(Trinidad Express) Trinidad and Tobago Red Force bowling stock for the upcoming West Indies Championship four-day tournament has taken another hit, with Shannon Gabriel being unavailable for the first three rounds of the competition next month.
The veteran West Indies fast bowler was expected to add vital experience to the bowling unit but head coach David Furlonge revealed yesterday that the 35-year-old has been given permission to play in the Bangladesh Premier League T20 (BPL).
Yannic Cariah will also feature in the (BPL) and miss the first three matches of the season. Meanwhile, West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales is recovering from injury and his participation in the first set of matches is still uncertain leaving the Red Force with limited options when it comes to experienced pacers.
The good news for the T&T side is that Anderson Phillip looks to be in good shape having bowled a couple of long spells in the recent North/South Classic.
Medium pacers Terrance Hinds and Tion Webster also have first-class experience while Justin Manick played one game for the Red Force last season.
Hinds was recovering from a slight injury which saw him pull out of the Classic as a precautionary measure, so as not to aggravate his injury.
Sion Hackett and Philton Williams played in the Classic but Hackett didn’t pick up any wickets, while Williams grabbed two for 50. Phillip bowled 19 overs and grabbed two wickets for 58 runs.
Left-arm pacer Shaaron Lewis also pulled up with an injury during the North/South Classic, bowling 10.3 overs and taking one for 33.
Furlonge said the Red Force selectors have until January 26 to submit the squad for the first three matches, and while the absence of Cariah and Gabriel will be a big blow, he said the availability of Joshua Da Silva is a plus.
“Cariah is not available as he has gotten permission to play in the Bangladesh T20, Shannon will also be going to the Bangladesh T20. But we will have Joshua Da Silva available and Kjorn Ottley might be available from the second round after coming back from Australia,” Furlonge told the Express yesterday.
Asked about Darren Bravo’s availability for the first-class tournament and the captaincy of the team, Furlonge said: “I can’t comment on that at this point in time.” He said no decision has been made in terms of Bravo and the captaincy of the side but noted that playing in the recent Red Force three-day trial match and the subsequent North/South Classic was not a prerequisite for selection on the team.
Bravo previously captained the Red Force in the four-day tournament and the Super50 Cup. In terms of the leadership of the team, he said there are players who can step into the role, including Da Silva who captained the West Indies A team on their tour to South Africa in December.
“The selectors will meet and make those decisions,” Furlonge added. Meanwhile, the Red Force players will return to training today and Furlonge is hoping to have a competitive three-day game starting Tuesday as part of the final preparations for the four-day tournament.