PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Head coach Gus Logie has appealed for unity in the wake of Trinidad and Tobago Red Force’s capture of the Regional Super50 and has urged the senior players here to become more involved.
Red Force repeated as regional one-day champions when they easily trounced a more experienced Barbados Pride by 72 runs in last Saturday’s final at Queen’s Park Oval.
Logie, a former West Indies coach, said Trinidad cricket was on the rise and said senior players still had a key role to play its development.
“We also want to make an appeal to the senior players – the experienced players – don’t move away from the game,” Logie implored.
“Whatever differences you may have, whether it is the board or officials of the board, at the end of the day you have a legacy that you want to create, I think the people of Trinidad and Tobago want to see the best players playing all the time.
“It’s an open call to them: come on board, do what is necessary do what is required to have our cricket moving forward because they have a lot to contribute.”
Red Force were without their strongest squad for the Regional Super50 campaign, with several of their international players unavailable for varying reasons.
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, opener Lendl Simmons and leg-spinner Samuel Badree were all involved in the just concluded Australia Big Bash while batsman Kieron Pollard and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel were both injured and not considered for selection.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was also not considered, with the T&T Cricket Board citing uncertainty surrounding the player’s availability.
The West Indies pair of Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin missed the early stages of the Super50 because of international duty but returned to join the team for the latter half of the competition.
Logie said the few senior players who were available for the start of the tournament had all played key roles in Red Force’s title triumph.
“Marlon Richards is a model young man, a disciplined young man in all that he does. You cannot ask for anything more of this young man,” Logie said of the 27-year-old with 22 first class matches behind his name.
“Rayad (Emrit) – we know what he can do. It’s unfortunate that Jason (Mohammed) didn’t have the kind of tournament we know he can have but as captain he led the team very well out there. Some of the changes were just spot on.
“Tactically he was on the ball and he grew game to game, there’s no two ways about it, and one can only give him kudos.”
He added: “Young [Kjorn] Ottley came into the set-up, at one stage we weren’t too sure where he was going to fit in. He fitted in and couldn’t get him out of the team. Everybody, I think they are all heroes my book.”
