Source CPL:The 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has seen a record number of appearances by Emerging Players. Across the group stage, there have been 44 appearances by these up-and-coming cricketers, the most that there has ever been during a CPL season.
To qualify for the Emerging Player category, the cricketer must be under 23 at the start of the current calendar year and have not appeared for the senior West Indies side. Teams must give the two players in this category a combined total of five appearances. Still, during the 2024 tournament, some of the Emerging Players have become first-team regulars.
There have been some excellent performances from these young players, with Jewel Andrew scoring a half-century for the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, Shaqkere Parris making 57 for Trinbago Knight Riders against the Saint Lucia Kings and Ackeem Auguste making consistent contributions for the Kings.
Nathan Edward picked up a couple of important wickets for the Trinbago Knight Riders, and Ashmead Nedd took a career-best 4/25 for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots against the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Michael Hall, CPL’s Tournament Operations Director, said: “It is very pleasing to see these players not only being given the chance at this level but also for them to perform consistently enough to get playing time beyond the mandatory requirement. For the Emerging Players class of 2024 to go past the appearance quota by almost 50% is great news for CPL and cricket in the Caribbean.”
The 2024 Emerging Players cohort is as follows:
Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: Jewel Andrew and Joshua James
Barbados Royals: Rivaldo Clarke and Ramon Simmonds
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Junior Sinclair and Matthew Nandu
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Ashmead Nedd and Johann Layne
Saint Lucia Kings: Ackeem Auguste and McKenny Clarke
Trinbago Knight Riders: Shaqkere Parris and Nathan Edward