ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies Cricket president Ricky Skerritt has labeled Trinidad and Tobago Red Force’s dominance of the recently-concluded Super50 Regional Cup as “an amazing show of power” and says their title conquest has reiterated the value of older players territorial board programs.
Red Force played the entire tournament unbeaten, culminating in their campaign with a 152 win over Guyana Jaguars in last Saturday’s final under lights on Coolidge Cricket Ground.
“This was an incredible show of power from Trinidad from start to finish,” Skerritt said in a statement on Monday.
“It was a whole team effort and Red Force found a game winner at every stage. The other five franchise teams, including losing the Guyana Jaguars final, all worked hard and demonstrated good fighting qualities to varying degrees.
“But the Red Force was more dominant and consistent than ever, and simply unobstructed.”
In a shorter tournament due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Red Force battled through the five preliminary matches to the top of the standings, before also defeating the Jamaica Scorpions in the semi-final last Wednesday.
Veterans Lendl Simmons and Ravi Rampaul, both 36, emerged for Red Force throughout the tournament, to feature prominently in the batting and bowling aggregates.
Simmons hit a half-century in the semi-finals and followed with a career-best 146 in the finals to finish with 316 runs while Rampaul grabbed four wickets in the semis and finals, to finish with 14 wickets.
Skerritt praised the vision of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath for not throwing the former West Indies stars and recognizing their continued value within the national settlement.
“Congratulations on a great tournament and a final victory for TTCB and your team. This incredible performance should emphasize the vital importance of planning and preparation, ”Skerritt told Bassarath.
“I hope it also reminded us why cricket administrators should not throw away older players while these players continue to be of equal value to their team and country.
“Successful cricket teams employ a healthy balance of youth and experience, just as your team did in winning this tournament.”