Despite being released from his Indian Premier League Twenty20 franchise Rajasthan Royals late last year, Trinidad and Tobago all-rounder Kevon Cooper is still optimistic that 2015 will be a good year for him.
The 25-year-old Cooper played a key role in T&T’s successful Nagico Super50 campaign and said he has been working extra hard to try and regain his place in the T&T four-day team.
In addition to helping T&T clinch the Super50 title, Cooper is also one of four players retained by Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 franchise the T&T Red Steel ahead of the 2015 tournament.
“I am retained with the Red Steel, so that is good news and I hope there will be some more good things to come for me in 2015,” Cooper told the Express following the Red Force Super50 win last Sunday.
The other players that will most likely be retained by the Red Steel include Samuel Badree and Dwayne and Darren Bravo.
“I must say thanks to the Almighty because without him nothing is possible. I worked really hard to try and get back into the Trinidad team after losing my IPL contract and then being left out of the Trinidad four-day team,” said Cooper.
“It was up to me to really train hard with my club Queen’s Park during the off days when I was not training with the national team. I have been doing a lot of work with my batting and I must say thanks to Kelvin Williams for really helping me with my bowling and David Furlonge who was always willing to work with me,” Cooper explained.
“Last year I played with T&T in the Super50 and we lost in the final, so this is my first 50 over title with T&T and I am grateful. I think I have improved in all areas of my game and it goes to show that if you work hard, you will reap the rewards.”
Cooper added that, “I hope this is not the end for me. I will continue to work hard. If I am not in the four-day set-up, I will continue training with Queen’s Park and hopefully I can take my game to next level,” he added.
In the Super50, Cooper earned the Man-of-the-Match award for his unbeaten 62, which was his maiden regional 50-over half century, against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in a low-scoring match.
He also bowled well, grabbing two for 13 off against the Combined Campuses and Colleges and three for 34 against Jamaica.
“We have world-class players on this team. Every game somebody put up their hand. If it was not me it was Ravi Rampaul, it was Rayad Emrit, Jason Mohammed, Dwayne, Darren (Bravo), Sunil (Narine). That is what this team is about. It is not a one-man show,” said Cooper.
