PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC- Dwayne Bravo does not believe defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders are under any pressure ahead of their opening match against the St Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Instead, Bravo who will captain the side, feels the Stars which went winless in last year’s tournament, will be the ones under the microscope.
Speaking ahead of their 8 p.m. clash last night at the Queen’s Park Oval, Bravo said the fact that the Stars added quality players to the squad meant they were now expected to perform. “(There is) no pressure on our team, pressure on their team. They have not done anything in a while so the pressure is with them, but [Kieron] Pollard is one of the best players in the world and one of the most successful T20 players in the world as well. It is not going to be a walk in the park.
“The name remains, but a lot of different players are there now. They have Lendl Simmons as well who is a very good player. My former coach (Brad Hodge) is there; I know how he thinks though, so I will plan properly against them,” Bravo said.
While Stars’ captain Pollard acknowledged that all eyes would be on his team, he said the outcome of the contest would be decided on the field.
“He summed it up pretty well. I think he said all the right things, but for me, as he also said and I also believe, that when it comes to cricket we could talk a lot of things inside of here, but cricket won’t play in this press conference.
“We will go out with our small team that has not done anything (in the past) and see if we could do a little better, at least win one game more than we did last year,” Pollard said.
Bravo said the fans could expect a battle between himself and his Queen’s Park club-mate Pollard.“Well it is always a showdown between two of us, but as I said the mutual respect is there. We respect each other’s talent and ability, like I said he is one of the best finishers in the world so you have to give that respect when it is due.
“At the end of the day it is competition, as long as we play in the spirit of the game and don’t go overboard, that is very important. The fans are going to get their monies worth because it is the best versus the best,” he added.]
