T&T's senior cricket team will open their campaign in the Regional Super50 tournament against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) on February 1, at the Queen's Park Oval, in Port-of-Spain.
A day earlier, the tournament officially starts with a clash between the Windward Islands and Jamaica also at the Queen's Park Oval. The tournament which is being sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism here will be played over a two-week period with matches in both Trinidad and Tobago. The eight teams, including Ireland, have been split into two groups, with T&T playing in Group B alongside Barbados, the Leewards and CCC. Group A comprises Jamaica, Ireland, Guyana and the Windward Islands.
Two matches will also be played in Tobago and fans can look forward to action on February 5 and 6. On February 5, CCC, who was only included this week after the United States failed to confirm their participation, will oppose the Leeward Islands and on the next day, T&T will face Barbados. Both matches will be played at Shaw Park in Tobago and according to officials from the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB), the facility is up to "scratch" and ready to host regional cricket once more.
Meanwhile, the T&T team continues their preparation this week at the National Cricket Centre in Couva and will then take a break for the Christmas period. The TTCB is yet to confirm whether there will be any North/South matches for the festive break, or whether they will be inviting any of the other teams who are playing in the Super50 to come over early to play some warm-up games.
Information coming to hand is that the Windward Islands are hopeful of coming across to T&T early in order to prepare the tournament. Recently, the TTCB and the Windward Islands Cricket Board signed a memorandum of understanding which would see this country assist the islanders with their development programmes and marketing. The Windwards coming across early can well be part of that arrangement to assist with their development. The West Indies Cricket Board is expected to officially release the fixtures for the tournament later this week.