Red Force set to go all the way

National captain Dwayne Bravo says that it does not matter which team shows up to play T&T in the semifinals of the Nagico Super50 series. “That team is guaranteed a tough game”.

T&T qualified for the semis after they whipped the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by seven wickets in their final preliminary round clash on Sunday, after bouncing back from a first match loss to Barbados. T&T’s Red Force also blew the Leeward Islands on the way to the semifinals.

T&T will meet Group A winners jamaica in the first semifinal tomorrow after Barbados defeated the Leewards by four wickets and earned a bonus point to finish top of Group B. They will meet Group A runners up Guyana in the second semifinal on Thursday.

Speaking yesterday, Bravo said he did not have a preference as to which team T&T would like to meet. “It does not matter who we play in the semi-finals. Jamaica and Guyana are two good teams and any one of them will be tough. If you want to win the tournament, you have to beat everybody.”

The all rounder who snared 3/19 against the CCC added that his team will reach the finals if the players fulfilled their potential. “We need to play good cricket and play to our true potential. If we did that, we will win the game.” 

Bravo touched on the troubles being faced by batsman Adrian Barath saying that the right hander has the full support of the team. Barath has failed to live up to expectations and made just one against the students on Sunday, despite being under no pressure. 

“We are going to give him that encouragement and support. He has been one of our better performers in the years gone by and is currently going through a bad patch...For the moment we are just letting him enjoy his cricket while he puts his game together.”

Mystery spinner Sunil Narine echoed his captain’s comments saying that their opponents in the semifinals did not matter. “We don’t have a choice but whoever it is, we will look to take care of them. We need to go out and focus on what we have to do and who plays better on the day would win.”

Narine said his bowling is getting back to where he wants it. “I have had a tough few months but my bowling is coming back and I am happy with that.”

Narine bowled brilliantly against the CCC to end with figures of 10-2-14-1 as they were bowled out for 98. 

He said: “They were looking to block me out but at the same time, it was creating pressure at the other end and they had to take chances and the wickets were falling on the other end. If I can bowl like this and the wickets fall at the other end and T&T wins, then I am happy and will take that.”