miguel Cummins and Justin Guillen.
St. Lucia - Darren Sammy, Herschelle Gibbs, Albie Morkel, Tino Best, Tamim Iqbal, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Andre Fletcher, Garey Mathurin, Liam Sebastian, Dalton Polius, Kavem Hodge, Kenroy Peters and Nelon Pascal (L).
Jamaica - Chris Gayle, M. Muralitharan, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Shaun Marsh, Vernon Philander, Danza Hyatt, Carlton Baugh, Nikita Miller, Jacques Rudolph, Chadwick Walton, Jer. Blackwood, Akeem Dewar, David Bernard Jr. and Nkrumah Bonner.
Guyana - Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin, James Franklin, Chris Barnwell, Martin Guptil, Krishmar Santokie, William Perkins, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith, Narsingh Deonarine and V. Permaul.
Barbados - Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Shakib al Hasan, Umar Akmal, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Rayad Emrit, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Kyle Mayers, Devendra Bishoo, Kirk Edwards and Raymond Reifer.
Antigua - Marlon Samuels, Ricky Ponting, Kieron Powell, Johnson Charles, Kemar Roach, Steven Smith, Sheldon Cotterell, Dave Mohammed, Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge, Justin Kemp, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jahmar Hamilton, Anthony Martin and Montcin Hodge.
Meanwhile, the CPL held a meeting yesterday (June 5) in Jamaica and announced the salary of each player, which is on the Pool and the Round for which they are selected.based
Player Salaries:
Franchise Players – US$150 000
Pool A - Elite:
First Round – US$100 000
Second Round – US$90 000
Third Round – US$70 000
Fourth Round – US$50 000
Pool B – Eligible:
First Round – US$40 000
Second Round – US$25 000
Third Round – US$25 000
Fourth Round – US$10 000
Fifth Round – US$10 000
Pool C – Under 23/Eligible:
All four rounds are US$5 000 each
