Bridgetown, Barbados – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has congratulated Trinidad and Tobago following their superb display to win the WICB Caribbean T20 tournament for the second time.
WICB president Dr. Julian Hunte. Photo: windiescricket.com
Speaking on behalf of the Board, President Dr Julian Hunte described Sunday night’s victory over Jamaica as a “totally awesome display”. Playing before a large crowd at Kensington Oval, Denesh Ramdin’s side won by 62 runs to secure back-to-back Caribbean T20 titles.
Dr Hunte also highlighted the amazing crowd support from fans at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Kensington Oval in Barbados, noting that he was thrilled to see the “the level of enthusiasm, passion and involvement” as spectators turned out in record numbers.
Trinidad & Tobago suffered a defeat in their opening match against the Windward Islands, but fought back and swept all before them and took home the first prize of US$62,500 and the coveted Caribbean T20 trophy. They also qualified to represent the Caribbean for the third time at the Champions League.
“We saw a totally awesome display by the Trinidad and Tobago team as they again demonstrated their strength in all departments and showed everyone that they are the Number 1 in the Caribbean in the Twenty20 format.”
Dr Hunte added: “The way they fought back after the first round defeat and conquered all before them is exactly what true champions are made of. They were overflowing with confidence and in the end won convincingly. They were very well led and played a special brand of cricket with flare and flamboyance and smiles on their faces. This is the spirit for which they are known and which epitomises the spirit of the people of the Caribbean and the Caribbean T20.”
The WICB President praised the efforts of the other teams and lauded the superb job done by the tournament organisers, event staff and volunteers.
“We were also happy with the participation of the other teams who all gave of their best and all had special moments. We saw the progress of several young players and fans got the chance to see their favourite players in action. With the International Cricket Council’s World T20 Championship coming later this year, we believe West Indies will be strong contenders,” Dr Hunte added.
“This year we had record crowds at both venues and this tells us that cricket is still a favourite with West Indians of all ages. The party atmosphere with the colour, flag waving, dancing and singing is what we as West Indians have become known for and we saw this coming back during the last two weeks.
“I also want to thank and congratulate the CEO of the WICB, Dr Ernest Hilaire, Event Manager Cindy McLean and their team for a tremendous job to put on this tournament. Many thanks also to the organising committees in Antigua and Barbados and all the hard-working people who went beyond the call of duty and played a huge role in making the event a success.
“We were also delighted with the role of ESPN and the team which was responsible for producing the event. We also had a high-quality radio broadcast via the Line & Length Network and highlights packages on CMC – the regional broadcasters. This year we were delighted to have Sportsnet out of Canada on board as well as the TEMPO network. With these systems in place, the cricket world can see the quality we have here in the Caribbean. The entire tournament was a tremendous success.”
Of all domestic cricket tournaments globally, Caribbean Twenty20 received one of the widest live media coverage inclusive of live television broadcast, live radio commentary, live text commentary via CoverItLive on ct20.windiescricket.com and live score and other updates on Facebook and Twitter.