Dillon: Bravo is a big boost for Red Force

RETURNING TT Red Force captain, Darren Bravo, believes the national team can mirror its recent victorious performance against defending Regional Four-Day champions, Barbados, when they play host to Windward Islands Volcanoes, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, on Thursday.

Round eight action bowls off from 10am and features a refreshed but fourth placed (72.2pts) TT unit. Bravo’s re-introduction, following his recent stint for the West Indies One-Day International Series in Sri Lanka, has been welcomed with open arms from coach Mervyn Dillon, and his presence is expected to bolster the squad’s competitive mentality.

During Wednesday’s final training session at the south stadium, Dillon was pleased to have his skipper back in the team and remained quietly confident ahead of the Volcanoes’ encounter.

“Our captain Bravo is a big boost for the squad. He did really well for us before he left and we expect him to continue so. We’re quite positive going into the game and just need to maintain consistency. The talent in this team is exceptional and they’re constantly working on fitness levels to get us to play better cricket for a longer duration,” said Dillon after leading an intense fielding session.

Although the Red Force have returned mixed results in the tourney thus far, Dillon is hoping the guys continue in good stride and produce another stern display against the third-ranked Windward Islands Volcanoes (73.6pts).

He also believes the team is overflowing with talent but intends to select the best suited unit to help see the Red Force over the line and into the competition’s top-three spots.

“Anderson (Phillip) is bowling really well and I’m happy to see him reaping the rewards. Terrance Hinds is also showing good form while spinners ‘Sharky’ (Imran Khan) and Akeal (Hosein) remain consistent. We are looking forward to utilising the resources we have. The relationship between Jason Mohammed and Bravo is also key to our success on the field,” the Red Force coach added.

Bravo congratulated his countrymen on a well-worked win against the Barbados Pride and insisted the squad is solely intent on climbing further up the league ladder. Similarly, the West Indian batsman heaped praises on both young and senior team members for doing their best while he represented the regional squad in Sri Lanka.

“It’s good to be back. With this game here, we just want to do our best and come out on top. We’re approaching each game one at a time and it’s important that we apply the basics and stick to our game plan. It’s all about the process more so than the end result. If we do the important things right the results will take care of itself,” said Bravo after sharing a knock with Isaiah Rajah during Wednesday’s training.