Heavy-hitting Saint Lucian allrounder Shadrack Descarte is looking forward to rejoining the Saint Lucia Kings as they prepare to defend their maiden Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League title. The new season gets underway in August, with Saint Lucia’s homestand running from August 23-31. But while the 27-year-old awaits the 13th season of the CPL, he is warming up with a stint in the Max60 T10 Tournament in the Cayman Islands.
He will play for Vegas Vikings in the seven-team series. Now in its second year, the Max60 will feature 31 games over just eight days at the Jimmy Powell Oval in George Town, beginning this Wednesday. An impact player for the Kings last season, Descarte will be keen to show his worth as a left-handed batter and right-arm medium-pacer.
He has had plenty of cricket this year. He played for the Windward Islands in the Cricket West Indies Championship, then appeared in the inaugural Breakout League. On the local front, he competed in the Saint Lucia Premier League and the Dream11 Saint Lucia T20 Blast. Through it all, though, he has been keeping one eye on the CPL.
“Very exciting. We want to repeat the greatness from last year. We have the support from the locals, and we are giving them something to celebrate,” he told St Lucia Times.
“We just want to be able to bring back that energy from last year. It just brought some happiness to our people. And the joy on our families’ faces, and the local fans’ faces, always brings joy to us as players. We always look forward to them coming to support us. They say the energy from Saint Lucia is unmatched… It would be a good feeling to have two trophies, back-to-back trophies, especially.”
This year, the Kings will take on a slightly different look. Gone is South African all-rounder Faf du Plessis, who guided the team to its first title last season. Coming in for his debut, however, is young fast bowler Keon Gaston. Like Descarte, the fiery Gaston hails from Mon Repos.
“Obviously, it’s a great loss missing Faf. He’s been loyal to the team for so many years, bringing energy to the team. His experience, it’s always good to have guys like that in the setup,” mused Descarte. “I know youngsters like Keon would love to play with a lad like Faf, but, unfortunately, he’s not going to experience that this year. But it’s always good to have locals in the setup, always have that bond and that energy in the team.”
Season 2 of MAX60 will feature exciting young prospects such as Srivatsav Goswami, Aarnav Iyer (US, and Maroof (UAE), players who the organisers say represent the future of international cricket. These rising stars will share the field with a roster of cricket’s elite, gaining experience, visibility and the opportunity to compete on a world-class stage in cricket’s fastest, most dynamic format.
