Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
T&T Red Force to begin Champions League preparations
With T20 fixtures against Guyana at Providence
By Sean Devers
When Guyana beat Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-final of the 2010 Caribbean T20 competition at the Queens Park Oval to earn the right to represent the West Indies in the Champions League T20 tournament in South Africa, the Trinidad &Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) assisted in Guyana’s preparations by sending their National team here to battle the locals in two ‘Grudge’ matches at Providence.
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Three years later, Trinidad and Tobago’s Red Force journey to India for their third Champions League tournament and second in India and the Guyana Cricket Board has returned the favour of assisting in the preparation of the unit from the Twin Island Republic.
Guyana, the only team apart from T&T to capture a regional T20 title (2006, 2008 & 2010) will face off with the Red Force at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence on August 30 & 31 under lights in two practice matches from 19:00hrs.
Admission is $1,000 to any stand in the Stadium and tickets will go on sale at several locations from next week. A supporting game will be played from 14:00hrs before the feature match on both days and the Police will be very serious with overcrowding. Once the capacity for each stand is reached spectators will be asked to go to another stand that is not yet filled.
Trinidad & Tobago surprised many by reaching the finals of the inaugural Champions League tournament, but lost to Australia’s New South Wales Blues. However, Like Guyana who failed to win a match in South Africa, the Red Force struggled on the faster African tracks and did not make it past the qualifying stage last year.
But the Indian conditions are expected to better suit the Caribbean side in the fifth edition of the competition which starts on September 17 and concludes on October 6. Trinidad and Tobago have dominated regional T20 cricket and have won every T20 title in the last three years including the final edition of the Caribbean T20 tournament early this year to qualify for this year’s event in India.
Pulsating cricket between the two most successful T20 teams in the region and massive crowds are expected this month end at Providence. Former West Indies opener and TTCB CEO Suruj Ragoonath announced the
Denesh Ramdin
visiting squad.
Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine and Denesh Ramdin will once again don the Red Trinidad & Tobago uniform after representing Guyana in this year’s inaugural Caribbean Premier league. Fast Bowler Ravi Rampaul also return to the side after injury forced him out of the LCPL.
Kieron Pollard’s feats in the 2009 edition, including an innings where he scored 54 runs from just 18 balls earned him an IPL contract for the 2009 IPL while Sunil Narine and Kevon Cooper also earned IPL contracts after competing for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2011 edition.
Previously unknown, Narine and Cooper were sold for $700,000 and $50,000 respectively for the 2012 IPL auction and made immediate impacts to their teams with Narine helping his team win the 2012 IPL. The off-spinner was also named Player of the Tournament.
Trinidad & Tobago have earned direct entry into the Group Stage this year after playing in the Qualifier in 2011 and 2012. With some of the world’s best T20 players, they are in group ‘B’ along with Brisbane Heat (KFC T20 Big Bash League champion), the runner-up in the Pepsi IPL 2013, Titans (RAM SLAM T20 Challenge runner-up), and the second-ranked team from the CLT20 2013 Qualifier.
Dwayne Bravo and Pollard have opted to represent their IPL teams in the Champions League and are not a part of the Trinidad and Tobago team.
The full T&T squad reads: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Yannick Ottley, Jason Mohammed, Denesh Ramdin, Nicholas Pooran, Adrian Barath, Samuel Badree, Sherwin Ganga, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Shannon Gabriel, Navin Stewart, Rayad Emrit, and Darren Bravo.
Technical Team: Dudnath Ramkeesoon, Omar Khan, David Williams, Kelvin Williams,
Lendl Simmons
Oba Gulston, Denesh Mahabir.
Guyana team: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Narsingh Deonarine, Chris Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Steven Jacobs, Trevon Griffith, Paul Wintz, Keon Joseph, Anthony Bramble, Rajiv Ivan, Leon Johnson, Robin Bacchus, Zaheer Mohamed, Eusan Crandon (Coach), Orin Bailey (Asst Coach), Alvin Johnson (Manager)
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