T&T's Red Force is all set to battle archrivals Barbados as fourth round matches in the West Indies Cricket Board Regional fourday tournament bowls off today at Kensington Oval.
T&T endured a frustrating start to their stay in Barbados on Tuesday, having to spend nearly four hours waiting in the lobby of the Barbados Beach Resort, before being placed in their hotel rooms.
Speaking to the T&T Guardian yesterday from Barbados, national team manager Manohar Ramsaran said: "The team settled around 3 pm (Tuesday), after getting over the initial shock. We trained on Wednesday and are currently training at Kensington Oval." All-rounder Daron Cruickshank and leftarm spinner Ricky Jaipaul have replaced Akeal Hosein and Kavesh Kantasingh for the match.
Hosein picked up a thigh strain in the last match against the Leeward Islands, while Kantasingh is not available for personal reasons.
Hosein was the star in T&T's first two wins. Against the Windwards, the left-arm spinner took 11 wickets in the match, then struck a hundred (102 not out) against the Leeward Islands, both at the Queen's Park Oval. Both Cruickshank and Jaipaul have been performing at a high level in the National cricket league competitions this season, and may start. Ramsaran stated: "Everybody has a fair chance to play, all 13." The final XI was selected in the team meeting last night.
Ramsaran also said there will be no changes in the batting line up after T&T posted a massive 458/7 declared against the Leeward Islands. Evin Lewis (78), Darren Bravo (60), Jonathan Augustus (61) and Stephen Katwaroo (91) all made half-centuries, while Hosein bagged a century (102 not out). The Barbados top order also showed some form in a draw against the Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC) in the last round. Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite scored 91, while Kirk Edwards made 109 (204 balls).
However, Ramsaran stated that the Bajan public said the slow batting from some of the batsmen led to the draw. Brathwaite's knock came off 320 balls, while wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich struck 39 off 131 balls. Leaders Jamaica will face Windward Islands at Sabina Park in Kingston. Combined Campuses & Colleges, which is domiciled at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, will tackle Guyana under the lights at the Three Ws Oval.
ROUND FOUR FIXTURES
n T&T vs Barbados, Kensington Oval, 10am
Jamaica vs Windward Islands, Sabina Park, 10am
Jamaica time
n Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC) vs Guyana,
Three Ws Oval, 3pm
STANDINGS
Team................................P ..........W.........L ............D ..........Pts
Jamaica ..................................2................2...........0................0 ...............35
T&T............................................2................2...........0................0...............34
Windwards ..........................3................1............1.................1...............29
Barbados ...............................3................1............1.................1 ...............27
Leewards...............................3 ................1 ...........2................0 ...............22
Guyana....................................3 ...............0 ...........2.................1................13
CCC ............................................2...............0............1.................1 ...............10
T&T SQUAD
Rayad Emrit (Captain), Adrian Barath, Evin
Lewis, Darren Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Jonathan
Augustus, Imran Khan, Steven Katwaroo,
Shannon Gabriel, Yannic Cariah, Daron
Cruickshank, Ricky Jaipaul, Marlon Richards.