Port of Spain, Trinidad – Newly appointed Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 50 overs captain, Rayad Emrit, remains optimistic that the team for the upcoming Nagico Super50 tourney has what it takes to end the nation’s silverware drought.
With the twin-island republic presently struggling in the Professional Cricket League Regional Four-Day edition, Emrit is hoping that his team can win the Super50 for the first time since 2010. Earlier in the week, Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board selectors released the official 14-member squad for the competition.
TT’s opening match will see the Emrit-led unit squaring off against the West Indies Under-19, which bowls off at Shaw Park, Tobago, on Friday, from 1.30pm. And Emrit is looking for the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard to play pivotal roles.
“It’s obviously very important for us to win this one,” said Emrit yesterday. “I believe if we play to our full potential we can certainly do it. The big five is back, and with the wealth of experience that these guys have coming back into the Trinidad and Tobago setup, it augurs well for our chances of lifting the crown this year. We just have to all perform at our full potential and the title should be ours.”
The medium-pacer was also part of the TT team which succumbed to a 17-run defeat at the hands of eventual winners Barbados in the final last year and wants redemption. “The trophy eluded us last year,” he added.
“We barely lost the final and it was actually a game which we should have won. Hopefully we can go one step further this year and collect the crown. We are presently trying to get things together because we will be missing Kieron (Pollard) and Dwayne (Bravo) for the first game.”
On a lighter note, Emrit also wished former TT Super50 wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran a speedy recovery having damaged his left knee and ankle in a car accident on the Solomon Hochoy Highway on Tuesday evening.
Pooran was returning from training at the Queen’s Park Oval and was immediately replaced by young wicketkeeper, Steven Katwaroo. (Reprinted from the Trinidad Newsday)