The scores recorded in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 tournament were on the lower side, and this was a result of the inconsistent batting performances registered this season.
Michael Hall
In the 2019 season, the highest team total was 267-2 in 20 overs, and that was the highest in the history of the CPL. In 2020, the highest team total was 185-3 in 20 overs, and on most occasions, teams failed to score over 150 runs.
CPL Director of Operations, Michael Hall, has said the batsmen were always at a disadvantage heading into this year’s tournament, with lack of cricket being played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shimron Hetmyer
This season, Lendl Simmons had the most runs: 356 runs scored in 11 matches. In contrast to 2018 and 2019, Colin Munro (567) and Brandon King (496) had the most runs in the respective seasons.
After a long lockdown, most cricketers were undercooked heading into the CPL. “Yes, the scores this year were a bit lower. The majority of the players that came to the CPL was a bit rusty. The batsmen were asked to face some of the best spin bowlers in the world: young Mujeeb, Imran Tahir, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Sunil Narine.
Nicholas Pooran
The batsmen were always at a disadvantage. They had no rhythm, and had not come into the competition with any cricket under their belt,” Hall explained.
Trailing Simmons’s 356 runs in the 2020 season is Glenn Phillips’s 316 runs and Darren Bravo’s 297 runs. Guyana’s Shimron Hetmyer had a patchy season, but still found himself in the top five, with 267 runs scored in 11 matches. Nicholas Pooran made 245 runs and scored the only century in the entire season.
Lendl Simmons
During Hall’s time on the Mason and Guest Radio show earlier this week, he hailed the recent tournament as a huge success in light of the obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This tournament was staged solely in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in a bio-secure environment without fans. The Trinbago Knight Riders created history by being the first team to claim the title without losing a match.
Many cricket pundits have raised questions regarding the standard of play in the low-scoring tournament, while many players struggled with the quarantine requirements and conditions of the heavily used pitches. While accepting that there were challenges, and admitting that he was eager to see things return to normal, Hall also said he believes things had gone reasonably well. (Brandon Corlette)
