T&T BID FOR REVENGE AGAINST BAJANS

Last year, Barbados got the better of Trinidad and Tobago twice in the Regional four-day tournament.

Today, the Denesh Ramdin led T&T side have a chance at retribution.

They host the Bajans in the final round of the 2013 four-day championship at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain starting today from 10 a.m. and will have for reference the hiding they got from the same opponents at the same venue in last season’s semifinal when they lost by 227 runs in three days after being dismissed for 84 and 128.

Though both teams are into the 2013 semifinals, a win for either will secure a semifinal spot against the second-place team while the losers will face the top team on the standings in the other semi.

With that in mind, both teams will recognise the importance of coming out on top in this encounter.

For T&T, they know that a tough fight is on the horizon, but fast bowler Shannon Gabriel feels confident that they can rise to the occasion despite the batting collapses that saw them lose to defending champions Jamaica in the previous round and the Windward Islands in the first round of the competition.

“It is an important game for us. In our previous (four-day) match, we did not get the result we wanted but hopefully we could make up in this game and come out victorious in the end,” Gabriel told the Express during a T&T training session at the match venue, yesterday.

“We just have to concentrate on what we have to do and at the end of the day, I believe our players are capable of coming up trumps to win this game.”

While T&T allrounder Yannic Cariah was also optimistic, he said the home side cannot afford to underestimate Barbados.

“They (Barbados) are playing good cricket so it will be a very good challenge but (we) never shy away from any challenge so (we are) looking forward to it.

“Last year is gone. We have been playing good cricket this season. The team is gelling well. We are always looking for a win so we will just go out there, try out best and give it everything we have,” Cariah added.

The home side have made one change to their four-day team, with Queen’s Park Cricket Club allrounder Akeal Hosein coming in for Yannick Ottley. It will be a straight swap of left-arm spinners, with Hosein earning a call up to the senior national team for the second time.

Last year, Hosein, a former West Indies under-19 player, was called up for T&T’s four-day clash against the Leeward Islands, but did not make the final XI. (TRINIDAD EXPRESS)

SQUADS:

T&T—Denesh Ramdin (captain), Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Akeal Hosein, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Yannic Cariah, Rayad Emrit, Amit Jaggernauth, Kjorn Ottley, Shannon Gabriel, Marlon Richards, Kavesh Kantasingh

Omar Khan (manager), David Williams (coach)

Barbados—Kirk Edwards (captain), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Rashidi Boucher, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Javon Searles, Kevin Stoute, Miguel Cummins

Hartley Reid (manager), Henderson Springer (coach)