Source : Jamaica Gleaner
FOLLOWING last year’s resounding success of the inaugural staging of the RESI Cricket Legends, former West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell, founder of the event, believes Year Two will be bigger.
The 2024 staging will be held on February 18 at the Treasure Beach Sports Park in St Elizabeth, and the feature game will be a T20 all-star clash between a Ramnaresh Sarwan XI and a Carl Hooper XI. Both captains are former Guyana and West Indies players. According to Powell, because of the growing calls, it was a no-brainer to host another event of this magnitude.
“People still love the game and they want to see cricket being played. We did it once and it was a success, so therefore, why not try it again?. I’ve tweaked it a bit so I’m trying to bring a family aspect to it also, so it’s not just a day for people interested in cricket but everyone can be part of it,” said Powell.
Among the many star players set to feature at this year’s staging are Nehemiah Perry, Odean Brown, Krishmar Santokie, Andre Russell, Danza Hyatt, former Sri Lanka all-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan and local boy Jerome Taylor. According to Powell, Dilshan is no stranger to the parish, as in past years he featured in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and had vacationed in Jamaica regularly.
“Well, Dilshan is someone who has played in the Caribbean Premier League before for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and he comes to Jamaica quite regularly. So, when you have someone like him who checks on you, then that tells a lot. The players are keen and interested in coming and this is gathering momentum and I hope it will develop and be attractive to the wider public,” Powell said.
Powell, who featured in 37 Test matches and 55 One-Day Internationals for the West Indies, stated that having a solid relationship with former players post-retirement makes it easier to convince players to participate. He added that having former captain Brian Lara participate in the inaugural season helped to boost the status of the event.
“It depends on how well you can communicate with these players after you’ve retired and when you can have Brian Lara featured in the first staging then that speaks volumes. I hope this can move from strength to strength, as I’m already in talks with players from around the world for next year, and it’s good that people want to share their knowledge with the younger players when they participate in this event,” Powell said.