Foreign Sides To Feature At Eight Team Tournament

Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) will not be taking part in the 2014 Super50 cricket series tournament that will be played in T&T at the end of January. T&T Guardian understands that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) made the decision because of the fact that the tournament is sponsored by the T&T Ministry of Tourism and hence they wanted to attract two foreign teams in an effort to enhance the tourism effort made by the sponsoring country. The T&T government in an effort to boost this country’s image as a sport tourism destination, has decided to sponsor the previously not sponsored Super50 for the next three years. As a result the tournament will be played in T&T and the WICB wants to give T&T the chance of maximum international exposure.  

As a result the WICB is in talks with two foreign countries to take part in the tournament and the games which will be carried on ESPN will then be beamed ‘live’ back to those countries. The government will then use the opportunity with eyes trained on the country, to showcase the twin-island republic, so that visitors can come to T&T’s shores. The CCC, therefore, makes way for one of these teams. The only other way it can get in, is if negotiations with any of the other two teams break down. The other reason for taking the CCC out of the tournament, is to give the six original territories their identity. The source who gave the information also revealed that since the advent of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the six territories have lost their identity as players are playing for different countries. The CCC was comprised of players from across the Caribbean and the home base was in Barbados.

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The source added that the players who would have normally represented the CCC would then be more or less drafted into their national sides, so that they still get the opportunity to play regional cricket. The Regional Super50 is also going to get a new name as there would also be smaller sponsors coming on board and the WICB is yet to finalise that detail. This would be done after consultation with the various sponsors. Currently all the business of the tournament is being taken care of by the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) as the WICB is yet to name a committee to take charge of the tournament.

originally posted in the Trinidad Guardian (guardian.co.tt)