BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies Twenty20 World Cup star, Lendl Simmons, will campaign for Jamaica Tallawahs in this year’s Caribbean Premier League after being acquired by the reigning champions in the draft staged here yesterday.
The right-handed Simmons turned out for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots last season, following three years with Guyana Amazon Warriors, and will now flaunt his talent for the Kingston-based franchise with a price tag of US$160 000.
There, he joins the likes of Sri Lankan superstar Kumar Sangakkara and will assume part of the huge burden of run-scoring, especially with Chris Gayle having left for the Patriots.
With all-rounder Andre Russell serving a one-year suspension for a doping whereabouts violation, Tallawahs will also be lacking his star power but Sangakkara said the squad would still be a strong one.
“A lot of teams will look at us thinking ‘well they are not the same side as last year’ and that’s actually a good thing for us because it takes the pressure off us completely and allows us to play with a lot more freedom, and almost become non-defending champions but in a way underdogs,” the left-hander said.
“We’ll really have to assess ourselves, our squad and see how best we play this tournament but it’s T20 cricket and it gives everyone a chance, no matter what the make-up of the side is.
“I have a lot of confidence in the players we have. There are some exciting fast bowlers, some exciting all-rounders, there’s some exciting batsmen so there’s not much more you can ask for in our squad.”
The 32-year-old Simmons had a modest campaign with the bat for Patriots with just over 200 runs but scored prolifically in previous seasons with Amazon Warriors.
He was a member of the West Indies squad which captured the T20 World Cup in India last April.
Another high profile acquisition was that of West Indies batting star Marlon Samuels who went to St Lucia Stars – formerly St Lucia Zouks – for US$30 000.
The veteran right-hander, who previously turned out for Patriots but went unsold in last year’s draft, will link up with marquee player, Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga, along with South African David Miller and Australian all-rounder Shane Watson.
Jamaica Scorpions batsman Chadwick Walton also made a big money move from Tallawahs to Guyana Amazon Warriors where he was picked at US$110 000. The Jamaican has been in rich form, scoring heavily in the recent WICB Regional Super50 and also gathering a stroke-filled hundred against England in a 50-overs tour match last month.
Amazon Warriors also moved for the exciting left-hander Steven Taylor in a $30 000 deal and also secured the services of emerging fast bowling all-rounder Roshon Primus for $10 000.
Australia Ben Cutting, meanwhile, will get his first taste of the Caribbean tournament when he turns out for Patriots, having been picked up on Friday for $110 000.
He joins the franchise which will boast South African Chris Morris as its marquee player, and also has the services of Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi.
Nabi along with Rashid Khan, who has been bought by Amazon Warriors, will be the first Afghans to campaign in the CPL.
Barbados Tridents, the 2014 champions, will be headlined by marquee player Kane Williamson of New Zealand but yesterday also picked up Pakistani seamer Wahab Riaz and fiery ex-West Indies pacer Tino Best.
Trinbago Knight Riders remain largely unchanged but have let go of veteran West Indies left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn while opting for the untested Trinidadian Khary Pierre, also a left-arm spinner.
The CPL will run from August 1 to September 9.
SQUADS:
BARBADOS TRIDENTS – Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Nicholas Pooran, Wayne Parnell, Ravi Rampaul, Wahab Riaz, Raymond Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Imran Khan, Damion Jacobs, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Wiggins, Tino Best, Shamar Springer, Akeem Dobson
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS – Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Shimron Hetmyer, Muhammad Ali Khan.
JAMAICA TALLAWAHS – Lendl Simmons, Kumar Sangakkara, Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim, Muhammad Sami, Rovman Powell, Gidron Pope, Kesrick Williams, Garey Mathurin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Foo, Kennar Lewis, Andre McCarthy, Odean Smith, O’Shane Thomas, Timroy Allen.
ST KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS – Chris Gayle, Chris Morris, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Jonathan Carter, Tabraiz Shamsi, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Sheldon Cotterell, Kieran Powell, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Nikhil Dutta, Carlos Brathwaite.
ST LUCIA STARS – David Miller, Lasith Malinga, Shane Watson, Daren Sammy, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Kamran Akmal, Rakheem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers, Shane Shillingford, Eddie Leie, Keddy Lesporis, Sunil Ambris, Obed McCoy, Timil Patel.
TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS – Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Javon Searles, Nikita Miller, William Perkins, Kevon Cooper, Brad Hogg, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq.