Domestic red-ball cricket returns in 2023

Red-ball cricket returns to the domestic circuit for the 2023 season.

This was announced at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s (TTCB) launch of its upcoming calendar of events at the National Cricket Centre, Couva, on Tuesday.

The tournament makes a welcome return after it was prematurely stopped in 2020 owing to the pandemic, did not play in 2021 for the same reason and was held back this year because of time constraints with clubs after the reopening of domestic sport in February.

But for the new season, which officially bowls off with the Namalco Construction Services Limited Under-23 Cup next Wednesday, domestic premiership clubs resume their quest for red ball glory from February 3.

Each division – Premiership I and Premiership II north and south – will play seven rounds of matches with the first, fourth and seventh rounds contested over three days. The other rounds will be two-day contests.

Meanwhile, the U23 Cup received a hefty TT$120k injection from title sponsors Namalco. The tournament spans four days and features four teams – Hummingbirds, Scarlet Ibis, Flamingoes and Masqueraders.

It also serves as a trial for players hoping to break into the TT senior team ahead of the regional four-day tournament.

During his address, TTCB president Azim Bassarath said the U23 tournament is crucial for the transition of these players into the top flight.

“We also see our U23 competition as being a model to catch a lost resource of cricket talent who can still contribute to the national game. This is also an idea that is seriously looked at by Cricket West Indies following its success by the TTCB,” Bassarath said.

Red Force coach David Furlonge also welcomed the U23 contest and believes it serves as a good platform for transitioning players to put their skills on display in search of a senior team call-up.

Furlonge said, “The national selectors will select the U23 teams and they will be watching the games to see what talent we can bring forward to the senior team.

“We will be taking a special look at fast bowlers to see what fast bowlers there are that we can introduce into the system and what works needs to be done with them to make them better players and get into the squad.”

Furlonge has put emphasis on the team’s pace attack since TT and West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has been ruled out of competition for four months owing to a knee injury sustained during the maroon’s tour of Australia two weeks ago.

With Seales out and TT premier pacers Shannon Gabriel and Anderson Phillip also expected to be selected to the West Indies team for their tour of South Africa in March, Furlonge is working with several younger bowlers to bolster his team’s pace options ahead of the Regional Four-Day, which begins on February 1.