Khary Pierre wants strong finish: Time for Red Force to bring home four-day title

Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre said his main goal for the 2025 West Indies Regional Four-day Championship is to help the TT Red Force to the title – one which has eluded them since the 2005/06 season.

Red Force (101 points) are second on the eight-team table with two games left against Jamaica Scorpions and defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles, who head the standings on 102.6 points. TT will have home advantage for the last two games, as they will play the Scorpions from April 2-5 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba in a day/night affair, with a potential title-deciding match against Guyana to be played at the Queen's Park Oval in St Clair from April 9-12.

In the 33-year-old Pierre, coach Rayad Emrit has a bowler who tops the regional charts with 31 wickets, while middle-order batsman Jason Mohammed leads the batting charts with 519 runs.

Pierre has been on a tear this season, and he recorded five-wicket hauls in the first three matches of the season against Combined Campuses and Colleges, Windward Islands Volcanoes and Leeward Islands Hurricanes. Against the Windwards, Pierre had career-best figures of eight for 27 in the second innings as he bowled TT to a thumping innings and 176-run win in Arnos Vale, St Vincent. Pierre ended with match figures of 12 for 44 against Windwards, which was also a career-best return.

"I have been doing well so far (this season). I was also doing well in the previous years, but I just believe it's my year. I think God's timing is the best timing and I'm just reaping the rewards of that," Pierre told Newsday on March 26.

"I'm very happy with my start to the season. For me, I'm just very happy to play my role in the team. In the years before, my role in the team was just to keep it tight. We had a legend in Imran Khan, our leading wicket-taker. He was there in the previous years. He was the one doing the bulk of the bowling and getting the wickets while I did the dirty work and kept it tight. This year is actually my year to pick up wickets for the team and I'm just doing that to the best of my ability."

Pierre said the key for him this season has been to remain patient and force the batsmen to make mistakes.

"As a spinner, you want to deceive the batsman as best as possible...it's all about (the) varying of pace, length and all that you're supposed to do as a (spinner)."

For their remaining matches, TT will be without premier fast bowlers Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales, who will be on English County Championship duty. Pierre said the absence of both pacers will be a big miss for the team, but he said if the team continues with the habits they have established this season, they should be able to do the business against both Jamaica and Guyana.

"We were without (Phillip and Seales) in the first couple of games because of West Indies duty, so it's just about doing the same things we were doing. Everyone has to pull their weight. It's not going to be about one or two bowlers.

"They want the best for us too and it's just about going out there and winning it for them, the country and our supporters."

He credited Emrit and captain Joshua Da Silva for trying to change the team culture and he said the chemistry is good as players are enjoying each other's success.

"We can't relax. We just have to keep on playing the good cricket we're playing. We have to win these two games and try and win this title which has been evading us for nearly two decades."

A Caribbean Premier League winner with St Lucia Kings in 2024, Pierre has played 13 matches for the West Indies, the last of which came in a T20 against Ireland in January 2020. Though he hasn't worn West Indies maroon for five years, Pierre hasn't closed the door on his international career.

"Getting a West Indies recall has never left my mind, since the games I played before. I always want to represent West Indies.

"I'm doing my best and letting my performances do the talking. God's timing is the best timing. If I get the (Windies) call, I'd be happy. It will be a great feeling and a great moment for me. But for now, I'm focused on TT and trying to win this title."