By Rajiv Bisnauth

THE upcoming CG Insurance Super50 Cup promises to be one of the most exciting cricket events in the West Indies in recent years.
This will be CG Insurance’s second tournament as the official title sponsor and with cricket making a return to the landscape it will be the first professional tournament of 2021 as fans eagerly await the 19 matches to be played in Antigua. The action bowls off on Sunday, February 7 to Saturday, February 27.
This will be the 45th time the tournament will be contested as it dates back to 1976 when the teams first played for the Gillette Cup.
Set to play in a bio-secure environment, the tournament boasts several notable West Indies senior players in the round-robin tournament, among them white-ball captain Kieron Pollard, Test skipper Jason Holder, limited-over bowling spearhead Sheldon Cottrell and young batsman Shimron Hetmyer.

However, Hetmyer’s teammate, wicketkeeper/batsman Anthony Bramble believes the availability of the left-hander will boost the team’s chances.
The 24-year-old Hetmyer was one of several players opted out of the West Indies current tour to Bangladesh due to health-related reasons.
“We have a good squad … having Hetmyer (Shimron) is really a good boost for us,” Bramble, who played 51 List A games to date, explained.
The 30-year-old further stressed: “The Jaguars’ (Guyana) chances this time look good. It’s a new tournament where all the teams will start at zero point; so once we play to our full strength and ability, the chances of winning will be there. Having said that, on a personal note my aim is to make a huge impact with both bat and gloves.”

Guyana are without a few key players namely pacer Raymon Reifer and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who are both on West Indies duties, while Keemo Paul sits out of the tournament in order to facilitate adequate recovery from an injury. Sherfane Rutherford, who was considered for selection, has opted to play T/10 and T/20 cricket in Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, which collectively coincides with his time demands to play for the Guyana Jaguars during the Super50. The squad is fully cognizant of the hard work that is needed to lift the trophy that has been eluding them over a decade now. Prior to 2005, Guyana reigned supreme in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2003. Only the six regional franchises are taking part, which means that defending champions West Indies Emerging Players, along with Canada, USA and the Combined Campuses and Colleges will miss out. This means the six leading franchises – Jamaica Scorpions, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Guyana Jaguars, Barbados Pride, Leeward Island Hurricanes, and the Windward Island Volcanoes – are the only teams competing this year for the Clive Lloyd Trophy.