Rayad Emrit aims to lead Blue Devils to victory in Dream XI Trinidad T10 blast opener
The evergreen Rayad Emrit is looking forward to adding the Dream XI Trinidad T10 Blast Trophy to his list of stellar accomplishments this season when the fourth edition of the tournament bowls off on Friday (June 9)
9th of June 2023
Caribbean: The evergreen Rayad Emrit is looking forward to adding the Dream XI Trinidad T10 Blast Trophy to his list of stellar accomplishments this season when the fourth edition of the tournament bowls off on Friday (June 9) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, according to the reports by Cricket360.
The seasoned campaigner walked away with the “Best Bowler” and “Man of the Match” awards in the TTCB/Paria Fuel T20 Festival final against PowerGen Penal to give the unfancied Central Sports one of the major titles in the local game.
Now as coach/player of the Blue Devils, Emrit is planning on continuing his rich run of form when the defending champions take on Steelpan Players in the opening match from 12 noon, it further informed.
“Obviously, we would like to start with a victory in the opening match and set the tone for the rest of the tournament as we are looking to repeat from where we left off in the last T10 Blast,” Emrit said ahead of the team’s last practice session on Thursday night, as per Cricket360.
The youthful 42-year-old right-handed batsman and medium-fast bowler shows no sign of slowing down but admits that the shortest form of the game is unpredictable, yet is confident that his team’s blend of youth and experience has the potential to come out on top.
Cricket360 also stated that the Blue Devils will be boosted by right-handed batsman Adrian Ali, captain of Marchin Patriots, who played a heavy hand with a “Man of the Match” performance as the central Trinidad side clinched the Premiership II T20 Festival crown against the T&T Under-19 team two weeks ago.
Emrit also lists experienced West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel as a potential match-winner alongside Teshawn Castro, Derone Davis, and Daniel Williams, all adding balance to the outfit.
“As long as the senior players pull their weight and lead the youngsters by example, we can make an impact. In the end, whichever team makes the least mistakes has the better chance of winning,” Emrit said.
The Steelpan Players coach, Stephen Ramkissoon, is undaunted by the prospect of facing the defending champions in the opening clash, saying his team, which is packed with allrounders, represents a solid combination that will go deep.
“We are a new force in this year’s T10 Blast with about six new faces, all capable of making a big impression. We are counting on the cadre of allrounders to add depth to the line-up,” said Ramkissoon, according to the sports organisation.
He points to big-hitter Sidel Diaz, fast bowler Anderson Phillip, Allan Laurent, whose secret weapon is his surprise yorker, and left-arm spinner Rakesh Maharaj, all brimming with confidence.
“And we have not yet counted former West Indies captain/wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, Imran Khan, who captained Trinidad and Tobago and led Central Sports to the TTCB/ Paria Fuel T20 Festival title recently. Also, Red Force players Jyd Goolie and Isaiah Rajah give us the added punch,” said Ramkissoon.
Also expected to play a leading role should Steelpan Players live up to expectations is manager Collin Borde who brings a wealth of experience from his CPL involvement over the years.
In the other match of the opening day, last year’s beaten finalists, Soca Kings, matched against newcomers Parakeet Buccaneers from 2.30 pm.
Coach of the Soca Kings, Gibran Mohammed, said his team is upbeat and optimistic about going one better in this edition of the T10 Blast. “It won’t be easy as the tournament will be very competitive. We have a good mixture of youth and experience with lots of variety in our skill set,’” said Mohammed.
According to Cricket360, the national women’s team coach listed his players, among whom are dependable middle-order batsman Jason Mohammed, talented Kirstan Kallicharan, Dejourn Charles, the experienced Jon Russ Jagessar, Justin Manick, and Ansil Bhaggan, who all know each other well, and can be expected to get into a formidable unit.
Mohammed said he is not underestimating the Parakeet Buccaneers as newcomers to the T10 Blast because all teams are evenly matched, and much will depend on the nature of the pitch at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and how well it is exploited on the day.
PARAKEET BUCCANEERS: Evin Lewis, Kjorn Ottley, Christopher Vincent, Jayden Seales, Leonardo Julien, Adrian Cooper, Ramesh Brijlal, Iqwe Craig, Akim Cgandler, Eric Garcia, Kiedel Glasgow, Vikash Rampersad, Jevon George, Damien Singh
BLUE DEVILS: Shannon Gabriel, Teshawn Castro, Daniel Williams, Rayad Emrit, Adrian Ali, Ewart Nicholson, Derone Davis, Vaaron Samaroo, Brandon Ramdial, Rakesh Seecharan, Stephawn Solomon, Samuel Roopnarine, Kristopher Ramsaran, Aaron Naithram
SOCA KINGS: Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kirstan Kallicharan, Jon Russ Jagessar, Dejourn Charles, Chadeon Raymond, Nicholas Ali, Justin Manick, Ansil Bhaggan, Jesse Bootan, Kern Ramdeen, Nickyle Jalim, Keegan Jagessar. Josh Telemaque
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