TTCB blanked by Health Ministry, zonal contest postponed

TTCB president Azim Bassarath
TTCB president Azim Bassarath

The TT Cricket Board (TTCB) has had to postpone the start of its zonal tournament. Its request to have the competition bowl off on Wednesday has been denied by the Ministry of Health.

This was confirmed by Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh on Monday, in response to questions via WhatsApp on the possibility of the zonal tournament being held.

TTCB’s request "was received and not approved," he wrote. "Anything further, please send to (the) corporate communications (department).”

On December 10, TTCB president Azim Bassarath wrote to the minister seeking government approval for the top men’s cricketers to return to action.

The competition was tentatively scheduled to bowl off on Wednesday but has now been pushed back to January 11.

The 50-over tournament will feature local cricketers from four zones – North, South, Central and East/Tobago. It is primarily geared towards assisting the TT Red Force’s preparations ahead of the February 4-27 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Super50 Cup in Antigua.

The TTCB must submit the TT Red Force team to CWI by January 15 for the regional Super50 tournament.

Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, all regional and domestic cricket competitions were stopped and are yet to resume. Several top-flight domestic players have been unable to compete over the past nine months and are eager to return to the pitch.

Bassarath believes if the Red Force is to pose a competitive threat at the Super50, the local tournament would serve as a fair gauge for national team selection.

“It’s very important to resume cricket locally. It’s a most anticipated tournament the players are waiting on to play. It’s integral the players can be best prepared to go participate in the Super50.

“There is a lot of bantering taking place among (zonal) teams while they are in training. The players, like the TTCB, want to make this a very competitive outing. They must take the tournament seriously because they’re going into a very important one at the regional level,” added Bassarath.

Several other sports such as horse racing and tennis have already resumed, without spectators and under strict covid19 guidelines set out by the Health Ministry.

Senior national footballers have been allowed to return to training and all Olympic-bound and potential Olympic athletes were given the all-clear to use national sporting facilities to train for their Tokyo 2021 campaign.

The TTCB president said all plans are in place to ensure the zonal tournament gets under way in adherence to all government restrictions.

A recent statement issued by the cricket board said the executive remains cognisant of the seriousness of the covid19 pandemic’s threat to public health and the need to strictly follow government protocols.

The TTCB said it has also come up with a code of conduct for its affiliated clubs which is in line with all necessary practices.

Once the ministry or Prime Minister gives the green light for the competition to bowl off, matches are expected to be held at the National Cricket Centre in Couva, Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba and Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair.

Additionally, the TTCB is still intent on hosting a lengthy list of domestic and national tournaments throughout the year, once permitted.

Popular events such as the TTCB Under-23 Inter Zone, National League, Premiership I and II T20, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 inter-zone and North/South Classic are also on this year’s competitive schedule.

The TTCB also plans to introduce an Under-16 and Under-19 four-team tournament similar to the Under-23s and the senior 50-overs tournament. Here, the best young cricketers across the nation will lock horns in the U-16, U-19, U-23 and senior level for the first time.

The TTCB has also penned in a six-team franchise tournament for June 24-July 3 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. TT has also been given host status on behalf of CWI for three rounds of the Regional Four-Day Tournament for all six territorial teams in April/May.

TT will also host Pakistan for a four-day First-Class match against a representative team at Tarouba, followed by two Test matches at the Oval, and two T20s at BLCA on August 14 and 15.

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"TTCB blanked by Health Ministry, zonal contest postponed"

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