Nevis’ rising star Cricket umpire, Carl Tuckett, is back in Nevis, after making a huge impression at the Global T-20 Cricket tournament, recently held in Canada. Tuckett noted that he was elated when he got the call up to be a part of the lucrative tournament and was sanctioned by the West Indies Cricket board. He noted that he was well taken care of in terms of air travel and accommodation, but stopped short of speaking to the financial rewards resulting from his stint.
Tuckett stated that it was an incredible feeling to be center stage, in front of such huge crowds, officiating games in which some of the world’s best cricketers were involved. He was however quick to point out that his previous stint as an international cricketer, having played in front of huge crowds himself, would have held him in good stead, during the tournament.
Asked about his singular WOW moment from the tournament, he stated that there were quite a few, but mentioned the batting of Rassie van der Dussen of South Africa, but who played for the Vancouver Knights. Tuckett referred to his batting skills as ‘pleasing to the eyes’ and opined that he will become a household name in the next 18 months or so. Another moment was the century made by Chris Gayle and the explosiveness of Andre Rusell in the finals, with both bat and ball.
He was extremely pleased to be chosen as one of the two umpires to officiate in the grand finals. He indicated that it was based on the great reviews that he had received during the preliminary matches.
Asked about a moment when extreme pressure would have been brought to bear on him, he pointed to an incident in the finals, when one batsman appealed for a no-ball call for ‘above the waist.’ The call was up to his colleague at square leg, who negated the appeal and the batsmen tried to put pressure on him, to change the call. Tuckett noted that umpires will always support their colleagues and there was no way that he was going to do anything different. He remained firm and gained the respect of the players for his stance.
Going forward, Tuckett will be involved in the upcoming CPL series, but he has his eyes set on bigger things.
How about Carl Tuckett doing his first test match or one day international?
Tuckett quietly admits that he is focused and dreaming big. He knows where he wants to go and intends to get there by God’s grace.
He thanks God, his very supportive family, the umpiring fraternity in Nevis and throughout the region, the WICB and the entire Nevisian community and many other individuals, for their tremendous support thus far. Special mention was made of umpiring stalwarts such as Denzil Parris, Vincent Weeks and Oscar ASTRO Browne.
He also used the opportunity to express condolences to the family of the recently murdered regional umpire, Carlton Best of Trinidad.