New ball for the Windies?

In 2005, West Indies cricket took an exciting turn with the launch of the Stanford 20/20 tournament, and later the Stanford Super Series. These competitions injected new life into the standing of the game throughout the region, with its big entertainment factor and, of course, mind-boggling prize monies. Fears about the future popularity of cricket subsided, as the higher pay-days meant that the prospect of being a professional cricketer became more attractive to young players.

However, despite Stanford seeming to have the Midas touch, time would reveal that all that glittered was definitely not gold.

The Texan billionaire, who would have gone down in history as single-handedly changing the face of West Indies cricket, was instead forced to abandon the field of play in disgrace with his financial empire collapsing around him. Following his conviction and jail sentence for a number of financial crimes, from a public relations standpoint, the Stanford innings was a rather low moment in West Indies cricket history. We expect there would have been much soul-searching amongst those who welcomed him with open arms. No doubt many asked themselves: Were we bowled over by the (rhetorical) spin?

Now seven years later, another international financier, merchant banker Ajmal Khan, has committed to boosting the short form of the game, sponsoring a regional tournament in league with the widely popular Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash. Scheduled to bowl off this year, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) was launched in December 2012 and is promising to be another big lift to West Indies cricket. An outline was given of how the franchise-based league will work – six city-based teams playing across the region over a one-month period each year. Each franchise would be built around Caribbean players, complemented by international star players. Like the Indian and Australian versions, players would be bought, sold and transferred during an annual auction.

“I’m looking to invest whatever it takes, in the hundreds of millions, in order to be able to turn this passion into a reality that it is sustainable,” said Khan, Chairman and CEO of Verus International and the newest godfather to West Indies cricket.

It’s a bold promise to make. The fact that the name Khan and Verus International were virtually unknown in the region until now will call for a special effort to be made to engage with the Caribbean people. Further details about the new league are expected to be revealed this year and we look forward to a comprehensive campaign being rolled out to familiarise the public with not just the CPL concept, but also the sponsor behind it.

Of late, West Indies cricket has begun to reach more even footing and can ill afford another setback on its journey of recovery and restoration to the pinnacle of world cricket. In just a few years, the Stanford tournament was able to make a significant difference in the way the sport was viewed and played in the region. Now Verus International has made a commitment for an even longer period of time. If fulfilled, who knows what new heights West Indies cricket might reach?

We want to see the region reclaim its rightful place in the top tier of the international game and a major part of that is keeping pace with the evolution of the sport. Our players have never lacked for talent and we welcome any chance for them to access similar opportunities available to professional players from other parts of the world, right here at home.