Defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will be bolstered in their defense of the Super50 Regional Cup with the addition of their West Indies T20 returnees.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) said yesterday that the players who were part of the Caribbean team’s failed T20 World Cup campaign in Australia will now be available for the 50th tournament on their return to the Caribbean, tomorrow. West Indies were eliminated in the preliminary round after failing to secure one of the two qualifying spots in Group B.
Yesterday, chairman of selectors and Red Force coach David Furlonge said Nicholas Pooran, Akeal Hosein and Yannic Cariah had already confirmed their availability for the October 29-November 19 series to be played in Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua-Barbuda . However, questions remain over opening striker Evin Lewis, who Furlonge said is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Due to the return contingent of the T20 World Cup, the CWI said it would allow larger squads than the 14 players originally set for the Super50 Cup. But this will only be applicable for the period before the West Indies Test team departs for their tour of Australia on November 8, when the franchise must be reduced to just 14 players.
Test players will be available for the first three rounds of the tournament. The Red Force selectors submitted their squad to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board on Saturday.
Meanwhile, CWI said some of the players for the Test series ‘Down Under’ will stay in Melbourne to prepare for that duty against Australia. This year’s CG United Super50 Cup will feature eight teams — the six traditional franchises to be joined by the West Indies Academy as well as the Combined Campus and College (CCC) teams.
The event will take place in Antigua on Saturday, with a match between the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and the West Indies Academy at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The Red Force open their campaign next week on Monday against CCC at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA).
Also, the West Indies squad for the two-match Test series in Australia will be announced this week.
This series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, with important points up for grabs. West Indies are sixth in the current rankings, while Australia top the table.
