TTCB gearing up for hectic 2020

THE TT Cricket Board is prepared to hit the ground running when the 2020 competitive season bowls off with the Cricket West Indies Premier League Four-Day Tournament from January 9.

The TT Red Force, who finished fourth in the 2018-2019 edition, begin their campaign against the Jamaica Scorpions at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba. TTCB president, Azim Bassarath, remains confident and optimistic that the Red Force can cross the threshold and bring home the coveted title which has eluded TT for more than a decade.

According to the local cricket boss, “A new technical team, led by former national and West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon and coach David Furlonge, probably the most successful club coach in local history, will be counted on to guide their charges to regional cricket's promised land.”

Also in January, one of the TTCB’s pillar development programmes – the age-group inter zone tournament – gets underway with the Under-15s taking the field from January 22. The momentum picks up in the first week in February as the National League, the top tier of local cricket, takes the spotlight with a new format of three matches on continuous days without a break.

The objective of this change is to help the top cricketers to develop discipline, mental toughness, physical strength and stamina required to produce their best over the four-day challenge at the regional level.

Meanwhile, limited-overs cricket bowls off on April 4 with the Sunday League 50-Overs competition throughout Trinidad, and ends with the championship match on May 10. Additionally, the T20 version commences on May 16 with preliminary round matches and tapers off into the annual T20 Festival. This knockout phase of this tournament for valuable cash incentives gets underway on May 25 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy is a highlight of the local cricket season. This year however, the T20 competition has been tweaked to give both Premier League divisions their fair share of exposure by competing separately for the first time ever.

Domestic matches continue with the Inter Zone Age Group tournament, as the Under-17s step into action from March 4 while the Under-19s start their bid for honours on April 6. Bassarath noted, “These youngsters occupy a key role as the future stars of tomorrow and the return of the North-South in the respective age groups will give them another great opportunity to catch the eye of the national selectors and the cricket-loving public.”

The dates for the respective match-ups have been already set with the Under-15s in action on February 28; Under-17s on April 3; Under-19s on May 6 and the Under-13s on June 5.

The TTCB has also planned a T20 Franchise Tournament for 2020 and the date and venues will be revealed as soon as details are finalised.

Also, international action gets underway from July 12 as the touring South Africans open the Caribbean tour with a four-day match at the Tarouba facility. This will be followed by the first Test against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval, St Clair, from July 23.

The contribution of corporate TT to making opportunities available for young cricketers, male and female across the country, will be acknowledged with a gala dinner on July 21 at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, hosted by the TTCB’s marketing and sponsorship committee.