With just three days to go before they go into the 'bubble' at the Hilton Trinidad, manager of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) Colin Borde is warning his players to be very vigilant as far as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is concerned.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said on Saturday that there are 243 active cases at the moment in the country, with 18 reported cases on Friday. T&T has been going through an active second wave of the dreaded virus and the public is starting to panic.
Borde said: "Every team is acutely aware of what's at stake regarding COVID 19. The protocols established are there to be followed. We must continue to be vigilant." The local players on the TKR team will go into the CPL bubble the day after General Elections and they will be joined by the six foreign players who are currently in quarantine since arriving in the country last Monday. The six players who are in quarantine and still self-isolating in their rooms are Colin Munro, Muhammad Ali Khan, Tim Seifert, Fawad Ahmed, Praven Tambe, and Sikandar Raza. On Monday they will undergo their second COVID-19 test before being allowed to mingle in groups of three or four.
Borde speaking on his team's chances of winning their fourth crown said: "Each season it becomes that much tougher to win. The teams are getting smarter and more efficient at how they are planning and adapting to conditions. We just have, as usual, to plan better in our selections and executions. It's a great challenge that we relish."
After winning back to back titles in 2017 and 2018, the TKR was pushed aside in the play-off last year by eventual champions Barbados Tridents.
Leading in this year's tournament five of the franchises outside of the TKR have been badly affected by the Coronavirus situation and have had to bring in replacements. The TKR is the only team that will have their full complement of players that they selected pre and at the draft. Borde, however, does not see this as an advantage. "We don't see having all of our players as an advantage. What we do know is that when u look at the roster there are five other powerful teams ready to do battle. When the bell rings, it will be about who wants it the most and is prepared to give everything for it." He made a very profound comment saying: "Resources are only as good as how it is used."
The tournament gets underway on August 18 and will see 33 games played at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago before ending on September 10. The first match will see last year’s runners-up, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, take on the Trinbago Knight Riders. The final will take place on September 10.
The local TKR boys will continue their preparations at the Queen's Park Oval on Sunday. When they are joined by all the players after quarantine they will practice at UWI SPEC in St. Augustine which is the official practise venue for the tournament.
Title-holders Barbados Tridents, along with last year’s losing finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and St Lucia Zouks will clash over 33 games when the eighth edition of the tournament gets underway.
So far there are 275 positive cases in T&T an increase of 50 overnight, with a total of eight deaths as of the 6:00 pm update from the Ministry of Health on Saturday.
The opening match will be between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from 10 am followed by the defending champions the Tridents against the Patriots from 5.30 pm.