Chris Green has described his appointment as captain of the Barbados Tridents in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League as a “tremendous honour”, while acknowledging the weight of expectation that comes with leading the franchise on home soil.
Green, who has captained teams in the Caribbean before, said the pride and passion of Barbadians for cricket made his new role particularly significant as the Tridents prepared for a series of CPL matches at Kensington Oval from September 5.
He was speaking on Wednesday night at a welcome reception hosted by franchise partner Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited at Copa Cabana, as the Tridents put the finishing touches to their preparations for their home campaign.
“I’ve captained here in the Caribbean and what stands out for me is the pride and passion for the game of cricket and in coming to the CPL for a number of years here in Barbados, it stands out.
“It’s a tremendous honour. That passion comes with responsibility and I’ve witnessed the high level of expectation that comes from the fans and people of Barbados. It’s a tremendous honour for me to have the vital role that I have to play this season,” Green said.
The Tridents have endured mixed fortunes in the competition so far this season, having been involved in a number of close games.
After winning their first two encounters, the Tridents have lost their last three, to slip to the bottom of the table.
While Green is confident they can reverse that trend over the next few games in Barbados and go on to challenge for the title this year, he is also of the view that they are well poised to be competitive in the long term.
“The thing that stands out to me is our Bajan identity within the team through our young players. We really have a good core group of them.
“Our added experience probably comes from our overseas players, when you look at Gudakesh Motie, Shefane Rutherford and Brandon King, just to name a few,” he added.
Green is confident that with the young Barbadian core, the Tridents will remain well positioned.
“That Bajan identity, that’s the future of this franchise. The CPL and the Barbados Tridents are going to be here a long time after I’m gone, and for me it’s about leaving this team and those players in a better place than when I arrived. It’s about empowering them to take this team, their cricket forward and their opportunities forward, and not just coasting through it.”
President of Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited, Samantha Saugh said the company is proud of what the company’s partnership with the Tridents represents.
“For Guardian Life, this is much more than putting our name alongside a team. It is about showing up for the people and communities we serve,
showing up for the things that bring us together and investing in something bigger than ourselves.”
Saugh continued, “The game of cricket gives us another extraordinary opportunity to connect with something that sits at the heart of Caribbean life. For us, it is not just a sport, it is memory creation, partnership and
a part of our identity. It is the child with a bat dreaming of Kensington Oval.”
She added that Barbados has built a legacy of cricket excellence, producing
some of the greatest names ever to play the game, including the late
Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers.
(KH)
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