Barbados Cricket Head Coach Vasbert Drakes is confident his team is fully prepared for their semi-final clash against hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (TTRF) later today at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The Pride’s nine-wicket defeat to TTRF on Saturday relegated them to fourth place in the group stage with 46 points, setting up this rematch against the top-seeded hosts who ended with 63. The other semi-final, featuring second-placed Jamaica Scorpions (53) and Leeward Islands (51), is scheduled for Thursday at the same venue.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Drakes stressed the importance of mental readiness for the high-pressure encounter, given the lack of outdoor practice due to persistent bad weather. “One of the things we spoke about was the covering of our bases as much as possible because coming into Trinidad, similar to what was happening last year, we would have experienced a lot of indifferent weather so for me it’s just about being in a good mental space as it relates to certain passages of play,” he explained.
The Pride will be without Kyle Mayers and Kadeem Alleyne, both of whom have withdrawn from the 14-man squad to fulfil contractual obligations in the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10, which begins on November 21st. Raymon Reifer has been appointed captain in Mayer’s absence.
These absences have prompted notable changes to the squad. All-rounder Roston Chase has been included, having recently concluded his duties with the West Indies during their T20 series against England. Additionally, opener Shian Brathwaite has been brought in to replace Alleyne, a decision that has sparked some debate as Brathwaite was not part of the original reserves.
Drakes explained the reasoning behind these selections: “Matthew Forde was part of the team originally to replace Alleyne but he pulled up with a groyne strain during the T20 series against England, so we selected Shian because we realise we need a bit more firepower in the batting department. If that opportunity presents itself for Shian, we are well aware of what he is capable of doing. Roston Chase is a quality player to have around given his track record for Barbados and around the world (for West Indies) and we look forward to having these guys come in and play their roles for the betterment of the team.”
As the Pride prepare for this critical encounter, Drakes highlighted several key areas for improvement. “I think it has a lot to do with our mental preparation heading into this game. We will try to take the learnings out of the previous games and talk about attacking the powerplay a bit more, maximising that new ball up front. Also in that middle period, being able to rotate strike to get our innings flowing. I think that with our back end play in terms of batting we’ve been hitting our targets so those are the areas we have to be very mindful of if we are going to win the game.”
The fast bowlers’ performance has been an area of concern, with Drakes issuing specific criticism of his son, Dominic who has taken seven wickets so far in this competition. “The fast bowling has been disappointing in the last two games… we expect Dominic Drakes to be leading the attack a lot better. He would have created some opportunities up front earlier in the tournament but we would expect him to be a lot more consistent and a lot more effective with that new ball. That is an area we are hoping come Wednesday, he will be really hitting his straps.”
Despite these challenges, Drakes remains optimistic about his team’s chances. “The guys are really looking forward to the game on Wednesday. We missed an opportunity to practise this morning due to the bad weather… It’s all about mental focus, game strategy, and basically playing smart cricket. All of these things will come into play if we are going to win the game and I have no doubt we’ll play the cricket that the fans back home want to see.”
Barbados will now look to rise to the occasion, with their preparations and resilience set to be tested against a strong Trinidad and Tobago side in what promises to be a thrilling semi-final encounter.
