Simmons starting new chapter with Stars

SHERDON PIERRE

ST LUCIA Stars will be hoping to lift their first ever Caribbean Premier League title this year and they will be relying on the dependable ex-West Indies opening batsman Lendl Simmons.

The 33- year-old Simmons is one of the most destructive batsmen in the T20 circuit because of his ability to play both spin and pace bowling as well as adjust his game to the situation at hand. He is also capable of batting lower down the order to maneuver the strike adding momentum to his team`s innings. He can be considered an all-rounder with his gentle medium pace bowling and his tricky variety of slower balls.

The Stars are fortunate to have one of the leading run-scorers in the CPL totalling 1494 runs in 50 matches with a commendable average of 33.2.

His new franchise, which is his fourth in the CPL, is hoping that he maintains his recent form from the just concluded Global T20 Canada where he recorded 321 runs from eight innings and was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the league.

Unfortunately, Simmons last played for the West Indies 14 months ago and seems unlikely to rejoin the Caribbean team in the foreseeable future. His record stands as accumulating 922 runs from 46 innings with a top score of an unbeaten 82 runs in the semi-final of the 2016 World Cup T20 against hosts India. For the ‘Maroons’ he participated in three T20 World Cups and two 50-over World Cups. His most successful stint with a franchise team is with Mumbai Indians in the India Premier League scoring 1,175 runs at an average of 40.51 including one century and 12 fifties claiming two league titles.

In order to put his hands on the winning trophy for the first time ever in his sixth CPL season, the right-handed Simmons will have to mimic his best ever CPL season in 2014 when he amassed 446 runs in 11 innings at an average of 49.55. The St Lucia Stars will face the Trinbago Knight Riders in the opening match of CPL 2018 on Wednesday at the Queen`s Park Oval.