Trinidad and Tobago Red Force coach David Furlonge will be in charge of the team until 2024 after signing a two-year contract extension.
This was confirmed yesterday by the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, Azim Bassarath.
News of Furlonge’s extension came via the TTCB’s media release on Monday, which stated that the Red Force have resumed training ahead of the 2023 regional season and will place a lot of emphasis on fitness. Furlonge took the reins of the Red Force team in December 2020 and his initial contract was set to expire this year.
Bassarath confirmed the news saying “It was a unanimous decision of the executive board.” Asked if they thought Furlonge did enough to warrant the extension, Bassarath told Express: “If the Executive didn’t think he did enough, they wouldn’t have given him the two-year extension.”
The TTCB president added: “He (Furlonge) brought a level of professionalism to the Red Force set-up and is making great strides in getting the players to play with the passion that is needed for someone who knows they are representing their country . “
Furlonge’s tenure began during the Covid-19 pandemic and his first task was the Super50 in 2021, which the Red Force won with a perfect record. T&T came second in the 2022 Super50 and were fourth in the four-day West Indies Championship tournament.
According to the TTCB media release, Furlonge had his first team talk with the players on Monday at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Center in Balmain, Couva and informed his squad that more will be expected of them in the coming months.
Furlonge was also optimistic that the setbacks the team suffered this year could be overcome next season and he has put plans in place to address those areas of concern.
After the first two rounds of the 2022 season, the Red Force were in contention for the West Indies Championship title, but the challenge fell short after a break in the race for the English Caribbean tour, after which the Red Force lost their last two. three games in the tournament.
“Emphasis will be on fitness with a lot of work in the field and cricket. The cricketers will be required to put in longer hours under strength and conditioning coach Clinton Jeremiah,” said Furlonge.
The Red Force coach also noted that the players will spend many more hours in practice to ensure they are properly conditioned for the longer version of the game.
