POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad - Jamaica-born West Indies batsman Ricardo Powell is set to make his debut for Trinidad & Tobago when they face Leeward Islands in the opening round of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series, starting on Friday at Guaracara Park.
Powell, who has been living in Trinidad & Tobago for the past year after marrying a local girl, has been granted permission by the West Indies Cricket Board to represent T&T in the series.
Jan has praised Powell for the positive influence that he has brought to the T&T dressing room.
"Ricardo has made a positive impact on the dressing room and his pep talks have had a positive influence on the players and he is also a great motivator for the team," Jan told CMC Sports.
Also set to play their first match for T&T are two former West Indies U-15 captains, Tishan Maraj and Davindra Krishna.
The new additions have excited new T&T captain Imran Jan and he is hoping to start the season on a high against a side that they have only beaten four times in 23 matches in the modern West Indies first-class championship (1966 onwards).
Jan, a 24-year-old, left-handed batsman, who has been given the responsibility to lead the team until the arrival of West Indies Test batsman Daren Ganga from South Africa, felt his side's preparation would be the key to success in the regional series.
"We have done a lot of work both on and off the field," he told CMC Sports. "And if we continue to gel and mesh as we are doing now, positive results are in the making."
SEEKING SUCCESS
Challenged by their Under-19 side's double crown victory in the West Indies youth championship last August, the T&T seniors are seeking their first West Indies first-class championship title in 17 years. The last success came 18 years ago under the captaincy of former West Indies off-spin bowler Rangy Nanan.
Jan believes that fast bowler Marlon Black, who is returning to the team after missing last year's Red Stripe Bowl West Indies One-day series in Jamaica, will have a big role to play in the bowling department.
"Marlon will have a lot of bowling to do along with Amit Jaggernauth," Jan said. "He is the most experienced of the bowlers and he will have to do the brunt of the bowling."
Jan added that it is his intention to lead from the front and expects to get solid support with the bat from Aneil Kanhai, Dwayne Bravo, Shazam Babwah and Powell.
The final preparations of the Stuart Williams-led Leeward Islands team were affected by rain at the playing venue yesterday, but coach Hayden Walsh said that would not have any effect on their mission.
Leewards, one of the stronger teams in the region during the 1990s, have not quite had the same level of success although they reached the semifinals of the competition two times in the last four years.
Williams, the leading scorer in the West Indies first-class championship, will again set the tone in the batting, but he will be hoping that others like vice-captain Alex Adams, Sylvester Joseph, Shane Jeffers, Wilden Cornwall, Tonito Willett and Chaka Hodge show more consistency.
Kerry Jeremy will again spearhead the attack with support coming from all-rounder Carl Tuckett and Elsroy Powell, as well as newcomers Dane Weston and Virgil Browne.
In other first round matches today, Windwards take on Jamaica in St Lucia and West Indies B face Kenya in St Kitts.