FORMER national security minister Gary Griffith and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) star allrounder Andre Russell were among hundreds who took to social media to express their displeasure with TKR's loss in the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) eliminator match versus Barbados Royals at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on October 1.
In a match that saw a two-hour delay due to the outage of three of six floodlights at the venue, the Royals romped to a nine-wicket win after chasing a revised 60-run target in five overs. Hunting for a place in the second qualifier match on October 4, the four-time champions had progressed to 168 for three after 19.1 overs when a portion of the Providence venue was sent into darkness after Russell swung a six into the on-side. Due to the lack of light, the players were forced off the field around 9 pm. And after the 11.04 pm restart, Royals left-hander David Miller sealed the game with a rapid half-century.
TKR supporters didn't hide their feelings, and Russell wasn't far behind, posting an expletive rant to his Instagram account just after 5 am on October 2. Meanwhile, Griffith called for the staging of the CPL playoffs to return to the shores of TT.
In a media release addressed to CPL CEO Pete Russell, Griffith, the leader of the political party National Transformation Alliance (NTA), said, "the recent incidents in Guyana, where the 2024 CPL playoffs and finals are being held, whether due to poor management or organisation, are indeed unfortunate. On this note, we seek your consideration for the 2025-2027 CPL playoffs and finals to be returned to TT."
Griffith highlighted "security lapses" and "logistical nightmares" in the Guyana leg of the 2024 tournament, which will conclude with the final on October 6.
"Unfortunately, what has been observed in Guyana, starting with a disturbing security breach that resulted in a spectator being attacked and kicked in the head whilst on the ground for several minutes without an immediate law enforcement response, is something that must never be seen in the Caribbean again, whether at the CPL or any other major sporting event," he said. Griffith was alluding to the September 25 clash between the Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors, where a spectator was beaten by a group of men on the grass mound during the second innings of the match.
Reports from news outlets in Guyana said four men were arrested by police as they tried to exit the Providence arena.
For Griffith, the final straw came when Russell, Nicholas Pooran and the TKR team were left in the dark in their must-win eliminator game.
"Coincidentally or not, this (power breakdown) occurred just prior to the completion of TKR’s innings. Coincidentally or not, power was restored mere minutes before the game was about to be abandoned, allowing Barbados Royals to play the minimum five overs required, which destroyed the spirit of the game," he said.
[caption id="attachment_1112296" align="alignnone" width="1024"] David Miller and captain Rovman Powell of Barbados Royal
