Borde warns TKR players to be COVID-19 vigilant

CPL Tournament in Trinidad…

With just three days to go before they go into the ‘bubble’ at the Hilton Trinidad, manager of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), Colin Borde, is warning his players to be very vigilant as far as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is concerned.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said on Saturday that there are, in the country, 243 active cases at the moment, with 18 reported cases on Friday. T&T has been going through an active second wave of the dreaded virus, and the public is starting to panic.
Borde has said: “Every team is acutely aware of what’s at stake regarding COVID-19. The protocols established are there to be followed. We must continue to be vigilant.”
The local players on the TKR team will go into the CPL bubble the day after General Elections, and will be joined by their six foreign players, who are currently in quarantine since arriving in the country last Monday. The six players who are in quarantine and still self-isolating in their rooms are: Colin Munro, Muhammad Ali Khan, Tim Seifert, Fawad Ahmed, Praven Tambe, and Sikandar Raza.
Yesterday, (Monday) they underwent their second COVID-19 test before being allowed to mingle in groups of three or four.
Speaking on his team’s chances of winning their fourth crown, Borde said: “Each season, it becomes that much tougher to win. The teams are getting smarter and more efficient at how they are planning and adapting to conditions. We just have, as usual, to plan better in our selections and executions. It’s a great challenge, (one) that we relish.”
After winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, the TKR were pushed aside in the play-off last year by eventual champions Barbados Tridents.
Heading into this year’s tournament, five of the franchises outside of the TKR have been badly affected by the coronavirus situation, and have had to bring in replacements. The TKR are the only team that will have the full complement of players they selected before and at the draft. Borde, however, does not see this as an advantage.
“We don’t see having all of our players as an advantage. What we do know is that, when you look at the roster, there are five other powerful teams ready to do battle. When the bell rings, it will be about who wants it the most, and is prepared to give everything for it.”
Borde made a very profound comment when he said: “Resources are only as good as how it is used.”
The tournament gets underway on August 18, and will see 33 games being played at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago before ending on September 10. The first match will see last year’s runners-up, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders. The final will take place on September 10.
The local TKR boys will continue their preparations at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday. When they are joined by all the players after quarantine, they will practise at UWI SPEC in St. Augustine, which is the official practise venue for the tournament.
Title-holders Barbados Tridents, along with last year’s losing finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and St Lucia Zouks, will clash over 33 games when the eighth edition of the tournament gets underway.
So far, there are 275 positive cases of COVID-19 infection in T&T, an increase of 50 overnight, with a total of eight deaths as at the 6:00 pm update from the Ministry of Health on Saturday.
The opening match will be between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from 10am, followed by defending champions, the Tridents, coming up against the Patriots from 5.30 pm. (TT Guardian)