West Indies T20 skipper Darren Sammy has welcomed the return of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to his native place St. Lucia, saying he is really excited to lead the Zouks which has a perfect blend of youth and experience towards the title glory.
"I am hugely excited by the opportunity to lead the Zouks once more this year. We have assembled our strongest squad of players to date and we will aim to be competitive this season. It's encouraging to see such a blend of youth and experience and I have no doubt that the team is best-placed to reach the play-offs," Sammy said.
Earlier, the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia was named as Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground in order to honour Sammy for leading West Indies to their second World T20 title.
Reflecting on the same, Sammy said, "Of course, I will be hugely honoured to step out at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium and it will be a special moment for me and my family when we take on the Patriots in that opening game. I have a lot of happy memories playing in Beausejour Stadium and hopefully this will mark a new and exciting era for St. Lucia. The fans who travel will really enjoy their time there. They will really savour the hospitality off the field, so if fans come for the Carnival, they can stay to see top quality cricket. On the field we'll be gunning for points and to put on a show for our home support."
Besides Sammy, fellow world champion Johnson Charles as well as another local favourite Keddy Lesporis will play for the Zouks.
Australian duo Michael Hussey and the world's leading international ranked all-rounder Shane Watson have also been named in the squad alongside South African pair of David Miller and Morne Morkel.
Also Read
The St. Lucia based side will be coached by Stuart Williams, who was part of the West Indies backroom team that lifted the ICC World Twenty20 in India recently, while Caribbean great Sir Andy Roberts and former England, India and Sri Lanka Assistant Coach Trevor Penney will also feature in the support staff.
The Zouks will take on four opponents in a combination of day and night time games in a big month for the island with the hugely popular Lucian Carnival set to attract big numbers to the island once more.
The St. Lucia Zouks will open their CPL campaign with an evening clash against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots on July 21.