Red-hot Red Force face street-smart Scorpions in CG Insurance Super50 Semifinal
ST JOHN’S, Antigua –Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will look to extend their unbeaten run while Jamaica Scorpions will look to ride the waved of their new-found bravery when the two teams clash in the first semi-final of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup on Wednesday’s at Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Having won all five of their first round matches, the Red Force are brimming with confidence and with both their batsmen and bowlers turning in strong performances throughout the campaign, it will be hard to bet against the Kieron Pollard-led side reaching the final. Red Force were dominant in the preliminaries, finding themselves hardly extended but even with the comfortable nature of their victories, Pollard said he did not expect complacency to creep into the side at this stage.
“I believe you would be complacent in the league phase if you win two or three games going into the playoffs but knowing it’s a do-or-die game, it’s a knockout scenario, if you turn up complacent then I don’t think you should be in our team,” Pollard said via Zoom, organized by CWI Media.
“For us, it’s about playing consistent cricket. We’ve spoken about complacency all throughout the tournament in the preliminary stages and I can’t see why we would turn up and just expect to beat a Jamaica Scorpions side that’s coming off the back of two victories in the last couple games.”
The Scorpions road to the final four has been a difficult one, and they only clinched their berth with a sensational come-from-behind victory over Barbados Pride in their very last game on Sunday. After losing their opener to Red Force, they were turned over by Jaguars by 109 runs before crashing to a 92-run defeat at the hands of Volcanoes. They were handed a lifeline with a six-run over Hurricanes in a rain-hit contest before stunning Pride by 51 runs in their final outing.
Captain Rovman Powell said a turnaround was definitely necessary in the semi-final.
“I think we need to work on all three aspects of the cricket. I think the bowling has come a far way and maybe is the most pleasing area of our game so far,” he said.
“The fielding still needs a lot of work. We have been dropping a lot of simple catches in the field so that needs a lot of work " “And also the batting [needs attention]. The batting has been a struggle and it’s a case where we’re just not getting enough substantial partnerships from our top order and middle order. The lower-order did some good work in the last two games for us so it’s just for us to work on all three areas of we’re to beat Trinidad.”
Powell added:
“It’s a strong Trinidad team but we’re looking to control the factors we have control over and those factors are how we play – how we bat, bowl, and field. It’s difficult to control the things that Trinidad do so we’re not focussing on them too much. Once we go there and play the best cricket we know how to play, then possibly we can beat Trinidad.”