SPORTS
Newsday reporter
TRINIDAD AND Tobago have won the regional championship five times since it became an annual league fixture in 1966 – in 1970, 1971, 1976 (shared with Barbados), 1985 and 2006.
While they started this season in style with two wins against the Jamaica Scorpions and the Windward Islands Volcanoes, they are back to the reality of being a losing team with significant losses at the hands of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, at the Diego Martin Sports Complex, and the Pride of Barbados, at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium. And TT Red Force has all five games at home!
Although there are no crowds to boast of a home advantage, at least familiarity with the pitches and grounds could have been used to give one the advantage.
Due to pandemic issues, the region was given little time to complete the schedule; therefore the tournament was shortened to just one round, which should have made the Red Force favorites to win the title, especially after winning the first two matches. No one could ask for better, even if given a choice.
However, when it’s all said and done, the performances, or should I say the non-performances of the Red Force cricketers in the previous two matches, leave one speechless. It was unfortunate in the extreme. The bowling was generally good, the fielding could have been sharper, but the batting was so hopeless as to be extremely poor for a team trying to win a competition that has only six contenders.
Leewards and Barbados, the two teams that left us in the dust, were quite professional in their approach to the games. TT, on the other hand, looked demotivated, lackluster on the field and depressed, almost nothing mattered. Having conceded to the Hurricanes by a wide margin of 187 runs, it was hard to see how they could capitulate so meekly just a week later to the Pride.
The batting in this game was so bad that the Red Force batsmen looked like a team of schoolboys playing against professionals. And, as I mentioned, Barbados were very professional.
I have come to the conclusion, after analysis and close inspection of the Red Force team, that it would be a good idea to make changes and start giving some young cricketers the exposure and experience of first-class cricket. first, in the last match against the Guyana Harpy Eagles.
Darren Bravo is the first one I would suggest should be left out. He looked like a batsman who hasn’t practiced in months. He’s not getting the ball out of the pitcher’s hand quickly enough, a sure sign of a lack of practice. His scoring rate reflects a batsman who is disconnected from the game, revealing a no-nonsense approach.
At 33, he should score a number of runs given his ability and experience; but he is nothing like the batsman he once was, being so intact that I wonder if he can recover. The older one gets, the harder it is to train; more effort is needed. But he doesn’t seem to have the willpower for the required scraping.
Jason Mohammed is now past his prime. He played one of the best matches it was my pleasure to witness, a few years ago at Queen’s Park Oval. While the details are hazy, I vividly remember him scoring a century in a limited overs game against Guyana on a terrific wicket in which Sunil Narine took the opposition at figures of five for nine.
It was a final, I believe, but the innings was memorable for her application and brilliant stroke play. However, he has definitely outgrown it and has become a very inconsistent performer. At 34, Mohammed must step aside for a younger replacement.
Shannon Gabriel is injury prone. He was obviously not match ready for these matches. He shot unfortunately, but not penetratingly. His main weapon is rhythm. Now 34, he is past prime fast bowling age and lacks the ability to switch from pace bowling to focus on seam and swing.
It doesn’t mean that the above players would be out to pasture, it’s just that since TT can’t win, it’s an opportunity to open the door to give the youngsters a chance.
They should keep Jeremy Solozano and Keagan Simmons, albeit a bust, as they have the ability, but they need to build confidence. Perhaps they should expose the reserves, the cricketers in waiting, as replacements for those we mentioned above.
