Skerritt hails Trinidad’s show of force
ST JOHN’S, ANTIGUA (CMC):
CRICKET WEST Indies president, Ricky Skerritt, has labelled Trinidad and Tobago Red
Force’s domination of the justconcluded Regional Super50 Cup as a “remarkable show of force”, and says their title conquest has reiterated the value of senior players in the territorial board programmes.
Red Force played the entire tournament unbeaten, climaxing their campaign with a 152-run victory over Guyana Jaguars in last Saturday’s final under lights at Coolidge Cricket Ground.
“This was a remarkable show of force by Trinidad from start to finish,” Skerritt said in a statement.
“It was a total team effort and Red Force found a match-winner at every stage. The other five franchise teams, including losing finalists Guyana Jaguars, all worked hard and showed good fighting qualities to varying degrees.
“But the Red Force were more dominant and consistent than ever, and simply unstoppable.”
RED FORCE STORMS THROUGH TOURNAMENT
In a shortened tournament due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Red Force stormed through the five preliminary games to top the standings, before also thrashing Jamaica Scorpions in the semi-final last Wednesday.
Veterans Lendl Simmons and Ravi Rampaul, both age 36, came to the fore for Red Force throughout the tournament, to feature prominently in the batting and bowling aggregates.
Simmons hit a half-century in the semi-final and followed up with a career-best 146 in the final to finish with 316 runs, while Rampaul snatched four-wicket hauls in both the semis and the final, to end with 14 wickets.
Skerritt praised the vision of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board president, Azim Bassarath, for not discarding the former West Indies stars and recognising their continued value within the national set-up.
“Congrats on a great tournament and final victory for TTCB and your team. This incredible performance should emphasise the vital importance of planning and preparation,” Skerritt told Bassarath.
“I hope it has also reminded us why cricket administrators should not simply throw away senior players while these players still have such good value to their team and country.
“Successful cricket t eams employ a healthy balance of youth and experience, just like your team did in winning this tournament.”