On many a Sunday, I realize that people have looked at the stories they have seen throughout the week with different lenses. I have my own personal take on some of these issues and I will share them with you. Welcome to #INCASEYOUMISSEDIT

1. St. Lucia Zouks’ Mark Deyal is turning heads with his CPL performances.

The St. Lucia Zouks franchise has never won a CPL title. Entering the 2020 edition of the tournament opinions were mixed about whether the Zouks would qualify for the top four. Upon studying the new team fielded for 2020, interviewing the new Coach Andy Flower, and accepting the new conditions created because of COVID 19, I saw the Zouks putting up a great fight.

One new addition to the team’s roster, Mark Deyal, has sparked interest based on his exploits in all three departments of the game - bowling, batting, and fielding.

So far, in the 2020 Hero CPL, Mark has a top score of 40 off 33 balls when he blasted five fours against the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday. In the seven games he has played, Deyal has accumulated 105 runs.

He has also been handy with the ball despite not bowling many overs. In the four overs bowled he has taken one wicket at an economy rate of 3.50. His athleticism and awareness also make him an asset on the field where he has taken four catches. In my estimation, if Mark continues working and converts his starts into bigger totals, the right people will notice him.

In an exclusive interview that I conducted with Mark, he expressed his delight representing the Zouks.  “It’s really pleasing personally because this year with this team I have more responsibilities and it’s something I'm really excited about,” he said.

On his performance in the CPL so far the 27-year-old all-rounder said, “I would have to say it is below par for me because I personally set high expectations for this year although I had a couple of good performances. Luckily, the tournament is not over so I still have time to have an impact.” 

The young Trinidadian says making the Windies limited overs team is at the top of the list of his personal goals and he sees the CPL as the ideal place to turn the right heads and gain recognition.

He also revealed his aspirations for playing in the Indian Premier League. “That’s also a dream of mine, which is why it’s important that every chance I get I showcase my ability in all areas, batting, bowling and fielding so that I can make the move up from CPL to IPL.”

The St Lucia Zouks, who are third on the CPL table with 10 points, have already made it to the semi-finals. They have one more match, against Jamaica Tallawahs. If they win that by a big margin, there is still a chance they could finish second, on net run-rate.

2. Better Luck next time St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots suffered an early exit from the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after heavy rain forced a no-result in their match Thursday against Jamaica Tallawahs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. They ended their 2020 run with three points.

Their highest total this season was the 150 they scored against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Despite the team’s failure to advance to the semi-finals, the Patriots 2020 showing is not a proper representation of the individual talent that the team possess.

 Patriots Captain Rayad Emrit in an exclusive interview explained what he believes to be the reasons behind the team’s failure this season.

 “It has been a very tough tournament for us. Firstly, losing our head coach then Dennis Bulli due to COVID 19 and then the biggest of all, Fabian Allen missing his flight. I think we missed these players and coach. We haven’t batted well in the entire tournament and to date we only had two guys scoring half-centuries,” he said.

“I think the bowling was decent in most games but still we haven’t been as consistent as we should be. We have not learnt as a team as quickly as we should have. I know players have not been playing for close to six months and T20 can be a very cruel game.

“Joshua Da Silva has been okay for us playing his first T20 tournament, and John Russ Jaggessar has been good as well. I think we have to regroup and come back a lot better next year if we are to compete in this tournament, especially with the CPL getting better every year.”

3. Can Messi genuinely enjoy football at Barcelona anymore? There are so many unanswered questions.

Ten days after he stunned the world of football and informed Barcelona that he wanted to activate the release clause in his contract, Lionel Messi has decided he will stay at the club he has called home for almost 20 years. Barcelona has been extremely silent since Messi’s public statement Friday that he will stay at the club.

 Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu has not spoken in public since the interview. 

There are so many unanswered questions swirling around. What we do know is that Messi will take his coronavirus test and then return to the club’s training on Monday. How will the Messi and coach Ronald Koeman relationship unfold? Will Messi remain as captain? What does his future at the club look like? Only time will tell!