Return of the Abu Dhabi T10

An overseas tournament awash with West Indian talent returns

The long awaited return of the Abu Dhabi T10 sees yet more franchise cricket for West Indies cricket fans to sink their teeth into.

A whole cadre of West Indian talent has descended on Abu Dhabi with only one of the eight participating teams brave enough to try and win without a West Indian.

Karthikeya Manchala looks at the main West Indian talking points in this years edition…..

The King of T10 is back to captain Northern Warriors

You may be thinking I’m referring to Kieron Pollard or Andre Russell, but it is West Indies white ball vice captain Nicholas Pooran who will make his captaincy debut. Pooran to T10 is essentially what Gayle is to T20. Opening the batting, Pooran averages 50 at an absurd strike rate of 244. He hits a six every four balls and a boundary almost every alternate ball - just pause and picture it for a second.

His team will have a strong West Indian flavor as he is joined by Lendl Simmons, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Rayad Emrit, Rovman Powell and Kjorn Ottley. The core of Pooran, Allen and Powell is set to take the tournament by storm. If you’re one who believes Pooran is West Indies next long-term captain, watch out because the journey begins now.

Will Chris Gayle crack the format this time?

Gayle was the pioneer of T20 cricket, but when he made his first T10 appearance in 2018, he struggled with the fast paced nature of the format. While this may seem unintuitive, Gayle is typically a slow starter and the format can be cruel if you waste even an over or two. 

However, knowing Gayle, he’ll be hungry to write another chapter in his legacy. We know he is already an all format great, but this would be the icing on cake. He will likely open the batting for Team Abu Dhabi with another T20 veteran Luke Wright who is also at the twilight of his career, so that’s a combo to watch out for.

More West Indian captains across the board

The usual suspects Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard will take on leadership roles at Delhi Bulls and Deccan Gladiators respectively. Bravo will be joined by countryman Evin Lewis and Sherfane Rutherford who also lit up earlier editions of the tournament. Pollard will team up with Sunil Narine, honorary West Indian Mohammad Shahzad and Pakistan rising star Azam Khan.

The surprise announcement is that Andre Fletcher aka the “Spiceman” will be captaining Bangla Tigers. He will reprise his opening role with good friend Johnson Charles. Fletcher is sure to charismatically lead a young group of Afghan and Bangladesh players. They could well be the entertainers of the tournament.

Remember Devon Thomas?

Apart from the usual suspects, the likes of Devon Thomas, Fidel Edwards, Chadwick Walton and Ravi Rampaul will take part in the tournament. While their playing days in maroon may well be finished, this will be a great way to stay relevant and maximize financial opportunities at the end of their careers.

That doesn’t mean they won’t add value to their teams, however. Edwards and Rampaul have maintained their pace in county cricket and their full lengths will be tough to slog. Walton will be looking to gain form ahead of his PSL stint while Thomas will be looking to do the same before he joins the Leewards Hurricanes in the Super50.

The next gen is here

Like it was for Pooran, youngsters like Allen, Rutherford and Obed McCoy will see this as an opportunity to not only establish their limited overs credentials but also possibly attract some attention ahead of next month’s IPL auction. 

There are two other exciting signings. Nyeem Young and Leonardo Julien from the 2020 U-19 World Cup will get their first taste of overseas franchise cricket. Mixing with the likes of Gayle, Bravo, Wright and Mohammad Nabi who are stalwarts of the format will be a rewarding experience. Not to forget they will be mentored by Andy Flower and Kumar Sangakkara respectively, so it is a fantastic chance to build a network that not many can afford at this age.

Who are the favorites?

T10 naturally favors players who can hit boundaries at will and bowl yorkers at the death. The skill sets that are required are much more limited as compared to T20, but also the hardest to crack. 

The Northern Warriors (who should be renamed the Caribbean Warriors) will no doubt be frontrunners even in the absence of Russell, but will face stiff competition from Bravo’s Delhi Bulls and Pollard’s Deccan Gladiators. The dark horses are Gayle’s Team Abu Dhabi and Qalandars - an offshoot of Lahore’s PSL team.

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