TT do or die against Bajans

LUCAS STREET: The Final Four weekend of the West Indies limited-overs cricket championship opens today. The first of the two semi-finals feature host nation Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, and the respective captains are both confident ahead of the match. Barbados captain Courtney Browne admits his side did not play to their full potential during the preliminary phase when TT conquered them in the opening match. “TT helped to put us in the right frame of mind during the preliminary phase and taught us that we could not just appear and walk over the competition,” Browne told reporters at a news conference yesterday. “We are really looking forward to the match because we are obviously looking for revenge. Again, I thought the TT team played very well and I take my hats off to them. They deserved to win that match.

“TT came at us hard and they finished very well. I think they have some young, exciting players, so we are going to plan for them and go out there on Thursday and ‘kill’ them off.” TT captain Daren Ganga has expressed pride in his performance of his young team and is looking for them to build on their performance in Guyana. “We have been consistent, except for a few situations in a couple of matches coming down close to the wire,” he said. “All in all, it’s a team of young players committed to TT cricket and, as captain, it’s very easy to lead guys with that mindset. They are talented and want to make a name for themselves. I am really keen and really happy to be leading such talented and enthusiastic individuals. “We are well aware that they are playing at home, they have done well in the competition, but we are aware our position. We know what are our strengths and our weaknesses, and what we did in that first match to beat Barbados.”

Browne believes a change in the conditions should bring more competitive cricket from the all the teams involved. “The players had to adjust to the pitches in Guyana because of their low and slow nature,” he said. “The scores were low, but the cricket was competitive, and I think in the end it was a good competition. “In the end, you cannot come straight out and say there is going to be any favourites for this weekend. Barbados will have the advantage because they are home, but limited-overs cricket is anyone’s game, and the team that plays best on that day wins.” Ganga believes that the intensive preparations the team had prior to the Championship helped significantly and feels that they still have not played their best cricket. “We have worked in our preparations for this competition and we know exactly what it is we want to achieve,” he said.

“The results we had in Guyana surprised many people, but they were just rewards for the hard work we put in prior to the competition. “I think our batting is our strength, so we are looking for everybody clicking together. It’s a do-or-die situation and it’s a matter of starting right. If we start well that confidence will go right through the team.” With the Windward Sports Club pitch offering a hard, true surface, Barbados has packed their side with their three West Indies bowlers —  Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore —  but TT have preferred to stick with their spin-based attack. Barbados have a well-drilled unit, batting that goes fairly deep, and a variety of bowling to help Browne escape from any situation in which he may find himself. This was not enough to stop them from losing the opening match of the competition to TT and Ganga will be hoping for the same.