PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Former Young West Indies batting star, Jyd Goolie, says he is “disappointed” by his omission from the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force squad for next month’s Super50 Cup in Antigua.
The in-form 23-year-old was one of the youth casualties as selectors opted for an experienced 15-man unit in a bid to end their recent drought in the regional tournament.
Goolie lashed a hundred and a half-century to be one of the leading performers at the recent trials.
“Looking at the team, it really is a strong one but I have to now change my focus to see if I can get on to the Four-Day team,” said Goolie, a member of the title-winning side at the 2016 ICCUnder-19 World Cup.
“I think preparations for the Four-Day team begin this coming week.
“I was a bit disappointed but looking at the team, most of the guys are senior players and deserve to be there.
“I’m a young player so I believe there are many chances I still have to make the team,” he told the Newsday here.
Left-hander Goolie is an exciting prospect who has already played four first class matches for Red Force.
He featured in the final two matches of last season, striking his maiden first class hundred – an accomplished 128 against Windward Islands Volcanoes – in the second of those games.
Goolie was left out of the Super50 squad along with the likes of Isaiah Rajah, Kirstan Kallicharan and Tion Webster, and chief selector Rajendra Mangalie said the process had been a difficult one especially with so many international cricketers available.
“If these guys were playing for any other country they would have made the team. It’s only 15 we could pick and we selected the best possible crop of players,” he explained.
“The Four-Day tournament is coming up and I told those who were not selected to continue practising.
“We have about six or seven young talented players who could walk into any team but it’s only 15 that can play.”
The Red Force side is headlined by skipper and West Indies white ball captain, Kieron Pollard, and includes international players like Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine.
Jason Mohammed, currently leading the Windies side on the one-day tour of Bangladesh, has also found a place in the lineup along with Akeal Hosein and Kjorn Ottley who are both poised to make their international debuts on the Bangladesh tour.
And with Red Force without a Regional 50-overs title since beating Barbados Pride in the final five years ago, Mangalie said a side was chosen with the hope of breaking the country’s winless streak.
“If you look at the crop of players there’s about nine of them that have played for the West Indies already. 2021 is an important year for TT cricket,” he stressed.
“We haven’t won any titles since 2016 and this is why we opted to use the experience at our disposal.
“We’re hoping they can bring back silverware to TT and start a new movement for TT cricket.”
The Super50 Cup runs from February 7-27.
