CPL

With goal of being best all-rounder in the world, Matthew Forde says CPL is ‘foundation to my success’

By Sports Desk December 01, 2023
Matthew Forde Matthew Forde CPL/GettyImages

Matthew Forde was 20 years old when he first appeared for a CPL franchise. Having had success in age group cricket he was someone who was of interest to CPL teams, but it was a conversation with Pedro Collins that started his CPL career. Forde had been coached by Collins for a while. They lived very close to each other, and Collins would regularly give Forde a lift to and from training.

 On one of those journeys the conversation turned to CPL cricket. Forde told Collins that he did not currently have a team. Collins is part of the Saint Lucia Kings set up and he called Daren Sammy, the Kings head coach, while Forde was in the car. Forde was encouraged to send videos of him in action to Sammy and by the time he was dropped off Sammy had called back to say, “I want this youngster.”

 That conversation led to Forde making his CPL debut during the 2022 season, and while he didn’t bowl in his first match, he was entrusted with the new ball for his home debut against Guyana Amazon Warriors. Forde says his response to being asked if he wanted this responsibility so early in his career was to tell Sammy, “You asking a dog if he want a bone”.

 Forde was determined to make the most of that opportunity. While sat on a drinks cooler waiting for his home debut he made it clear to his team mate, Rivaldo Clarke, that he was not going to miss his chance. He said: “Rivaldo boy, I don't know about you, but I know when I get my chance and I come off of this cooler, I'm not coming back on this cooler.”

 

 Forde has not had to sit on the side lines since, with the latest milestone being his call up for the West Indies ODI team who are taking on England in December. His coach for that series will be Daren Sammy, and Forde has said that his relationship with the Kings and West Indies head coach has been foundational to his career.

 “I think he has been, if not the backbone, he has been the main guy for me in terms of giving me that opportunity and trusting me, believing in me. I started opening with the new ball for the Kings and he trusted me. I just kept performing until he built that trust in me,” Forde said.

 For Forde, the CPL has been the building block for his career progression since making that breakthrough in 2022. “I think CPL was the foundation. CPL really started it all because without CPL then the rest of the world wouldn't see me. CPL was my first major tournament. So, for me that's like CPL was the foundation. And I will always say the Kings will always be at my heart.”

 Going forward, Forde wants to develop all elements of his game. He has two half centuries in topflight cricket, one as an overseas player at the Lanka Premier League and another in the recently concluded Super 50 tournament where he presented the West Indies academy side. He says developing his batting and becoming a true all-rounder is where he wants his game end up.

 “My goal is to be to be the number one all-rounder in the world and to put West Indies cricket back to where it needs to be at the top. So, for me and a couple of the younger guys like me, we work really hard in in terms of fitness, the mental side of the game, theory, whatever it be. We are always working because we know what we want to achieve, and we know the goals that we have set and planned out as a collective group.”

Tags
« New champions Guyana Amazon Warriors have five named in CPL Team of the Tournament New CPL franchise to be based in Antigua and Barbuda for 2024 »

Related items

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Warm-Up matches confirmed ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Warm-Up matches confirmed

    The official warm-up match fixtures for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 have been announced. Matches are scheduled to be played from Monday 27 May to Saturday 1 June across the USA and at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies.

    The venues to host the 16 warm up matches are the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, Texas; Broward County Stadium, Broward County, Florida and Queen’s Park Oval and Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

    Warm-up fixtures will be 20 overs per side and will not carry international T20 status as teams will be allowed to field all members of their 15-player squad. In a change from the previous rights cycle, teams will now have the option of playing up to two warm-up matches depending on arrival time at the event.

    The West Indies against Australia fixture at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday 30 May will be open to fans, tickets will be available at tickets.t20worldcup.com or box offices located at the National Cricket Centre and Queen’s Park Oval from 16 May.

