00:00The inaugural CWI Breakout League ended last week with Trinidad and Tobago Legions
00:04being crowned champions after beating Leeward Island's Thunder in the final in Teruba.
00:08It was jointly launched by Cricketer West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League
00:12with cricketers getting the opportunity to earn a spot in what is labelled as the biggest party in sport.
00:18Speaking of which, Trinbago Knight Riders manager Colin Bord has given the new breakout league the thumbs up.
00:23Very exciting initiative. Obviously it was great to see some younger players coming through.
00:28You know, when you have champion teams, you're always looking back to see how you can sustain that.
00:33And I'm talking from a West Indian perspective. Who is the next generation that's coming?
00:37We've won two World Cups, C20 World Cups, and we've got to look for the next generation to take care of us.
00:42CPL is one of our driving forces, and now the Legions coming through in that breakaway tournament has been fantastic.
00:50Bord was impressed with the talent on display at the tournament,
00:53and that implies to those on the winning Legions team, which was captained by Joshua De Silva.
00:58They won five out of the six games in total, with the final against the Thunder allowing them to take revenge.
01:03I think Joshua's captain was excellent. His captaincy was great. He was able to lead the team well.
01:09His changes in terms of bowling changes were good, field placing, the timing of the game and when to make changes, when to squeeze the opposition, that was excellent.
01:16In terms of the younger players, we saw Jid Ghouli, we saw Puran, we saw Badesi, we saw Joshua James, some really young, exciting players, and others.
01:27We don't know yet who is going to be selected, but what I will say to you is that those players made a really, really good account of themselves in front of the cameras,
01:35and I think they're champions, and they worked really hard for it, and there are rewards for when you do well.
01:41The tournament was not ICC sanctioned, which meant that runs scored and wickets taken did not go into the players' records.
01:48According to Bord, since the breakout league was of a high standard, one could never tell if that's going to change in years to come.
01:54Obviously, it's a young and fledgling league, and certainly over time, once the quality of the work is good and the quality of the cricket is good,
02:01you'll find that then ICC will then start looking at it, and the first thing you have to do is you've got to perform.
02:06The players have done that, and that then opens the door for more people to see, and that's the idea behind the tournament, exposure,
02:14opportunities for players to work with senior players, opportunity for players to play under pressure,
02:19and opportunities for players to announce themselves to the world.
02:21Bord expects the tournament to grow, with fans showing more interest, resulting in more seats being occupied at stadiums.
02:29Vinod Nowani, Chiefs Export.
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