By Neto Baptiste
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA), Leon ‘Kuma’ Rodney, has assured that the body will host a T20 tournament during it’s 2025 season but stopped short of confirming whether or not the competition will adapt all of the recommendations put forward by clubs several months ago.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Rodney said the body has held recent meetings with the clubs as they continue to plot the bet way forward regarding the proposal.
“Up to Saturday we had a meeting with the clubs and the person designated to move forward. So we would have communicated to that person and then we would have met on Saturday gone and gotten a clearer understanding of what it is they feel can be done. Then we will revisit it and see how much we can go forward with it, if we’re going forward with it at all,” he said.
Clubs propositioned the ABCA in June this year to host it’s own T20 competition following a fallout with organizers of the popular Cool & Smooth T20. The two entities could not reach an agreement regarding the introduction of a payment system for players.
Clubs suggested that players representing teams in the tournament should be compensated and although organizers agreed, they stated that they were unable to table the amounts requested by the clubs.
Rodney said the association is dutybound to fill the void, adding that he seeS no resolution in sight regarding the Cool & Smooth tournament.
“I am sure we will have a T20 tournament, whether fully via the ABCA or in conjunction with the recommendations that were made by the team that approached us. But from where I am sitting and from my understanding, I have no alternative but to say that …, I don’t see that it is going to be patched up,” the cricket boss said.
Empire Nation won the 2023 edition of the tournament, beating the Liberta Blackhawks in the Final played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, to claim the EC $23,000 cash prize. No date has been publicised for the start of the domestic cricket season, which usually bowls off in January.