    Warm-up match schedule:

    Monday 27 May

    Canada v Nepal, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, Texas 10h30

    Oman v Papua New Guinea, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 15h00

    Namibia v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 19h00

    Tuesday 28 May

    Sri Lanka v Netherlands, Broward County Stadium, Broward County, Florida 10h30

    Bangladesh v USA, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, Texas 10h30

    Australia v Namibia, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 19h00

    Wednesday 29 May

    South Africa intra-squad, Broward County Stadium, Broward County, Florida 10h30

    Afghanistan v Oman, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 13h00

    Thursday 30 May

    Nepal v USA, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, Texas 10h30

    Scotland v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 10h30

    Netherlands v Canada, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, Texas 15h00

    Namibia v Papua New Guinea, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 15h00

    West Indies v Australia, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 19h00

    Friday 31 May

    Ireland v Sri Lanka, Broward County Stadium, Broward County, Florida 10h30

    Scotland v Afghanistan, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 10h30

    Saturday 1 June

    Bangladesh v India, Venue TBC USA

     

  • IPL: Washout confirms SRH play-off place IPL: Washout confirms SRH play-off place

    Sunrisers Hyderabad are into the Indian Premier League play-offs despite their game against Gujarat Titans being abandoned without even doing the toss due to rain.

    SRH move onto 15 points, with one game remaining, but are now ensured a top-four finish for the first time since 2020.

    Their top-two hopes have taken a hit though – they have to beat Punjab Kings in their final game and hope Rajasthan Royals lose to Kolkata Knights Riders to finish second.

    The Titans were already out of play-off contention after their previous game against KKR was also called off due to a heavy storm without hitting a ball. They finish their season currently third from bottom, though that could change depending on results in the final few matches.

  • Bolt joined by multiple sports stars for first look at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium Bolt joined by multiple sports stars for first look at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium

    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador Usain Bolt got a first look at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium from the best seats in the house, along with cricket legends and New York sports icons.

    The Jamaican sprint legend was joined in this special preview by USA cricketers Corey Anderson and Monak Patel along with cricket legend Sir Curtly Ambrose (West Indies), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), and Liam Plunkett (England). Also present during this landmark event was a star-studded line-up of New York sports stars, including John Starks (NBA / New York Knicks), Elena Delle Donne (WNBA/USA), Bartolo Colon (MLB/New York Yankees-Mets), Victor Cruz (NFL/New York Giants), and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Fencing/USA).

    To commemorate the occasion, the stars all signed a giant cricket bat, which will be present at the venue for all eight ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 matches hosted there between June 3-12. The event marks the official final countdown to the first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in New York, with Sri Lanka and South Africa set to clash in the venue's first match on June 3.

    Bolt was confident the venue would provide an exciting and energetic cricket experience.

    “Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, I’m very excited to be part of the T20 World Cup coming to the USA for the first time, co-hosting with the West Indies. Getting one of the sport’s biggest events into the USA is a big milestone and can provide a launching pad leading towards cricket’s inclusion in the LA Olympics in 2028," he said.

    “The new stadium is going to be a fantastic place to watch from. It’s very enclosed and you feel very close to the action. I can imagine it will be full of energy when cricket fans get to Nassau County International Stadium next month," Bolt noted.

    Brett Jones, CEO of T20 USA Inc. called the event a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA.

    “Today was a fantastic celebration, showcasing a truly out of this world stadium. Having Usain and a host of New York sports stars and Olympic legends to experience it was fantastic and a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA," Jones said.

    “Having Curtly Ambrose, Liam Plunkett, Shoaib Malik, Corey Anderson and Monak Patel here and seeing their response to the stadium and the playing surface was also pretty special. It gives us a real sense of what the fans can expect next month," he added.

    The 34,000-seater temporary stadium is the first of its kind in international cricket, and is also believed to be the largest ever constructed in the United States.

    Featured at the unveiling were extensive hospitality and media pavilions on the north and south ends of the venue, which join the east and west general admission stands. Among the new additions are the Cabana seats in the North pavilion along with the Corner Club seats with a private party area.

    The stadium is one of the three venues in the USA for the upcoming mega-event. Florida and Texas will also host matches from the event.

    The USA are co-hosts for the event alongside the West Indies, where 39 matches will be played across six venues. The Final will be held on 29 June in Barbados.

back to top