00:00The evening belonged to the ladies who are here to participate in the 2024 Massey Women's Caribbean Premier League.
00:07A welcome reception was held in their honour at the Trinidad Hilton on Monday.
00:11Hosting such a tournament is a step in the right direction for women's cricket in this part of the world,
00:15so says Michael Hall, who is the CPL Tournament Operations Director.
00:19The face of sport globally is changing and is becoming far more cognizant of the value of women's sport,
00:30and we certainly recognize that.
00:32And so we're very, very happy to play our small part in promoting women's sport.
00:40We think this is a wonderful opportunity for all of the players who play in this tournament,
00:45but in particular those from here in the Caribbean region.
00:49It presents an opportunity for them to showcase their skills to a huge global audience.
00:55And what's his take on the Brian Lowry Cricket Academy being the venue for the entire WCPL?
01:00I'm not just saying this because I'm in Trinidad, but this year I believe the tournament is going to be played
01:05in the best cricket venue in the Caribbean, at the Brian Lowry Cricket Academy.
01:10Massey's Assistant Vice President Candice Alley is delighted that the organization came on board
01:15to provide more opportunities for the fairer sex.
01:17It's really, really special to us. Massey is a majority female organization,
01:23especially in Massey stores that I represent.
01:26Across the region, we are 70 to 80 percent female.
01:29So opportunities afforded to women is really important to us,
01:33and I just want to say that we're really proud of you.
01:36We're looking forward to some excellent cricket.
01:38Sharing similar sentiments is Guyana Amazon Warriors cricketer Shakira Salman,
01:42who announced her retirement from international cricket with the West Indies earlier this year.
01:46And of course we all know and we have seen what franchise tournaments around the globe
01:52have done for women's cricket in particular countries.
01:54When you look at Australia, England with the 100, and India,
01:59we see the impact it has had on their improvement in the women's game.
02:03And we hope that it can do the same thing here in the Caribbean as well.
02:06We are very excited that the game has grown,
02:09and that it has attracted players from all around the globe.
02:12We see Meg Lanning is going to be here.
02:15Now of course that's a big deal in Caribbean cricket,
02:17and of course that's an opportunity for many of the younger girls to learn from her.
02:22Chamundeshwaranath, who is a member of the IPL Governing Council,
02:26is here to observe the WCPL tournament this year.
02:29Vinod Nawani, TV6 Sport.
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