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TT Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath has written to Minister of Health Terrance Deyalsingh seeking government approval for the nation’s top men’s cricketers to return to action.
If senior cricket is given the green light to resume, the TTCB hopes to bowl off the 2021 season on January 6 with a national 50-overs competition.
The TTCB is preparing for an expected lifting of covid19 regulations, early in the new year, which will allow the return of domestic cricket competitions on a very limited scale.
The cricket community anxiously awaits the green light to get back on the field, since the pandemic precipitated the abandonment of the local and regional cricket season in March.
In a media release on Wednesday, the TTCB said it is cognisant of the enormity of the virus’s threat to public health and the necessity to strictly adhere to the established government protocols.
The TTCB said it has also come up with a code of conduct for its affiliated clubs which is in line with all necessary practices.
In a recent meeting of the cricket executive, the all-clear was given to proceed with plans for the anticipated start of the season.
“This 50-overs tournament is especially important as the national cricketers try to get as much preparation (as possible) for the Cricket West Indies Super50 Cup which is to be played in Antigua & Barbuda from February 4 to the 27.
“The TTCB 50-overs tournament will involve the leading cricketers bidding for national selection playing in four teams representing North, Central, South, and East/ Tobago,” the release read.
Additionally, the TTCB plans to host its Under-23 Inter Zone Tournament on January 29, once given the all-clear by the Health Ministry.
This competition, staged for the first time last year and sponsored by Namalco, was a resounding success. It brought to the fore several unheralded players including Joshua Da Silva, the talented wicketkeeper/batsman who made it into the West Indies Test team recently on their short tour of New Zealand.
The TTCB also announced that in deference to the pandemic, the National League top tier competition will be staged in only two formats, with the Sunday League 50-Overs series bowling off on March 7. Finals in the two divisions will be contested on consecutive days, April 24 and 25, at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
The T20 tournament will start on May 2 in the Premiership II Division at various venues across Trinidad. The Premiership I division will be played in a festival format starting on May 20, with the final carded for May 29. The top Premiership II clubs will join the festival from the semi-final stage.
“The TTCB hopes that the Under-15s can start their inter-zone competition on February 17, with the Under-19s slated to get going on March 24.
“The highly anticipated North vs South youth matches have been slotted for March 19 (Under-15), March 29 (Under-19), and April 28 (Under-17).
“The senior North/South Classic is scheduled to be played over four days from March 25 to March 28 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba.”
In the coming season, the TTCB plans to introduce an Under-16 and Under-19 four-team tournament similar to the Under-23s and the senior 50-overs tournament. Here, the best young cricketers across the nation will lock horns in the U-16, U-19, U-23 and senior level for the first time in the history of the TTCB.
The Under-16s will hopefully start on March 31 and the Under-19s will get going on July 2 and the Under-13s will be engaged in July /August after the SEA exam on June 10.
The TTCB has also penned in a six-team franchise tournament for June 24-July 3 at the Brian Lara Stadium.
The cricket board has also been given host status on behalf of Cricket West Indies for three rounds of the Regional Four-Day Tournament for all six territorial teams in April/May.
TT will also host Pakistan for a four-day First-Class match against a representative team at the Tarouba facility followed by two Test matches at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, and two T20s at BLCA on August 14 and 15. The Tests at the Oval are from July 30=August 3, and from August 7 -11. TTCB president Bassarath stressed that all cricket must get the necessary approval from the Ministry of Health before the TTCB can kick start any of the planned domestic tournaments.
He said heavy emphasis will always be placed on adherence to the covid19 protocols, which he promised will be implemented at all venues.
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