The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
THREE Zimbabwean cricketers Hamilton Masakadza, Graeme Cremer and Elton Chigumbura have been included in the Caribbean Premier League player draft for this year’s competition scheduled for July. In a statement on Tuesday, the CPL also disclosed that a record number of West Indies and international stars have been officially registered for the HERO Caribbean Premier League Player Draft which takes place on Thursday in Barbados.
Speaking on this year’s record list of applicants in both West Indies and across the world, director of international cricket within the CPL Tom Moody said some of the best at the highest level had expressed their intention to join the largest party in the game with this year’s standard of competitiveness expected to be high.
“Some of the leading names in the world of cricket have signalled their intentions to join the biggest party in sport at the CPL, so this year’s competition is sure to be our most exciting to date. Outside our “marquee” players, there are international players of the highest standard including a host of world champions and a myriad of players who continue to entertain and enrich the global game,’’ said Moody.
Masakadza recently broke into the top 10 of the International Cricket Council T20I rankings and is in position eight, a feat that has seen him attract global attention. The 32-year seasoned batsman was last month named by ZC as Zimbabwe’s new captain across all the three formats of the game.
“It is not the first time I have put my name, hopefully I will get in this time around,’’ said Masakadza.
Leg spinner Cremer also forced his way into the fifth position on the list of the best bowlers in the shortest format of the game and this has made him to be sought after by international franchises. Chigumbura, a clean hitting batsman when at his best, turned out for the Barbados Tridents in the 2014 T20 Champions League. This was after the side had won the Caribbean Premier League. Marquee players from the tournament will come in the form of Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Martin Guptil, Brendon McCullum (both New Zealand), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) and Australian all rounder Shane Watson.
