FROM 9 am on October 29, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will begin their quest for an unprecedented 15th Cricket West Indies CG United Super50 crown when the 2024 edition of the tournament opens with their match versus the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, UWI, St Augustine.
For at least the first two matches, the Red Force will be spearheaded by assistant coach Rayad Emrit. The former TT and West Indies allrounder will be deputising for head coach David Furlonge, who is expected to miss the CCC match and the November 1 meeting with Windwards Islands Volcanoes because of a medical condition.
Last season, under the captaincy of Darren Bravo, Red Force went unbeaten in seven round-robin matches before defeating Guyana Harpy Eagles and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the semifinal and final respectively. As new captain Joshua Da Silva and his team put the final touches on their preparations on October 28, Emrit said the conditions at the St Augustine venue were far from ideal for his squad.
"The practice pitches at the UWI grounds were underprepared. What we saw of the pitch for the CCC game, it looks like it will be similar to what the practice facility was like," Emrit told Newsday. "We're hoping and praying for a miracle to happen and it can be changed around in 24 hours.
"It doesn't look like it's going to be a good wicket so we just have to try and adapt to whatever conditions we get in front of us...to turn up and see the practice facilities, it's mind-boggling to see."
Emrit said players are blamed when they don't live up to expectations with their performances on the field. However, he questioned if everything was being put in place to produce noteworthy performances.
"It's a bit disappointing knowing what transpired last year with the conditions and for the authorities not to get it right this year – we were hoping it would be right this year.
"If we can't get these simple things right, what will we get right?"
In the build-up to the tournament, the team was unable to train outdoors as often as they would have liked as bad weather restricted them to mostly indoor sessions.
However, Emrit said the team is fully focused and ready to retain their crown. With a return of the bonus points system, Emrit is promising an "exciting and positive" brand of cricket and has encouraged the players to stick to their natural games.
"(The bonus system) is something they want to use to excite the 50-over cricket. I think it's useful as long as the conditions are (suitable) for it," he said.
"Playing in front of your home crowd and being defending champions is always (going to come with) pressure. I think the guys are professional enough and...they like the support they get playing at home."
Similar to last season, the Super50 winners will receive a US$ 100,000 prize. The runners-up will receive US$ 50,000, with the semifinalists walking away with US$ 25,000 each.
If the think tank of Emrit, Furlonge and Da Silva have their way, the Red Force will be one
