Khary Pierre: Red Force showed no 'batsmanship' vs Barbados

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Khary Pierre said his team lacked application and proper “batsmanship” in their heavy 153-run loss to Barbados Pride in their CG United Regional Super50 semifinal at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) Tarouba on Wednesday.

Red Force topped the eight-team table heading into the semis.

However, the hosts were undone against Barbados who scored a mammoth 339 for seven on a good batting wicket before dismissing TT for just 186 in the 37th over. The defeat emphatically ended the TT’s hopes of defending their title and claiming a 15th regional limited overs crown.

“I think 339 on the board was a good score. At the halfway stage I thought as batsmen with better batsmanship we could have got the runs,” Pierre said, in a post-match interview.

“I just think we faltered. No batsmanship was shown. We lost wickets in clusters and we didn’t have any partnerships.

“I think allround, with the ball and with the bat, Barbados played a great game. They were positive, they started well and they let that momentum carry them with the bat.”

Pierre was leading the Red Force in place of wicket-keeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva, who is currently with the Windies squad as they prepare for their two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

Da Silva aside, TT were also without the services of leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, who finished the preliminary phase as the team’s leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps. With Cariah sidelined by the flu, Pierre said an opportunity was presented for other players to step up in the bowling department.

Ultimately, things didn’t go according to plan for TT with the ball, as Barbados’ top-order batsmen Zachary McCaskie (94 off 82 balls), Leniko Boucher (69 off 84) and Raymon Reifer (65 off 60) all made healthy contributions, with allrounder Roston Chase (43 off 31) also playing a handy innings.

“Cariah had been bowling really well for us – our trump card as I’d say. The flu had Jyd Goolie (down) in the last game and this game it was Cariah. It was an opportunity for somebody else to step up. Nobody stepped up with the ball, but we win some and we lose some.”

On November 16, the Red Force batsmen flexed their muscle against Barbados in their preliminary match when they made light work of a 259-run target at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair – losing just one wicket in a brilliant run chase. Opening batsman Kjorn Ottley made an unbeaten century in that game as he shared in an unbeaten 173-run stand with the tournament’s leading scorer Amir Jangoo.

In the semis, though, both Ottley (nine) and Jangoo (16) were sent back cheaply as the Red Force slipped from 83 one to 125 for six. Tion Webster crashed 56 off 47. And though Mark Deyal (34 off 32) and Isaiah Rajah (28) put together 53 runs for the seventh wicket, the writing was on the wall when both were dismissed in consecutive overs.

“We all said the wicket was a good wicket. It was about being positive and trusting your process. When we went out there...and there were no big partnerships.

“I think we had a good tournament. It’s a tough pill to swallow – we fell short in the semis.”

Though the competition didn’t end on a high for him and his team, the 33-year-old Pierre, who lifted the 2024 Caribbean Premier League title with St Lucia Kings, said it was an honour to captain his country.