PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Under-strength Trinidad and Tobago Red Force open the defence of their NAGICO Super50 title when they clash with Jamaica Scorpions on the opening day of the tournament here today.
The encounter at Queen’s Park Oval bowling off at 1:30 pm is one of four games scheduled, with two set for Trinidad and the other two scheduled for St Kitts.
Barbados Pride clash with ICC Americas in a 9 am game at the UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre at St Augustine, in the other game on Trinidad soil.
In St Kitts, meanwhile, last year’s losing finalists Guyana Jaguars take on Windward Islands Volcanoes at St Paul’s in the 9 am fixture while Leeward Islands Hurricanes face Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners at Warner Park in the day/night game.
Red Force, unfortunately, have been hurt by the loss of their main players for the tournament. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo, leg-spinner Samuel Badree and Lendl Simmons are all campaigning in the Australian Big Bash while batsman Kieron Pollard is recovering from injury.
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel is also injured after limping out of the Test tour of Australia last December.
Mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine, one of Red Force’s main weapons in last year’s tournament, has also been sidelined after the West Indies Cricket Board reportedly turned down a request to have the player participate.
Narine was banned by the International Cricket Council from bowling in global tournaments after his action was adjudged to be illegal. However, the ICC said he could play in tournaments organized by the WICB, once he was given permission by the regional board.
Further, former captain Denesh Ramdin and leading batsman Darren Bravo are on tour of Australia and will miss the start of the Super50.
The plethora of absentees have understandably left Red Force with a depleted squad, and forced selectors to call up the likes of the inexperienced Philton Williams and Jon Russ Jagesar.
However, former captain Rayad Emrit, experienced limited overs all-rounder Kevon Cooper, along with key players like Narsingh Deonarine, Evin Lewis and newly installed skipper Jason Mohammed, will carry the threat for Red Force.
Scorpions are also without key players, leading to expectations that today’s contest will be a fairly even affair.
There will be no Chris Gayle or Marlon Samuels, while Jermaine Blackwood and Jerome Taylor are set to join the squad once the Test tour of Australia ends this week.
In their absence, much will depend on new captain John Campbell, Andre McCarthy and Antiguan Devon Thomas, to carry the weight of responsibility.
Jaguars’ match-up with Volcanoes is expected to be the other highlight of the opening day. Based on their four-day form, Jaguars are already carrying the tag of favourites, especially with most of their leading players also present.
They will be led by Leon Johnson and include veteran West Indies left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul, the in-form Vishaul Singh, Chris Barnwell and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.
In his first season of first class cricket, the 20-year-old Motie already has 34 wickets in five games.
Volcanoes will be definitely threats, however, with former West Indies left-hander Devon Smith, along with the big-hitting pair of Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, leading the batting.
Off-spinner Shane Shillingford leads a solid bowling department which includes slippery seamers Mervyn Mathew and Kyle Mayers.
In the other two games, Pride are expected to make light work of ICC Americas while Marooners will look to take advantage of a Hurricanes side without a single win in the four-day competition to date.
The tournament will be played across two zones with Red Force, Scorpions, Pride and the Americas comprising Group A and Jaguars, Marooners, Volcanoes and Hurricanes making up Group B.
Teams will play each other twice ensuring that each side play six matches, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals at Queen’s Park Oval.
All told, 27 matches will be played in the tournament making it the biggest 50-overs championship every put on by the WICB.
