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A decision had to be made. Should I reflect on the 2025 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) before it had ended?
It wasn’t difficult because what I wanted to talk about really had little to do with the outcome. The final match is on Sunday (yesterday), and I am writing this on Thursday, knowing that the Guyana Amazon Warriors deservedly earned themselves a place in the final.
Photo: Randy Brooks/ CPL T20 via Getty Images.
When the Trinbago Knight Riders pulled off their win against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, I hurriedly switched off the television because I didn’t have the courage to face Curtly Ambrose.
Ambrose carried the most intimidating demeanour during the entire tournament. His countenance at rest was the portrait of a glower. You could never tell which way a game was going under his impassive and inscrutable glare.
Yet, when he approved, he did not hide it, jumping into the air with his famous arms upraised, recalling his days as a long streak of misery.
Decades ago, when I had interviewed him for a profile, I had been struck by the sharpness of his mind, and his deep understanding of the game—both on and off the field. I learned so much during the three days we spent in conversation.
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/ CPL T20 via Getty Images.
At first he had been wary and slightly aloof, but eventually he warmed up and I discovered his dry sense of humour and mischief. He carries the generosity of spirit that is the hallmark of greatness.
If you have followed his post-cricket career, you will see the evidence of this in his coaching and mentoring and his outlook on what West Indies cricket means at many levels.
I remark on this because to me it is one of the vital elements of the CPL, something that has flourished in the seasonal interactions between teams and their coaches and mentors. Its value is ineffable, to use Samuel Badree’s word in one of his descriptive bouts of commentary.
People who are not particularly interested in cricket often assume that I follow games closely for the entertainment.
Pollard, 38, was adjudged the player of the tournament.
(via TKR.)
Yes, it’s entertaining, but in its 13 years, the CPL has consistently allowed us to witness a congregation of players—young and old, famous and unknown, regional and international—in familiar arenas, close enough that we can identify with them and call them our own.
The addition of the WCPL, the women’s version, has been revelatory in its own way. Their matches were equally thrilling and edgy, and the inclusion of the international players demonstrated the expertise that has accumulated over the years.
This is the core of why I follow the CPL so avidly. It is an opportunity to see what kind of skills exist in our cricketing community.
Photo: Johnny Baptiste/ Wired868.
Years ago, I actually counted how many cricketers took part in the tournament and subtracted the overseas players (one of my quirks), and I think I tallied somewhere around 70.
If at this level, there are so many with obvious talent—perhaps requiring training and mentoring—how are we still struggling to produce teams that can manage consistently competent performances?
I don’t want to call names, but there were so many little nuggets shining out there, that it made me wonder about the selection processes.
Photo: Randy Brooks/ CPL T20 via Getty Images.
I recalled what was to me a notable aspect of Frank Worrell’s historical tour of Australia in the 1960–61 season, the one with the tied Test at Brisbane.
Worrell’s team had consisted of a bunch of talented players, but they had to learn the intricacies of working as a unit. Sparklers, they were, shining abruptly and briefly on game days.
I am referring to the number of tour matches here, not the Tests. But Worrell took them in hand, drumming it into their heads that they were not just ambassadors, but they had to approach each game as if it were a Test.
He coached and mentored and guided them with patience, and his nurturing paid off.
It seems to me that many more support systems are available now than there were then, but it comes down to really appreciating the value of this kind of support, and knowing that every person’s needs are different.
The teams at the CPL belong to franchises that have invested in this system, and it seems to be working. Exposing young, inexperienced players to seasoned veterans from different cultures builds awareness and is an invaluable source of learning.
Photo: Randy Brooks/ CPL T20 via Getty Images.
How many of the participants will come away from this tournament enriched beyond measure from their experiences both on and off the field?
As a community, the CPL genuinely rallies West Indians around the games. Everywhere the tournament put down its big top, fans crammed themselves in. The noise, the atmosphere, the festive vibe resonated beyond any other type of event.
In T&T, the red seas were apparent for both the football and the cricket—a testament to the joy that sport can unleash.
Photo: Nicholas Pooran/ Wired868.
And news of Keshorn Walcott’s gold for his javelin throw of 88.16m and Grenadian, Anderson Peters’ silver (87.38m) at the World Athletics Championships is equalled by Jereem Richards’ 43.72 silver in the 400m final.
Despite the dreadful absurdities spewing from the nasty world of global politics, there is much for us to celebrate in the continuing spectacle of human endeavour at its best and noblest.
I turned 59 on Friday, and I looked forward most to watching the CPL qualifier match, whatever the outcome.
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Vaneisa Baksh is a columnist with the Trinidad Express, an editor and a cricket historian. She is the author of a biography of Sir Frank Worrell.
