TTCB – News

2011 Nokia Champions League T20 Controversy
August 19, 2011

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) seeks to publicly clarify the position of national cricketers Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard as it relates to the country’s participation in the upcoming 2011 Nokia Champions League T20 which will be staged in India from September 19 to October 9.

The T&TCB and both players, in an amicable meeting on July 6, 2011 discussed all matters relevant to the captioned topic and among which were:

1.     The non-participation of Messrs Pollard and Bravo in the Caribbean T20 Championships last January which left some doubt as to their qualification to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20.

2.       Neither Messrs Bravo nor Pollard has a retainer contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the T&T Cricket Board (T&TCB) or the Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT), putting their eligibility for the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20 further in doubt.

3.       Both Messrs Bravo and Pollard would suffer significant financial loss of present and future earnings if they opted not to represent their respective  IPL franchises who had already qualified for the main draw of the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20.

4.       Trinidad  and Tobago were not guaranteed a position in the main draw of the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20 and were required to participate in a six-team qualifying play-off.

The T&TCB, in assessing the situation sought legal opinion with respect to both players’ eligibility from local counsel as well as from an IPL legal team. This took the matter beyond  July 15, 2011 which was the cut-off date for the submission of the Trinidad and Tobago provisional 20-man squad for the 2011 Nokia Champions League T20.

The T&TCB further considered that in the absence of retainer contracts for Messrs Bravo and Pollard, the IPL represented a significant percentage of the players’ annual income. Not being able to match the fees offered to the players and recognizing the limited earning years of a cricketer, the duo was given the green light to proceed with their pre-existing contracts.

Before the open and honest discussions concluded Messrs Bravo and Pollard committed to representing Trinidad and Tobago in the 2012 Caribbean T20 Championships which is the initial qualifying phase of the 2012 Nokia Champions League T20.

We at the T&TCB and indeed the entire Trinidad and Tobago public would have dearly loved to have the services of both esteemed cricketers in our 2011 Nokia Champions League T20 squad. Unfortunately, as outlined above, this was not possible.

In their absence, two other young, talented cricketers will be given the opportunity to showcase their talents and it is our duty, as custodians of the game, to prepare them for same. A major part of our mandate is to develop cricket and cricketers to the best of our ability and our actions will always be in their best interest.

Regrettably, we are unable to utilize the skills of Messrs Bravo and Pollard at this time, but they are both totally committed to representing the Red, White and Black in future tournaments.

The T&TCB sincerely hopes that the foregoing explanation brings some clarity to the complex issue which has been engaging the attention of the national community over the past several days.