Recently appointed Trinidad and Tobago Red Force head coach Rayad Emrit has called for his team to remain grounded and focused despite a dominant start to the West Indies Championship as they prepare for their third-round fixture against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Warner Park, St Kitts, starting Wednesday.
The Hurricanes, who opened their campaign with a win over the West Indies Academy, surged to the top of the standings with 45.4 points following their five-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions. The Red Force, who are just a point behind on 44.4 points, currently sit in third place.
With two dominant performances—innings and 75-run win over Combined Campuses and Colleges and innings and 176-run win over Windward Islands Volcanoes—in two matches, Emrit acknowledged the strong start to the campaign but emphasized that the season was still young and the focus must remain on the next challenge.
“We are taking each game as it comes. We are not thinking too far ahead. We are off to a very good start, and we want to continue this for the entire tournament. We have the Leeward Islands next, and they are going to be a tough opponent,” Emrit said.
Having climbed to the top of the table, the Hurricanes pose a significant threat, but Emrit remains confident that his team’s discipline and preparation will see them through.
“As long as we control what we can control and do our part, the results will take care of themselves. I am happy with where we are at, and hopefully we can continue to grow from strength to strength and keep improving,” he stated.
Reflecting on their latest performance against the Volcanoes, Emrit was full of praise for his team.
The Red Force dominated the day/night contest, with Khary Pierre producing a career-best bowling display, snatching 12 wickets in the match, including a sensational 8 for 27 in the second innings, as the Volcanoes crumbled to 114 all out.
With the bat, Cooper’s 117 and Jason Mohammed’s 103 propelled the Red Force to 456 in their first innings, setting up the crushing victory.
"I thought it was a comprehensive victory. The bowling did their part; the batters were excellent. Cephas Cooper getting his maiden century—he deserved it. He batted well in the first game and unfortunately got out in the 80s, but he showed a lot more maturity in this game and batted well again,” Emrit shared.
Mohammed, who played in his 100th first-class game for Trinidad and Tobago, continued his fine form, having also scored 176 in the opening match against the Combined Campuses and Colleges. He is now only the second Red Force cricketer to reach 100 first-class appearances, joining Imran Khan in the exclusive club.
“He [Mohammed] shows why he is here, using all of his experience to dominate and lead the batting. A lot of the batters are learning from him. We also had an excellent innings from (Amir) Jangoo, who got out in the 80s, and Yannic Cariah, who was out on 95 but batted really well. They are the guys to carry the batting,” Emrit beamed.
“I can’t praise Khary Pierre enough for leading the attack. He is one of those bowlers who, over the years, would come in and keep things tight for us. But these past two matches, he has ended up with 20-odd wickets, so that is excellent from him. We are just enjoying each other’s success,” he declared.