'Dre Russ' rants, Gary Griffith calls for CPL playoffs to make TT return

FORMER national security minister Gary Griffith and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) star allrounder Andre Russell were among hundreds who took to social media to express their displeasure with TKR's loss in the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) eliminator match versus Barbados Royals at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on October 1.

In a match that saw a two-hour delay due to the outage of three of six floodlights at the venue, the Royals romped to a nine-wicket win after chasing a revised 60-run target in five overs. Hunting for a place in the second qualifier match on October 4, the four-time champions had progressed to 168 for three after 19.1 overs when a portion of the Providence venue was sent into darkness after Russell swung a six into the on-side. Due to the lack of light, the players were forced off the field around 9 pm. And after the 11.04 pm restart, Royals left-hander David Miller sealed the game with a rapid half-century.

TKR supporters didn't hide their feelings, and Russell wasn't far behind, posting an expletive rant to his Instagram account just after 5 am on October 2. Meanwhile, Griffith called for the staging of the CPL playoffs to return to the shores of TT.

In a media release addressed to CPL CEO Pete Russell, Griffith, the leader of the political party National Transformation Alliance (NTA), said, "the recent incidents in Guyana, where the 2024 CPL playoffs and finals are being held, whether due to poor management or organisation, are indeed unfortunate. On this note, we seek your consideration for the 2025-2027 CPL playoffs and finals to be returned to TT."

Griffith highlighted "security lapses" and "logistical nightmares" in the Guyana leg of the 2024 tournament, which will conclude with the final on October 6.

"Unfortunately, what has been observed in Guyana, starting with a disturbing security breach that resulted in a spectator being attacked and kicked in the head whilst on the ground for several minutes without an immediate law enforcement response, is something that must never be seen in the Caribbean again, whether at the CPL or any other major sporting event," he said. Griffith was alluding to the September 25 clash between the Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors, where a spectator was beaten by a group of men on the grass mound during the second innings of the match.

Reports from news outlets in Guyana said four men were arrested by police as they tried to exit the Providence arena.

For Griffith, the final straw came when Russell, Nicholas Pooran and the TKR team were left in the dark in their must-win eliminator game.

"Coincidentally or not, this (power breakdown) occurred just prior to the completion of TKR’s innings. Coincidentally or not, power was restored mere minutes before the game was about to be abandoned, allowing Barbados Royals to play the minimum five overs required, which destroyed the spirit of the game," he said.

"Many have since questioned what went wrong, and this was not due to weather or any uncontrollable circumstances, but rather bad management and poor logistics."

On October 2, Guyana's Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, said, "three of the stadium lights lost power because of what was identified as a damaged underground cable."

The solution, Ramson said, "was to run an entirely new feed to the affected light which was done quickly and the game continued, albeit in a shortened format in accordance with game rules."

The NTA leader said his release wasn't "about making accusations without proof," but he said Guyana should not host the playoffs in the immediate future due to the "unacceptable security and logistical issues."

While he said he couldn't speak on behalf of the current TT government, Griffith said, "Should the NTA be part of the next government, we would take this opportunity to offer our country as the host for the playoffs for the next three year."

Russell's rant

Russell's post to his Instagram story claimed TKR may have been "robbed."

"I'm not the person to come on the internet and voice my opinion, but this year CPL I feel robbed," he said, before unleashing a series of F-bombs as he questioned the timing of the restoration of the lights and the revised 60-run target.

Pooran, who struck 91 off 60 balls and looked destined for a second straight CPL hundred before the lighting failure, sent a more reflective message to his fans.

"As much as you want something in life, life (doesn't) give you what you want when you want it no matter how hard you think you have tried," Pooran said, via Instagram.

TKR fans angered

On TKR's Instagram account, supporters expressed their displeasure with the result, with some even calling for a boycott of next year's CPL tournament.

"Robbed! Well done. We were going all the way," one fan wrote.

Another simply said, "We need a rematch."

Another supporter asked the franchise to issue a "statement demanding better from CPL."

One fan wrote, "win, lose, sabotage or draw, we are TKR! We're so proud of you guys. The entire CPL (was) against you all, but keep shining Knights."

One spectator said, "TKR should seriously consider boycotting next year's tournament...losing is part of the game, but only when it's done fairly. I'm done with CPL for now."

This is the final year of Guyana's three-year arrangement to host the CPL playoffs and final, and the Amazon Warriors won their maiden title when they defeated TKR in last season's finale.

With the league in its 12th season, TT has hosted six of the CPL finals to date. It has also hosted four straight finals from 2017-2020, with TKR claiming three titles in 2017, 2018 and an unbeaten 2020 campaign.