West Indies legend Brian Lara believes Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) can go the distance in this year’s Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament with the pedigree in their squad.
TKR will play Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair at 7 pm on September 18.
Lara gave his brief thoughts on the TT franchise during his book launch on September 17.
“I think obviously TKR will stand up as favourites every time,” the batting legend said. “When you look at the quality of players in the team, you would think they should go on to win.”
However, Lara knows that the game is not played on paper.
“But again, in the past we’ve seen the team that plays better wins. It’s not how many superstars you have. What we’re hoping for with TKR is that togetherness…individuals may win you a match, but teams win tournaments. I’m hoping (captain) Kieron Pollard will keep the guys together, they work hard, be humble and get the victory that’s necessary.”
Matches between TKR and Amazon Warriors are always fiercely contested.
The match on September 18 marks the start of TKR’s home leg of the tournament, which will see the TT franchise play five matches in nine days. Two matches will be contested at the Oval and three at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.
TKR and Amazon Warriors have been the most consistent teams during the 12-year history of the CPL. Nine of the 11 CPL finals have featured either TKR or Amazon Warriors.
In the title count, TKR are superior with four titles compared to just one by Amazon Warriors.
Both teams have kept their core local players together over the years with the experience and quality unmatched by other franchises.
Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein are some of the TT players on TKR.
Amazon Warriors are filled with Guyanese stars including Shimron Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul and Shamar Joseph.
The rivalry is not only on the field as TT and Guyanese fans are the most exuberant supporters.
The fans live every ball. They appeal for leg before, disagree with an umpire’s call or lash out at inept bowling or slow batting.
The spectators also spend time making signs with names of their favourite players. Another popular sign in TKR-Amazon Warriors matches is curry chicken versus chicken curry.
In TT, the dish is called curry chicken and in Guyana it is named chicken curry.
England all-rounder Chris Jordan, 35, has given TKR an added boost for the remainder of the tournament.
American Ali Khan was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Khan, a fast bowler, has not played in this year’s competition.
Jordan played five matches for TKR in the 2019 season. During that tournament, the Englishman showed his athleticism as he took a spectacular one-handed catch off his own bowling to dismiss Barbados Tridents batsman Jonathan Carter. Jordan, a pacer, will be an asset especially in the bowling department with his variations.
Amazon Warriors have signed leg spinner Nathan Sowter as a temporary replacement for captain Imran Tahir. Tahir is recovering from injury and is expected to be unavailable for ten days.