Jamaica Team CPL 2016: Meet the Jamaica Tallawahs Squad for the 4th season

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is about to kick-off on the 29th of this month and the excitement is building up as the players gear up for the fourth edition. The tournament is growing immensely every year and has certainly lived up to the expectations.

The 2015 CPL Final took place between the Barbados Tridents and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, with Trinidad putting up a target of 179 for the Tridents to chase. Trinidad emerged as the winners of the 2015 edition and will be the defending champions of the fourth season of the Caribbean Premier League.

As we build up to this new season, let’s take a look at the winners of the first edition of the Caribbean Premier League, Jamaica Tallawahs. The Tallawahs have a mix of talented and experienced players and will be the favourites to win this edition.

Home Ground: Sabina Park Kingston, Jamaica.

Squad:

The Tallawahs have a large fan base with the Chris Gayle leading the team. Having a strong batting order, the Tallawahs have made their intentions clear for this season and they will go on an all out attack. The Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga has withdrawn himself from the tournament as he is still recovering from his injuries.

This is a big blow to the Tallawahs, losing their main bowler even before the tournament has started. Jamaica Tallawahs have a bunch of all-rounders in their team and that will be an advantage going into this tournament.

Batsmen:

The Mighty West Indian, Chris Gayle will captain and open the batting for the Tallawahs. The 36-year-old found some form at the end of the season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. It goes without saying that once Gayle gets going, the oppositions can only hope for a miracle to stop his explosive shots.

Former Sri Lankan Batsman Kumar Sangakkara will most probably partner Chris Gayle for the opening slot and will bring his wealth of experience to the team.

Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is a part of this squad and will be a key player with both the bat and the ball. Shakib has matured as a middle order batsman over the years and has improved his hitting power and can clear the boundary with ease now. Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim might be a useful option for Chris Gayle to choose. Wasim has a fairly decent record with the bat and the ball for Pakistan and is just the kind of player to get things under control during difficult situations.

Andre Russell is back from his ankle injury and is itching to start performing on the big stage. Russell was exceptional for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League, filling the gap in the middle order and scoring at an unbelievable rate with the bat.

Australian batsman Alex Ross has a good record with the bat and will be an option in the middle order.

Bowlers:

The Tallawahs had to fill the shoes of Malinga and have found the perfect replacement in the form of the South African pacer Dale Steyn. Lethal with the new ball, Steyn will pose problems for the openers as he has the ability to swing the ball both ways and create just enough confusion in the batsman’s mind.

While Russell will most probably open the bowling with Steyn, Gayle will have a number of options in the spin department. In addition to Shakib Al Hasan’ s left arm spin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar can use his off spin to good use in the mid overs and contain the batsmen, creating pressure with the stoppage of runs and get a wicket or two in the process.

Fast Bowler Timroy Allen will use his pace to find his way into the team. Playing for the USA, Allen can be useful as the third bowler after Steyn and Russell. West Indian Kesrick Williams has shown some promise as a medium fast bowler. Bowling with a consistent line and length, what Williams lacks in pace he makes up for it with his consistency.

Prospects in the Tournament:

The Jamaica Tallawahs have some of the best players in the world as part of their team and they stand a great chance of winning the tournament for the second time. Skipper Chris Gayle’s performance will set the tone for them and it is highly necessary that they do not put all the pressure on him.

With the availability of a number of all-rounders in their team, the Tallawahs will feel confident of facing any team in this league.

Team: Chris Gayle (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Imad Wasim, Dale Steyn, Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Andre McCarthy, Jonathan Foo, Alex Ross, Kesrick Williams, Nkrumah Bonner, Garey Mathurin, Timroy Allen, Oshane Thomas.