Guyana among three countries bidding to host this year’s CPL final

By Avenash Ramzan

Guyana is among three countries which have an interest in the hosting of the final of the 2016 Hero Caribbean Premier League (Hero CPL) on August 7, according to Chief Operations Officer of the League, Pete Russell.

CPL 2016, slated for six weeks, will bowl off on June 29, and according to the initial scheduling, Guyana will host four preliminary games, the first of which is tentatively set for July 5.

News broke last year about Guyana being among the front-runners to host the semi-finals and final, and Russell, during an exclusive interview with this publication on Wednesday, said the South American nation, which has attracted sold out crowds for all games to date, is certainly in the running to host the championship game.

“The final is obviously the jewel in our crown. There are currently three countries who are interested. We’ve had discussions; it’s our duty to make sure we have discussions with all the countries that are involved in CPL,” Russell pointed out.

He added, “This is a very special year for Guyana; we realise that and we want to be a big part of that, so for us we’ve had very positive discussions about what we can do. Obviously, from my side it would be wrong for me to say that we haven’t discussed whether the semis or final couldn’t be played here. But that’s a matter for the government, and how they view it.”

The Chief Operations Officer added that discussions were held with top officials of the government of Guyana during his visit here to help in laying the groundwork for the Guyana leg of the tournament.

“We’ve talked to them about a number of issues and opportunities. Obviously, this is a massive year for Guyana with the Golden Jubilee celebrations, so CPL very much wants to be part of that so we’re trying to find a way of being a key part of that, as the year progresses,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Russell also indicated that unlike previous years, matches could be held in territories outside the Caribbean.

“We have looked at Florida as probably the next destination, and we want to play games there. We believe that Guyana should play some its games there, [in fact] all of the teams should play games there. So we’re in discussions with USACA [United States of America Cricket Association] and the ICC [International Cricket Council] and we hope to confirm that we can play games there,” Russell divulged.

CPL 2016 will get rolling on February 11 in Barbados with the highly anticipated Player Draft. (aramzan@guyanatimesgy.com)