Bravo returns for North-South Classic; Bassarath insists on merits of 3-day cricket

CG UNITED Super50 Cup title-winning captain Darren Bravo will return to competitive action at the 2024 North-South Classic, which bowls off at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, from January 11-15.

This will be Bravo’s first official match since deciding to “step away” from regional cricket after being surprisingly left out of the West Indies team for last month's One-Day International home series against England.

Bravo, 34, will captain the defending champions, North, for a second consecutive year, while seasoned spinner Imran Khan, 39, leads the southerners.

Joining Bravo will be deputy and opener Vikash Mohan, leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, all-rounder Tion Webster, spinner Khary Pierre and fast bowler Terrance Hinds, who were part of last year’s trophy-lifting team.

Khan will contest alongside veteran batsman Jason Mohammed, pacer Anderson Phillip, opener Kamil Pooran, Kjorn Ottley and Jyd Goolie, among other talents.

Bravo's inclusion in the North-South Classic and participation in a three-day practice match, which started on Thursday, returns him to the forefront for Red Force selection ahead of the upcoming Regional Four-Day tournament, which begins on February 4.

At the North/South Classic launch on Thursday, TT Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath said both teams’ selectors were hard at work finalising their 14-member squads.

This year, two separate panels were designated by the TTCB executive to pick the respective teams. They were enlisted “because of their great experience and knowledge, as former players, and technical officers, who can be relied upon to assess the vast pool of cricket talent at their disposal.”

After the Classic, the Red Force squad will be finalised to get into preparation for the Regional Four-Day tournament from February 4-25, March 10-24 and April 7-21.

Bassarath used this opportunity to reaffirm the board’s decision to include three rounds of the TTCB Premiership I National League competition to be played over three days, instead of two.

This decision, he said, serves the nation’s best interest for long-term development.

“And while cricket in all its forms has evolved over the decades, the local game has not been able to match strides, as we still persist in relying heavily on playing two-day cricket in preparation for four-day matches at the highest level.

“Is it any wonder then that our annual expectations have not been matched by results in the four-day game? Yet the evidence is there for all to see, season after season, which reveals a glaring fact.

“On examination, the TTCB has found the national team invariably dominating the first two days of the match, and, like clockwork, faltering over the next two. If this is not a telling statistic then I don’t know what is.

“I wish to reiterate that our shared disappointment was not due to any deficiency in the potential of the cricketers, nor the resources spent in getting them prepared for the annual tournament.”

Bassarath acknowledged that some team owners and clubs face challenges with balancing their budgets, and players who aren't full-time cricketers have work obligations.

However, he said that the objectives of the TTCB and the clubs are not diametrically opposed.

Bassarath said the TTCB has been lobbying its benefactors to access funds to assist clubs to come on board and commit to playing three consecutive days of cricket.

He said the benefits of these few three-day domestic matches will soon materialise.

“Last season, three matches were carded over three days and it did provide a glimpse of the kind of progress which will result over time and deliver the kind of outcomes the TTCB envisions.

“It is a start, which holds great promise, but to be sustained it needs continued co-operation between the TTCB, clubs and players to realise its bold potential. Together we can attain different results through analysis, versatility and effective strategy, designed to achieve success.”