Roach promises ’20-gun’ salute

KEMAR ROACH has issued a warning to opposing teams in the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board’s Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament. The Barbados fast bowler has promised that his team will be all fired up when they take to the field in Zone B alongside Guyana, Windward Islands, and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC). Barbados will open against CCC on July 23 at 8 p.m., followed by a clash with the Windwards on July 25 at 6 p.m. – both matches at Kensington Oval. They will then move on to Trinidad and Tobago and face the Guyanese on July 29 at 4 p.m. at Queen’s Park Oval.“The Bajans will be firing in this tournament . . . We will be firing on all cylinders. It is a big opportunity for all the members of the team to step up and represent the country,” Roach said.“We have a very good chance of going all the way. Playing at home at Kensington Oval will be great for us and we want to do it for the people. “We have a number of very good bowlers and good all-rounders as well. Once the batting clicks and puts some good scores on the board, I am confident we can go all the way.“Our bowling is our strength and we have a lot of variety in the attack. We have options. We will have a lot of home support . . . Bajans love their cricket and I want to urge the people to come out and support the tournament. “It’s Crop-Over time and once the music is playing, I can guarantee the people will come out and have a great time at the matches. “The Caribbean T20 is new and it will be a chance for the players to showcase their skills and the crowds to get involved as well.”The 22-year-old Roach and all-rounder Dwayne Smith are the two players in the Barbados team who have experienced a taste of the Indian Premier League. Both are members of the Deccan Chargers franchise.The Barbados squad also includes tall left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who is an outstanding Twenty20 bowler.There is a huge incentive to win the Caribbean Twenty20, with the leading Caribbean team going on to represent the West Indies at the Airtel Champions League in South Africa in September. “It would be a great opportunity for any Caribbean team to make it to the Champions League,” Roach said.“Trinidad and Tobago went last year and they did really well, playing an exciting brand of cricket. We in the Barbados team would love to make it this time around. It’s a huge incentive; but first, we must win the Caribbean T20, so that is the focus of everyone in the team.”The format for the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament will feature two groups of four teams. There will be a round-robin stage in each group – each team will play three matches – with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the final, while the losing semi-finalists will meet in a third-place play-off. The matches in Barbados will be played from July 22 to 25; and the matches in Trinidad from July 28 to 31, with August 1 as the reserve day for the finals.ESPN and the West Indies Cricket Board have reached an agreement for the broadcast of the Caribbean Twenty20, and more than 61 million fans will see it. (PR/HG)