– some of the wickets were disappointing last CPL
By Brandon Corlette
During the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), 30 team totals were below 150, while 20 team totals surpassed 150.
According to CPL Chief Executive Officer Pete Russell, some of the wickets in Trinidad and Tobago were disappointing.
Looking ahead to the 2021 CPL, which starts on August 26, all 33 matches will be played at one venue in St Kitts and Nevis. Russell is confident that on this occasion the CPL will be played on good pitches. He disclosed that CPL has a pitch expert on the ground in St Kitts to oversee preparation.
Last season, the highest team total was 185-3, scored by Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR). Interestingly, TKR scored the top four highest team totals last season. The other three totals are 184-4, 175-5, and 174-4.
Reflecting on some of the pitches in Trinidad and Tobago last season, Russell said: “I think some of the wickets were disappointing, from our perspective.” He added: “We thought long and hard enough on how do you play at one venue and make sure for the 33 games you keep the wickets fresh and ready for the cricket, so we put in a plan for the last six months, which has meant we had our own pitch expert oversee everything: from the seeding of the wicket to all the way through how the outfield is prepared.”
With the CPL matches to be played over 16 days and five days off scheduled, Russell indicated that the pitches will have rest, and preparations will be in place.
“The schedule itself sees there are gaps with day-offs here and there, and we are purely doing that to rest the wickets and make sure that preparations are spot on, because, at the end of the day, you do not want the wicket to decide the tournament,” Russell told this daily publication.
Russell described the St Kitts pitch as one of the best in the Caribbean. “We are very conscious of that. St Kitts pitch is one of the best in the Caribbean and we are confident that the games will be played on good decks.”
The 2021 CPL, which has 33 matches to be played in St Kitts and Nevis, will bowl off with a clash between reigning and four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders and five-time runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors on August 26 from 10:00 hours.