PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC
Former West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon has recommended the inclusion of foreign cricket professionals in the Stanford Twenty20 tournament.
Dillon recently returned from India where he played in the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL) with the Mumbai Champs. He and fellow Trinidadian Brian Lara were the overseas professionals attached to the team.
The 33-year old Dillon is currently representing Trinidad & Tobago in the ongoing Stanford Twenty20 tournament in Antigua.
"The quality of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is higher than that of the Stanford competition but not by too much," Dillon told CMC Sports.
"If the Stanford Cricket Committee can look into bringing in foreign professionals into the lesser teams of the Caribbean, then the standard of the overall competition will be raised."
Dillon said that Stanford Twenty20 was a blessing for West Indies cricket as it allowed a greater number of players to get the necessary exposure.
"What I like about the Stanford Twenty20 series is the fact that it allows for more exposure for young players," Dillon said.
"There are some players who may not get the chance to play at this level and by giving them the opportunity, no one knows where it can take their game."
He pointed to fellow Trinidadians Keiron Pollard and William Perkins as two players who had used the Twenty20 tournament to kick start their career at the higher level.
"Pollard and Perkins from the T&T team are two players who got into the team for the Stanford Twenty20 series and has gone on to establish themselves," Dillon noted.
"Pollard even went on to play for the West Indies at the ICC Cricket World Cup."
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