Jamaica’s Tallawahs celebrate winning the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League after the final against Barbados Royals at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, September 30, 2022. (Photo: CPL via Getty Images)
JAMAICA Tallawahs’ success in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title this year is unique compared to previous wins in 2013 and 2016 because not a single match in that run was played in front of the team’s home fans.
While the franchise’s executive body described the win as “ecstatic,” chief executive Jeff Miller is eager for a return to island gaming.
In previous years, Tallawahs ownership complained about the costs associated with hosting its games at Sabina Park, especially amid declining attendance numbers. As such, she experimented with games in Lauderhill, Florida, with the goal of making it her permanent home.
Not only did the Tallawahs’ results not improve there, but neither did the home support, as many spectators comprising the larger West Indian diaspora, who rarely got to see live cricket, turned out for the visiting teams as much as for the Tallawahs- you
Miller says they have learned from this and as long as the CPL advisers return the league to a home-and-away format, as it was before the new coronavirus pandemic, all home games will return to Jamaica.
“We made a decision in 2018 and played some games in Florida,” Miller said The Jamaica Observer. “It didn’t turn out the way we hoped and we have decided that Jamaica will play their home games in Jamaica if the opportunity arises. If the CPL and the government give us the green light, that’s where we would be.”
Miller isn’t the only one hoping the team returns to Sabina Park. His sentiments are shared by assistant coach Andre Coley and a number of players.
“That would be massive, 100 percent,” Coley told him watchdog. “When you look at what the fan base is saying, what Jamaicans are saying, they really want cricket at home. And I think the players are saying that too. If you look at the composition of our team, a lot of the players would benefit from playing in home, and many of them want to play in front of their home crowd and fans and express themselves.
“Watching it on TV and seeing parts of it in the media is completely different to being in the stands and seeing how well the boys played and experiencing that energy and passion from them on the pitch. I hope that next year the Tallawahs will be in able to play at home”.
Miller says a homecoming will depend on CPL organizers, financial support from the government and corporate sponsorship.
“It’s twofold,” he said. “Not playing in Jamaica, the players were disappointed about that, but COVID meant we played in Trinidad in 2020, then we played in St Kitts in 2021. This year they broke out in four stadiums [in St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana] and CPL came up with a plan to bring value to the respective territories where the games are played.
“If you want to host the games then you need to provide some sort of support for the franchise and the CPL. Hopefully that support will come from the government or corporate Jamaica in 2023 and beyond.”
However, Miller says not playing at home also had a positive impact on the team’s makeup.
“It was not easy [without having to finance home matches] because you still had to have a team,” he said. “Your team is based on what you’re looking for as a team composition, not based on country. We were playing in Trinidad and Guyana and we tried to look for players who we thought would shine – Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Green – players who would play a vital role. You can see they played a vital role. The selection of players was based on the countries where we were playing,” he said.
“We don’t know what the CPL will do for 2023, but when they make that decision, we will look at the players we have. The good thing about the players is that the new contract cycle started this year, so we are in a good position with the current squad we have,” Miller added.
The Tallawahs beat the Barbados Royals by eight wickets in the final in Providence, Guyana on September 30.
