As the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) prepares to shift its focus to Barbados for the upcoming home leg of the 2024 tournament, all eyes are on new Barbados Tridents skipper Chris Green, who has opened up about the immense privilege and responsibility that comes with leading the side on home soil.
Green, a seasoned campaigner with prior captaincy experience across Caribbean cricket competitions, described his appointment to the top role as a “tremendous honour” during remarks delivered Wednesday evening at a welcome reception. The event, hosted by the Tridents’ long-standing franchise partner Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited, was held at Bridgetown’s Copa Cabana, just days out from the team’s first home fixture at iconic Kensington Oval, scheduled to kick off September 5.
Having competed in CPL fixtures in Barbados for multiple seasons, Green said he has long been struck by the deep-rooted passion and national pride that Barbadians hold for cricket – a factor that makes leading the Tridents this season far more meaningful than any previous leadership role he has held. That widespread public enthusiasm, he acknowledged, also brings tangible weight of expectation from loyal local fans. “It’s a tremendous honour for me to have the vital role that I have to play this season,” Green noted, adding that the team has entered its final preparation phase ahead of the critical home stretch.
The 2024 CPL campaign has been a rollercoaster for the Tridents so far, with inconsistent results leaving them in a precarious position. After opening the season with two consecutive wins, the side has dropped its last three outings, sliding to the bottom of the league table entering the home leg. Despite the slow run of form, Green remains optimistic that the team can turn its fortunes around on its home ground, with ambitions of climbing the table and mounting a serious challenge for the season title. Beyond short-term results, he argued the franchise is built for long-term competitiveness, anchored by a core of young local Barbadian talent that shapes the team’s unique identity.
“The thing that stands out to me is our Bajan identity within the team through our young players. We really have a good core group of them,” Green explained, noting that the squad is balanced by experienced international and veteran Caribbean import players, including star names Gudakesh Motie, Shefane Rutherford and Brandon King. For Green, his leadership mandate goes far beyond winning matches this season: he aims to empower the next generation of Barbadian cricket talent to carry the franchise forward long after his tenure ends. “That Bajan identity, that’s the future of this franchise. The CPL and the Barbados Tridents are going to be here a long time after I’m gone, and for me it’s about leaving this team and those players in a better place than when I arrived,” he said. “It’s about empowering them to take this team, their cricket forward and their opportunities forward, and not just coasting through it.”
Samantha Saugh, president of Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited, echoed the sentiment of tying the sport to regional identity during the reception, affirming the company’s pride in its partnership with the Tridents. For the firm, the collaboration extends far beyond a standard sponsorship deal, she explained, representing a commitment to the communities and people the insurer serves across the Caribbean. “For Guardian Life, this is much more than putting our name alongside a team. It is about showing up for the people and communities we serve, showing up for the things that bring us together and investing in something bigger than ourselves,” Saugh said.
Cricket, she added, occupies a uniquely central role in Caribbean culture, making it the perfect focus for community investment. “The game of cricket gives us another extraordinary opportunity to connect with something that sits at the heart of Caribbean life. For us, it is not just a sport, it is memory creation, partnership and a part of our identity. It is the child with a bat dreaming of Kensington Oval,” Saugh said. She closed by noting Barbados’ unmatched legacy in global cricket, which has produced some of the sport’s all-time greatest players – including the legendary late Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, who remains an icon of the game across the region.