Trinidad and Tobago Red Force head coach Rayad Emrit isn’t losing sleep over the two-week break in the West Indies Championship or the impending departure of key seamers Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip, who are set to join the English County Championship. Instead, Emrit is focused on maintaining his team’s momentum as they push to end a two-decade title drought.

The Red Force have been in red-hot form this season, as they won four of their five matches and claimed first-innings points in the other. Their most recent triumph—a 56-run demolition of Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval—came in just two days, a performance that bolstered their status as title contenders.

Yet Emrit knows the job isn’t done. They head into the break in second position on 101 points, just behind Guyana Harpy Eagles on 102.6 points.

“It was really an emphatic win. Words can’t really express how the celebrations were and how the guys reacted to the victory because everyone knew how important the game was. Turning up and seeing the sort of pitch they prepared, we knew they were wary of what we could do with our fast bowlers, but we were also a bit concerned with the type of pitch, which was a grassy track. In the past, our batters really didn’t do well on these types of surfaces," Emrit shared.

Rayad Emrit.

"I think the guys showed a lot of character throughout the season, and it is good to see the way they went about their business, and they are reaping the rewards for their hard work. They deserve every single credit for what they have achieved so far," he added.

Seales, Phillip, and Joshua James have spearheaded the Red Force pace attack all season, as they wreaked havoc on opposing lineups. But with Seales and Phillip soon to be off to England, Emrit is confident that others will rise to the challenge.

“They’ve led the attack from game two, and the sort of effort they put in, in the last game, was great to see. Even the Bajans acknowledged the quality of our attack. It’s going to be a big gap to fill, but we have promising fast bowlers coming through. They’re young and inexperienced, but we’ll try to integrate them into the squad and find the best combination when we play Jamaica and Guyana,” Emrit noted.

Anderson Phillip.

Still, Emrit said the Red Force’s bowling depth extends beyond their pace attack, as he highlighted the contributions of spinners Khary Pierre, Yannic Cariah, and Bryan Charles, all of whom have played key roles throughout the season.

“Pierre remains our leading bowler, Cariah is performing well, and Charles got six wickets prior to the Barbados game. We haven’t finalised our bowling attack yet, but we have a couple of bowlers who can step up. We’ll assess conditions and make that decision when the time comes," the coach stated.

In the meantime, Emrit pointed out that despite the two-week break, he is intent on ensuring that the team remain sharp as they will use the time to fine-tune their plans for the final two matches.

“We have a two-week break, but that doesn’t mean we’re taking a break,” Emrit declared.

“We have a job to do, and we want to stay focused and stay in form as much as possible. Hopefully, we can get some good outdoor practice and game simulations. If we can keep the momentum going, I think we’ll have a good chance now," he shared.

With Jamaica next on the schedule in a day/night match, Emrit knows the road ahead won’t be easy, but he believes in his squad.

“A break is always a setback when you have momentum, but hopefully, we can stay on course and continue to do the right things," he ended.