The two-week break in the West Indies Championship comes at an ideal time for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, as head coach Rayad Emrit hopes it will provide much-needed recovery time for a couple of key players carrying injuries.
Despite sitting second in the standings on 55.4 points after three matches, the Red Force camp faces some uncertainty over the fitness of veteran batter Jason Mohammed, who has been instrumental in their dominance so far.
Mohammed, the team’s standout performer, has amassed 483 runs in just three innings, including three centuries, making him a crucial cog in Red Force’s title push. However, Emrit revealed that the experienced right-hander picked up a slight groin injury in their last match against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, which ended in a draw.
“We’re hoping it’s nothing too serious, and hopefully he can get fit for the next match, which is in two weeks’ time,” Emrit said.
Leg-spinner Yannic Cariah has also been struggling with a stiff neck and a sore shoulder, which forced him to retire hurt in the first innings against the Hurricanes.
“We are monitoring him as well,” Emrit noted, as he acknowledged that Cariah’s fitness is another concern heading into the next phase of the season.
Despite these setbacks, Emrit is elated with the team’s performances so far this season, as they have been solid with both bat and ball. Along with Mohammed, captain Joshua Da Silva and Cephas Cooper have made centuries, while Amir Jangoo and Cariah are among those who have made half-centuries.
Khary Pierre has been a standout with the ball, as his tally stands at 26 wickets so far, while Cariah has 13.
“All in all, really, really happy with the team’s performance thus far. Our batting continues to be consistent, and Pierre’s form has been excellent, and hopefully we can take this to another level,” Emrit declared.
However, he was quick to point out that their fielding, which proved a sore point in their last game, needs to improve significantly.
“We let ourselves down really, really badly in the field by not holding on to our catches; we put down about six or seven chances, and I think if we had held on to those chances, it might have been a different result. We may have gotten into the batting line-up a bit earlier, and probably with some more time, we could have pushed for a different result,” he argued.
While the break gives Mohammed and Cariah time to recover, Emrit admitted he wanted to keep the momentum going.
“We wanted to continue with the momentum that we have, but hopefully we can go back, get the rest that is needed, and come back fresh for the next two rounds, which are away again,” he ended.
The Red Force will resume action against the West Indies Academy in Antigua from March 5.