BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC-The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team was expected here today to play three warm-up matches as part of their preparation for the Champions’ League T20 scheduled for October 9 to 28 in South Africa.
The Red Force, without five frontline players, is expected to play two night matches and one day- game during their brief stopover in Bridgetown.
Four players have been drafted in with the absence of Captain Denesh Ramdin, Darren Bravo, Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons and Samuel Badree, currently on West Indies duties at the ICC T20 World Cup in underway in Sri Lanka.
They are former captain Daren Ganga, fellow top-order batsman Justin Guillen, as well as the left-arm spin duo Dave Mohammed and Kharry Pierre.
The 14-man team for Barbados is the same squad which participated in the “Asia versus the Caribbean” T20 series at the Queen’s Park Oval earlier this month.
“The three games in Barbados will be very important for us, as it would give us a chance to see where we’re at, and to play on, hopefully, bouncier and faster pitches”said coach David Williams, the former west Indies wicketkeeper.
“This is going to be a good test for us, barring we get a good side to play against and I’m sure the Bajans will put up a good fight. We’re looking forward to it”.
The warm-up matches in Barbados will be the latest in a series of eight trial matches for the players, in addition to last month’s Twenty20 for 50 Cricket Festival and the Asia versus the Caribbean T20 series.
The Trinidadian cricketers will return home at the end of the Barbados tour to continue preparations before leaving for South Africa October 4.