Caribbean ready to host int’l cricket again - Miller

September 21, 2020
Miller
Miller

After participating in his first competition in a biosecure environment at the 2020 Caribbean Premier League(CPL), Trinibago Knight Riders coach Nikita Miller believes that the Caribbean is ready to host international cricket in the foreseeable future.

Miller joined the coaching staff in August and helped to guide the Knight Riders to victory in this year's competition. The franchise won the CPL title for the third time in four years, defeating the St Lucia Zouks in the final on September 10.

Although he had a rough adjustment period while quarantining in Trinidad, he said that he and the players felt relatively safe in the biosecure environment.

"The [bubble] was done by a very professional and competent CPL organising group. They did a wonderful job," Miller told STAR Sports. "No one was in danger in contracting the virus."

Strict protocols

The month-long tournament got approval from the Trinidadian government, with strict protocols regarding testing and sanitising.

Similar environments have been the norm recently as cricket returns in the midst of the pandemic. After the first biosecure Test series in July between the West Indies and England, several more series and tournaments have taken place. The 2020 Indian Premier League bowled off on Saturday in its biosecure bubble in Dubai.

Miller believes that the measures used can be adapted so that possible matches in the Caribbean can be played safely.

"Some of the doctors that played a role in the CPL work alongside West Indies as well. I'm sure not only West Indies cricket, but other sports can take place in the region if they use the same template," he said.

CPL Chief Medical Officer Dr Akshai Mansingh said that he has gotten inquires from various international cricket federations as to how they could adapt the methods used in the CPL bubble to their own international and domestic leagues.

Praise has been given to the execution of the bubble, with cricket analyst Freddie Wilde commenting on Twitter after the final that the "CPL, more so than England's season, is the template for biosecure cricket".

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