PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s Cricket Board believes Caribbean cricketers are still a marketable brand globally, despite the fluctuating fortunes of the West Indies team.
Chief executive Suruj Ragoonath was speaking in the wake of Trinidadian players Rayad Emrit, Evin Lewis and Kevon Cooper all signing deals to ply their trade in the Bangladesh Premier League later this year.
T&T Red Force captain Rayad Emrit.
“Even with West Indies cricket in turmoil and the regional team’s performances continuing to disappoint in Sri Lanka, our top local players are still able to command attention globally and their services are greatly in demand,” Ragoonath said.
The three players have asked to be released from their retainer contracts in order to campaign in the BPL, which runs from November 22 and December 15.
Emrit, an all-rounder, is the T&T Red Force captain and will lead the side for the first two rounds of the Professional Cricket League first class championship before heading off. He will be joined by Lewis, an aggressive left-handed batsman and Cooper, an all-rounder.
The 34-year-old Emrit is a seasoned campaigner who helped lift Barbados Tridents to the Caribbean Premier League title in 2014. He subsequently captained the side at the Champions League Twenty20 later that year.
All three players were expected to be fixtures in the Red Force squad for the first class campaign and Ragoonath said even though they would be missed, the TTCB believed chances would be created for younger players to make their mark.
“Whilst the departure of these players is a blow to the Red Force team which begins its challenge for the West Indies Cricket Board’s PCL title in a week’s time, it creates opportunities for several promising young players to step up and make a name for themselves,” the former West Indies batsman said.
Red Force clash with Leeward Islands Hurricanes in their first round game at Warner Park in St Kitts starting Friday and follow up with a tough fixture against perennial rivals Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.
