PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – In-form left-hander Darren Bravo says Trinidad and Tobago will not be relaxing for the second phase of the Caribbean Twenty20 starting in St Lucia Tuesday, despite topping the standings at the end of the first leg here Saturday night.
The defending champion signed on off on the opening phase of the tournament with a emphatic 80-run win over the previously unbeaten Guyanese, in a one-sided affair at Queen’s Park Oval.
Despite their success with took them to 13 points and four clear of second placed Jamaica, Bravo said they would be approaching the St Lucia leg of the campaign with the same intensity.
“When we reach there we will have to assess and then execute our game plan in the best possible way,” Bravo said.
“We’re taking one game at a time so when we go across there we will try to get everything right and keep winning.
“We’re not taking anything for granted. We have to be precise in everything we do and we have to continue playing with a positive frame of mind.”
On Saturday, T&T piled up the highest score of the tournament to date, 191 for four, as they flexed their batting muscle before a capacity mostly partisan crowd.
Bravo led the way with a superb, unbeaten 82 which included eight fours and four sixes off just 51 balls.
He put on 48 off 33 balls for the third wicket with brother Dwayne, added a further 54 off 30 balls for the fourth wicket with captain Denesh Ramdin before staging an explosive unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 64 from 27 balls with Kieron Pollard.
“We spoke about someone batting through the innings at the team meeting and I decided that [it] would definitely be my night and I backed myself to execute our game plan in the best possible way,” said the stylish stroke-maker.
“I’m timing the ball nicely. I’ve been working on a few things in the nets and it was nice to bat with experienced guys like Dwayne, Pollard and Ramdin and they helped me really nicely .”
There will be little rest for T&T as they face Windward Islands in the feature game of Tuesday’s doubleheader at the Beausejour Stadium.
