Sixteen teams will begin their battle for the NGC Group T20 Festival title today at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva.
Top south Trinidad side Jenexcon Tableland is entering the T20 Festival with a penetrative bowling unit which they hope will pose a major challenge to opposing batsmen, and help them upset more favoured teams.
T&T Red Force fast bowler Daniel St Clair and Uthman Muhammad will lead the attack along with seamer Brent Harriot, aided by the spin bowling of Chanderpaul Hemraj.
“We have a very good bowling team so it is important for us to go out there and execute. Our batting is not 100 per cent so whatever total the batsmen put on the scoreboard it will really be up to us bowlers to go out there and try and defend it,” said Tableland captain St Clair.
The 28-year-old has placed his faith in the team’s bowling attack to make an impression at the T20 Festival for Premiership One and Two clubs which will be staged at the NCC from tomorrow to April 15.
Queen’s Park has selected West Indies players Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo and Shannon Gabriel in an effort to better their runners-up performance last year.
The Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain club is also bolstered by Kevon Cooper, Nicholas Pooran, Javon Searles, Yannic Cariah, Daron Cruickshank, Miguel Cummins and Justin Guillen who have a wealth of experience playing in the Caribbean Premier League or at the regional level. Only Anthony Balgobin, Terrance Hinds, Khary Pierre and Tion Webster have not played List “A” or First Class cricket. However, they have been part of the Queen’s Park set-up for some time and are seasoned players in the T&T Cricket Board domestic tournaments.
Powergen Sports Club of Penal have sounded a warning to all-comers by selecting three star players of the West Indies World T20 squad. The trio comprising opening batsman Evin Lewis, top T20 bowler Samuel Badree, and wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin.
The Powergen team also includes T&T Red Force players Kavesh Kantasingh, Ewart Nicholson and Jason Mohammed, Guyana Jaguars players Christopher Barnwell, Rajendra Chandrika and Royston Crandon, while St Lucia Zouks fast bowler Delorn Johnson will also line up for Powergen.
Fixtures
Groups
Group A: Queen’s Park, Prisons, Esmeralda, Caldrac
Group B: Merry Boys, Clarke Road, Queen’s Park II, Calcutta
Group C: PowerGen, Victoria, Cane Farm, Central Sports
Group D: Preysal, Alescon Comets, Moosai Sports, Jenexcon Tableland
Fixtures
Thursday
Esmeralda vs Prisons – 3pm
Queen’s Park vs Caldrac – 7pm
Tomorrow
Queen’s Park II vs Calcutta – 3 pm
Merry Boys vs FC Clarke Road – 7 pm
Saturday
Cane Farm vs Victoria – 3 pm
PowerGen vs Central Sports – 7 pm
Sunday
Jenexcon Tableland vs Moosai Sports – 3 pm
Preysal vs Alescon Comets – 7 pm