Bridgetown (Barbados), May 1 (IANS/CMC): The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) received a powerful endorsement with the news that former Jamaica prime minister PJ Patterson has agreed to chair the CPL Cricket Committee.

The former Jamaican leader has had a close association with West Indies cricket and was an original member of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the sport.

Patterson also chaired Caricom when the agreements to host Cricket World Cup came into being which brought in the Sunset legislation covering many aspects of the event.

"I am pleased to be a part of the Caribbean Premier League because I believe it will impact the region in countless ways," said Patterson Tuesday.

“I have expressed in the past that we have a special brand of cricket here in the West Indies and we need to capitalise on that."

Patterson was a member of the governance committee on West Indies Cricket who co-authored the Governance Report, also known as The Patterson Report, which was commissioned by the WICB in 2007.

The report looked at all the major facets of West Indies cricket and recommended solutions to issues of leadership, marketing, board structure and the relationship between the board and players.

“I believe the CPL will truly highlight our uniqueness to the world."

The inaugural CPL, from July 29 to Aug 26, has replaced the regional T20 tournament and will feature six franchises based around the region.