With the Caribbean T20 Tournament just weeks away and the first-class season to follow, a talented and experienced cricketer will be using the opportunity to continue his campaign for a return to West Indies colours.
All-rounder Reyad Emrit, who played a couple One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for the West Indies against India almost four years ago, is keen to use every opportunity to perform at a high enough level to earn a recall to international cricket.
He has been playing first-class cricket for Trinidad and Tobago since the 2003/04 season and has taken 98 wickets at an average of 26.14 in what he describes as his favourite format of the game despite the recent popularity of T20 cricket.
“To be honest I enjoy playing four-day cricket. Test cricket is still the ultimate goal.
“I enjoy all forms but four-day cricket is my favourite,” Emrit told MIDWEEK SPORT following his successful outing with Sagicor T20 champions CGI Sandy Crest Maple last week.
“Obviously, playing for your country, you want to represent the West Indies team. That is the ultimate goal.
“Hopefully I can put in the performances that I did this year, carry on next year and hope I can get an ‘A’ team call or ODI call-up. That’s my main aim,” said the bubbly Trinidadian.
Emrit said it was disappointing not to have had an opportunity to play since his entry into international cricket with two ODIs against India at Chennai and Vadodara in January of 2007, ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean.
He had only modest returns in those encounters and is yet to take his first international wicket, but has 25 List A wickets at 25.91 with his right-arm medium pace and a batting average of 15.53.
His first-class record gives a better indication of his batting potential, as he has scored two first-class centuries and has a batting average of 19.32.
“It’s really disappointing now, seeing that a lot of guys are getting a run now,” said Emrit commenting on his failure to earn a recall.
“Playing two games and never even getting a look-in after that – but that’s how it goes sometimes. I am really aiming to get back into the team, hopefully soon.
“I thought I had an excellent four-day tournament this year. I was top all-rounder in the tournament as well, so hopefully I can go from strength to strength and carry on this year’s performance into next year.”
Emrit, who just completed his second T20 season with Maple, used the opportunity as a warm-up for the Caribbean T20 and is pleased to be part of a winning unit, something that is not strange to him as a member of a very successful Trinidadand Tobago team.
“We’re having the Caribbean T20 in January. I need to get as much match practice as possible, said the Trinidadian.
“Back home there is a lot of rain and we can’t really play much. I used this opportunity to get as much out of it as possible.
“The guys really played well. The bowling is our strength and they stuck to their guns and really bowled well. The spinners did their job,” Emrit said of his Maple experience.
Emrit, who has been working hard on his batting back home, says the Trinidad T20 squad is highly motivated by the prospect of a return to the Champions League.
“It is an experience that you can’t really say what it is like but you always want to go back there, and I think that is what the Trinidad and Tobago team is all about.
“So you know, come January again we will be a team to be reckoned with. We have probably the strongest team ever.”