The Spiceman from Grenada. The pioneer of the no-look six. The T20 great. MI Emirates’ very own. And someone we just weren’t letting go of. Andre Fletcher drew a record bid to become the most-expensive player at the ILT20 Auction and came back to the Blue and Gold, a side he’s tasted a lot of success with. Here he is, in an exclusive interview with miemirates.com, talking about everything under the sun as he readies up for the December homecoming.. 

It’s great having you back, Andre! Where and how were you tracking the auction? How were the nerves? And how sure were you of MI Emirates going all out to buy you back?

This is my family. I have been with them for the last three years since the beginning. It is always a pleasure playing for MIE and the guys. 

I knew from my agent that Dubai Capitals were interested. But honestly, I had no idea of the amount I got picked up for. When it reached a stage when it looked like the Capitals would get me, I just told my wife, ‘Please, please, I want to go to MIE’. Not that I have anything against them (Capitals), but because of the comfort of me being around the guys at MI Emirates and playing with them for the last three years, I was just hoping that MIE go for one more bid. When the auctioneer said, ‘going once, going twice, sold to MIE’, I literally jumped and we started screaming. 

Becoming the highest paid player in the ILT20 Auction must have given you a huge sense of satisfaction in all that you have achieved in the past and the value you bring into the team, right?
I must say, money is not a big deal for me. I am very grateful for the money and the achievement, but I always bank on what I can bring to whatever team I get selected for. It’s all about the trust that the owners have in me, and it’s just for me to go with that on and off the field while making people around me comfortable as possible. As a team, the main goal is to win titles. But to win titles, it doesn’t always boil down to what you do on the field. It is off the field as well. MI Emirates has created an environment where players are comfortable and with my personality, I try to make people happy and be happy for each other’s success. That’s my main objective. As much as I am happy for being the highest paid player in the Auction, but I see more beyond the money. 

Let’s talk about your 96* against Desert Vipers in the previous season. You were coming back into the team and that massive win helped MIE improve their NRR immensely and thereby make it into the playoffs. Where do you rate that among your top knocks?

It’s my highest score in the ILT20. It came after not playing a few games. I was just happy getting the opportunity to come back and make a statement. Not just for me, even for Tom (Banton) who was in great form. The way he was striking the ball and getting his second century, it was just a great feeling. I felt like I had got that hundred. That is how I feel every single team player should be. They should be happy for each other. I was just happy to contribute and be in that partnership. 

MIE have managed to retain and buy back a large chunk of their core for this season. As one of the senior pros in the team, what are your thoughts on how the way the squad has shaped up?

We have a very strong team, well balanced with experience and youth. We all know what the likes of (Nicholas) Pooran and (Kieron) Pollard can bring to the table. With the experience of a Pollard with the amount of titles he has won, and the talent of Pooran, we know gifted he is, I am happy to be on their side and not have to face them. Our side is well balanced. We have defensive and attacking bowlers. Our batters are very destructive and equally skillful as well. Kamindu (Mendis) for instance, we know how good he is when spin is concerned. They are very good at improvising as well. 

You are one of those rare cricketers to have made it big from Grenada. You’ve put it on the map, and the no-look sixes a lot of players now hit has its origins in Grenada. Tell us something about the country and the cricketing culture there..

We are known for our spices. If you ask anyone in the Caribbean about Grenada, the first thing they will tell you is about our spices. Cinnamon, cloves. We’ve got plenty of waterfalls, beautiful beaches, springs, it’s a country where if you are into nature, you will enjoy my country. You just have to be fit (laughs) because you’ll have to do a lot of hiking. Our people, we are very friendly. They will ensure you have the best time of your life. If I’m not wrong, we have the lowest crime rate as well. 

We have plenty of cricketing talent.  Before myself we had Junior Murray, who was a keeper-batter for the West Indies. We had Devon Smith. We had Rawl Lewis, a leg-spinner. Nelon Pascal was a fast bowler for the West Indies. Teddy (Bishop) is a young cricketer. Last year one of the guys, Johann Jeremiah, made the CPL teams. So we have talent. As far as infrastructure is concerned, we don’t have much of that. We don’t have an indoor facility. If there is rain around, we can’t really practice. I hope that can get better, but we aren’t short of talent. 

So growing up in Grenada, what did a regular day in the life of Andre Fletcher look like?

In my village, there were a lot of young children going up and we used to play a lot of cricket. Sometimes using a doll head as a ball. We would melt plastic and make it into a ball. My elder brother, Danny Charles, was a very competitive individual. Me growing up was a bit hard because when we played on the road, as a batter, I was never aggressive, which is strange now looking back. I would just block and block and block. I had a very good defence. But my brother started getting frustrated and kept throwing the ball to my head. He would keep telling me to be aggressive and hit shots. So in order to not get hit, I started playing shots, to make him not feel comfortable. That’s where I got my aggressive mindset from. 

I have another brother, Shane Charles, who was leg-spinner. Cricket runs in my blood. My mother was a cricketer as well. My sister, Sherry Fletcher ran in the Beijing Olympics. My entire family is sports oriented. It was just on me to continue from where my parents and elder brothers left. 

But it wasn’t easy. I had to literally walk with the cricket bag on my shoulder for ten to fifteen minutes up a hill to get to the main road to then find transport to get to the ground. Every single day, this is what my routine would look like. I would walk to school as well. All the walking was part of my fitness (laughs). But it has paid off now. It was a lot of sacrifices, my mom and my brothers were very supportive of me. 

In that huge sporting house, how did the love for cooking come about?

I enjoy cooking. My dad was a chef. So I kind of grew into an environment of food. My grandmother was a baker. My mom now and then keeps baking as well. Had it not been for cricket, I would have been a chef. 

I love Indian food a lot. Even in Grenada, we have an Indian restaurant and we go there a lot, me and my family. Butter chicken masala is my favourite. I can have it every day. 

We have to talk about the 2024 ILT20 season. You played a major role in the team’s victory run, with a solid fifty in the final as well. What are your memories of that year and what did it mean for you to win a title with MI Emirates? 

It was a great feeling, really. Some may think we were favourites, but I think the odds were against us. An MI team being in the final, the history of being so successful, we were under pressure of going into the big game. It was an excellent game. I was under a lot of pressure as well. But because of the experience of Pollard and Pooran coming in, it was just a matter of me putting away ego and playing the situation as it was. We had a good total. It was just a matter of us going out there and then finishing it off with the ball. 

It all boils down to the team environment. The back room staff did an excellent job. It helped us players just execute and do what we were paid to do. I can tell you, whenever I go out to play, I know for a fact, I feel like there is nothing outside of the cricket. You never feel like there is anything other than cricket that your mind is on. The manager, the physios, the trainers, the media personnel, ensure that the player is in the right mindset to go there and play cricket for the fans. That is what makes us a success.