By Neto Baptiste
This year’s edition of the Cool & Smooth T20 Explosion is set to be played at the ICC-certified Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG).
This is according to one member of the organising committee, Dario Barthley, who said they are currently in talks with the venue’s management in hopes that lucrative tournament will be held there in its entirety.
“After the Super 40 final, Kuma actually called me and said ‘Dario there is now no question because we can’t not use Coolidge for the tournament’. Even with the late request, the personnel at Coolidge have been so accommodative and so open to the idea of hosting the tournament there, showing their support for local cricket as well,” he said.
Barthley said the organisers will be meeting with the clubs this weekend in hopes of getting feedback regarding the intended player draft that will be used to allocate regional and international players to the eight competing teams.
“We are going to convene a meeting with the clubs this weekend and we are going to speak to them about their preferences for the way the draft system will work. However, I think the idea that we have of how it will work is pretty solid and I don’t foresee that much pushback from the clubs in terms of that. Obviously, we deserve the right to determine how the process actually goes in the end,” he said.
The T20 tournament is set to bowl off on April 25 and will see action for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid 19 pandemic. PIC Liberta Blackhawks are the defending champions.