Jamaica Tallawahs, three-time winners of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), will not be seen in action during the 2024 edition of the tournament and are reportedly going to be replaced by a new franchise from Antigua and Barbuda.
As per a report by ESPNcricinfo, Kris Persaud, the owner of Tallawahs has sold the team back to the CPL due to "sustainability" issues.
"The owners were left with no option but to sell the Tallawahs back to CPL as they could not find a way to operate the team sustainably," a CPL official was quoted as saying by ESPNcrinifo.
Notably, Antigua competed in the initial two seasons of the CPL but could only manage to win three games and were replaced by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots during the 2015 edition of the T20 extravaganza.
Star West Indies allrounder Rovman Powell, who won the 2022 edition of the tournament while leading Tallawahs is disappointed with the development.
"Jamaica is the biggest island in the Caribbean, a proud nation, a proud cricketing nation. For those things to be happening is a little bit disappointing," Powell was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
There is a dearth of international cricket in Jamaica and the island is not going to host a single game during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. Sabina Park in Kingston last hosted a Caribbean Premier League game on September 19, 2019, between the home team Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
Powell, who is a Jamaican wants cricket to be back on the island and urges "Cricket West Indies to sit down and have a conversation with the Jamaican government".
"Obviously I'm a Jamaican and I want to play in front of my home crowd, but for the last few years, I haven't. The West Indies Cricket Board and the Jamaican government really have to sit down and have a conversation about that," Powell said.
