WHEN President Dr Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday night that the finals of this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be hosted in Guyana, he also challenged the country’s franchise team, the Amazon Warriors, to ensure that the silverware remains on these shores.

Of the nine editions of the CPL, the Amazon Warriors played in five finals – more than any other franchise in the history of the tournament.

The Guyana National Stadium, Providence, will be the host venue for three consecutive CPL finals, but for President Ali, nothing will be sweeter than seeing the home team take the crown.

He added that his Government and partners would’ve done their part while calling on the Amazon Warriors to match their energy.

“We can only do so much,” President Ali proclaimed, “If the players for the Amazon Warriors are listening, you need to do a bit more. We can only take the horse to the water, we can’t make the horse drink. So take this as a challenge to get over the mark this time.”

President Ali joked about how the trophy keeps eluding the Guyana franchise, pointing to the trophy on display while adding “that is all Warrior country can do – just watch. But this time around, we’re hoping that things will be different.”

“Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate ‘One Guyana’ the hosting of the CPL finals will be an energising force,” the Head-of-State said.

This season, Guyana will host seven group games, three knockout matches and the Hero CPL final, which will take place on Friday, September 30 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The Hero CPL final will be the climax of festivities surrounding these games taking place in Guyana.

In collaboration with the local private sector, the Government of Guyana will also stage two weeks of events that will form a Cricket Carnival.

Over the previous nine seasons of Hero CPL, there has been massive support for the tournament from Guyanese fans and the tournament is expecting significant excitement at the prospect of these hugely important matches taking place in the country.

Guyana’s economy is growing rapidly, and the country has a fantastic reputation as a destination for tourists looking for unspoiled nature. The Hero CPL finals will further showcase this wonderful country to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500 million in both 2020 and 2021.