West Indies middle-order stroke-player Darren Bravo, TT all-rounder Kevon Cooper and rising star Nicholas Pooran will be part of the Queen’s Park team that will do battle with the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force team in a 50-overs day-night match at the Oval today from 1.30 pm.
Bravo and Pooran have been debarred from national selection until their problems with the West Indies Cricket Board officials have been sorted out and given their clearance to resume their regional and international careers.
Cooper has been overlooked by the Red Force and will also be hoping for an outstanding allround performance ahead of the Regional Super50 where he will be competing with the Leeward Islands.
West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel will line up with Queen’s Park while youthful all-rounders Yannic Cariah and Akeal Hosein will also showcase their talent in a match that will be brimful of interest.
Former senior opener Justin Guillen will lead Queen’s Park.
The Red Force team will be led by West Indies senior player and newly-appointed captain Denesh Ramdin. Also on the Red Force team today are West Indies ODIs opener Evin Lewis, Kyle Hope, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Ravi Rampaul, Rayad Emrit, Jon Russ Jaggessar, Kjorn Ottley, Sheldon Cottrell plus newcomers Khary Pierre, Nicholas Alexis, and Roshon Primus.
While national coach Gus Logie will be hoping that the TT Red Force will emerge as a clear winner in the match, Queen’s Park coach David Furlonge stressed that his team will be playing to win the encounter.
Furlonge said: “We are preparing for our 2017 season and the players will be giving of the best to win the match. They (TT Red Force) are preparing for the Super50 tournament and they would want to win too so we should witness some exciting cricket action.” Queen’s Park have short-listed fourteen players that include Justin Guillen (captain), Jeremy Solozano, Darren Bravo, Yannic Cariah, Nicholas Pooran, Darron Cruikshank, Joshua deSilva (wicketkeeper), Jervon Searles, Shannon Gabriel, Akeal Hosein, Namir Seupaul (off-spinner), Marlon Barclay and Tion Webster.