The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) over the course of seven years has cemented its place in my heart as one of my favourite competitions.
This year, there almost was none, but the administrators of the CPL adapted, showing a willingness to innovate and Trinidad and Tobago, maybe not for the best reasons, stepped in to help fill the breach.
With travel restrictions the order of the day, with COVID-19 cases worldwide rising to more than 21 million cases, with more than 760,000 deaths, the CPL could easily not have happened.
Players in the Caribbean who ply their trade in T20 leagues all over the world have been, in a word, stuck.
This is why it is incredulous to me, how one of these players managed to miss his flight.
Fabian Allen would have missed tournaments after the shutdown of sport and should have been anxious to get back onto the field.
Mixing up the time of the only flight that would allow him to take part in the tournament seems careless on somebody’s part.
Then there was also an announcement that Ramnaresh Sarwan would not be taking up coaching duties with the Jamaica Tallawahs this season.
That announcement was in addition to an upheaval in the Tallawahs that began with Chris Gayle’s distasteful movement to the St Lucia Zouks and Andre Russell’s declaration that this would be his last season with the Tallawahs.
Eventually Gayle would pull out of the tournament altogether, leaving a star-shaped gap in the competition.
Spare a thought for the Zouks though, who, while having good players in their roster, seem to be lacking some star power.
Then there was more controversy once the teams got to Trinidad and Tobago.
Apparently, the local T&T players were not subject to the same protocols as visitors and those visitors got pissed.
Daren Sammy, skipper of the Zouks, was most vocal about this, saying no team should have had the advantage of being allowed to train early because they were not yet in the isolation of the bubble at the Hilton Hotel.
In addition, Sammy and others felt the longer the locals were allowed to stay outside of the bubble, the greater the chances of their entry being unsafe for those already in the bio-secure environment.
Chief of CPL operations Michael Hall sought to reassure the other teams, however, that all precautions were taken to make sure the entrance of the T&T players into the bubble was safe.
So, with just about four days to go before the start of the tournament, things don’t look great.
And the CPL, while producing great cricket, has been a big seller because it showcases the self-proclaimed greatest party in sport.
But can the tournament stand just on the performances of the players?
Can the worldwide acclaim it has garnered still be guaranteed without the fans?
Can the pitches in the twin-island republic where the entire tournament is to be played, stand up to the rigours of as many games as will be played on them?
Whatever the case, just as the West Indies were the first team to stand up for cricket during these uncertain times, the CPL has stood up for the franchise format the world over.
If the CPL can manage to answer these questions in a positive way, then cricket might just come out on the other side of COVID-19 smelling like roses.
Paul-Andre is the Managing Editor at SportsMax.tv. He comes to the role with almost 20 years of experience as journalist. That experience includes all facets of media. He began as a sports Journalist in 2001, quickly moving into radio, where he was an editor before becoming a news editor and then an entertainment editor with one of the biggest media houses in the Caribbean.
Pollard reaches, surpasses 200 IPL sixes
Big-hitting West Indian batsman, Kieron Pollard, joined elite Indian Premier League (IPL) company when became one of only a handful of players to hit 200 sixes, during Mumbai Indians' third match of IPL 2021 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
After a slow start to the campaign, Pollard exploded into life on Saturday hitting 35 from just 22 balls, lifting Mumbai to 150. The West Indian’s knock consisted of three sixes, in the end playing a crucial role in a 13-run win.
Pollard became the 6th batter to get past 200 sixes in the IPL. The list is led by his compatriot Gayle who has hit 351 sixes, 114 more than 2nd-placed AB de Villiers. Rohit Sharma is third on the list followed by MS Dhoni. Pollard went level with Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli after finishing the Mumbai Indians innings on Saturday with 201 sixes.
Pollard is, however, the only man among the top 10 on the list for most boundaries in the IPL with more sixes than fours — 201 sixes, 199 fours. Pollard also became only the third overseas player after Gayle and de Villiers to hit 200 sixes.
Boult and Rahul inspire Indians to victory over Sunrisers in IPL
Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar took three wickets apiece as Mumbai Indians claimed their second victory of the 2021 Indian Premier League against winless Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mumbai posted a modest 150-5 from their allocation on Saturday with the total boosted largely to some valuable late-order hitting from Kieron Pollard.
Jonny Bairstow (43 off 22) laid a solid platform for Hyderabad's reply with an aggressive knock alongside the more cautious David Warner (36 off 34).
But both men departed to soft dismissals before India leg-spinner Rahul (3-19) stifled the middle order and Boult (3-28) blew away the tail as Hyderabad were bowled out for 137.
Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma (32) and fellow opener Quinton de Kock (40) made good use of the powerplay after they had elected to bat first as they picked up length well, punishing anything short, on a slow pitch in Chennai.
Mumbai's innings stuttered in the middle overs as Vijay Shankar (2-19) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-29) put the brakes on before Pollard (35 not out) whacked 16 crucial runs off the last over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Boult and Jasprit Bumrah initially made life tough for Hyderabad before Bairstow exploded in with a brutal assault, striking three fours and four sixes before he stepped on his stumps trying to work a ball from Krunal Pandya.
Hyderabad skipper Warner was then run out and Rahul's leggies swung the momentum Mumbai's way with three wickets before Boult and Bumrah (1-14) proved formidable at the death.
The victory took Mumbai top of the table, until Sunday at least, while Hyderabad are languishing at the bottom.
Sunrisers need more from Bairstow and Warner
In the third over of their reply, England's Bairstow launched a towering six off Boult straight down the ground which shattered the glass on a drinks fridge next to the Sunrisers' dugout.
His 43 off 22 balls got Hyderabad's reply off to a great start while Australian Warner played a more methodical innings to put his side within striking distance.
Both openers, however, were out to soft dismissals – Warner made a daft call for a single while Bairstow was out hit wicket – and the pair need to place greater value on their wickets.
Boult and Bumrah masterful
Rahul caught the eye with his with his leg spin as he removed the top-six wickets of Manish Pandey, Virat Singh and Abhishek Sharma.
But at the business end of the game New Zealand left-armer Boult and India paceman Bumrah, who did not concede a single boundary, gave an exhibition in how to bowl at the death to snuff out any lingering Hyderabad's hopes.
That was backed up by some superb fielding from Hardik Pandya, who prowled the infield sharply and claimed two run outs including Warner.
British society's support for BLM movement is all talk, little action - Michael Holding
Cricketer turned commentator Michael Holding believes British society and its media are all talk and little action when it comes to championing equal rights for all, more specifically the Black Lives Matter movement.
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