Red Force cricket at a low ebb

Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket is at a low ebb.

The pandemic seems to have had a deleterious effect on it. They were in second place in 2020 when the four-day tournament was cancelled for that season because of the serious outbreak of the coronavirus that rocked the world. Barbados were ahead at the time with TT lying in second place. The regional first-class season was stalled for the following year but thankfully reinstated in 2022.

Because of the financial implications the virus had on everyone, Cricket West Indies being no exception, the fixtures and grounds had to be changed in order to stage a tournament at all. The TT cricketers had the advantage of playing all of their five games at home.

The tournament consisted of just five games of one round only, which involved the six major teams including; Barbados Pride, the defending champions; Guyana Harpy Eagles; Jamaica Scorpions; Leeward Islands Hurricanes; Trinidad and Tobago Red Force; and Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Red Force, despite their home advantage in the entire series, placed fourth. What is more surprising is the fact that they were off to a flying start, winning outright their first two games. These were against the Scorpions and the Volcanoes.

There was then a break in the fixtures for the next few months to resume in May. Red Force lost the three remaining games outright. The two teams of which they placed ahead were the first two they defeated, in other words, the weakest.

One year later, in 2023, the Red Force proceeded to do worse. Although placing fourth in the standings again, they won only one game outright and that was the final fixture when the opposition was Jamaica Scorpions, who placed last. Ahead of the Scorpions were the Windward Islands Hurricanes; this meant that the three teams that brought up the rear in 2022 are the same that repeated their positions in 2023.

This year’s top three were the Harpy Eagles who took over as champions from the Pride; the Volcanoes were runners-up; and Barbados were relegated to third place.

Well, the president of the TT Cricket Board, Azim Bassarath, cannot be too proud of his representatives on the cricket field, as a result of their poor showing over consecutive seasons. One would have expected more from a team that was given home advantage for the first two revival years of the regional tournament. Then again, even though they shared the same standing they occupied in 2022, to be in winners' row just once in five matches, making it an overall three wins from ten outings is a failure rate of 70 per cent.

Hence, Bassarath must feel undeserving to believe that he attained the vice-presidency of CWI with the type of cricket his team is producing on the field – which is the ultimate stage on which performance is judged. And to think that TT have not been the regional champions since 2006 under Daren Ganga. We’re moving backwards.

The fast-bowling syndrome

Ask former successful fast bowlers who one could lean on, for advice on fast bowling. There are quite a number from our rich past of penetrative fast bowlers who could assist in the present day.

What training did they do; what was the time frame; how many hours a day?

This is fast bowling, and a bowler is going to be pounding his feet down into the ground in his delivery stride for a number of deliveries per day. If, added to this, he’s given added gym work and physicals, it could be detrimental, if the instructor is not versed in the game of cricket and its ramifications, whereupon, the coaches would soon have, not fit men to bowl fast, but a group of injured muscle-bound players who will be worse off than before.

Hence, it’s all well and good to have plans for the development of fast bowlers, however, it’s a very delicate subject which can have the opposite effect to what is intended.

In the present day there are more injuries to fast bowlers than in the past. Some may say the reason is because of more cricket being played, although, reading of the experience of pacemen, hearing them discuss fitness, because of more games being played, is all the more likely why the actual games themselves would keep them match fit and not overworked.

Bring in Tony Gray for advice. He’s quite knowledgeable with a sound fast-bowling record!