For the past five seasons in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional 4-Day tournament, Barbados Pride have finished as proverbial bridesmaids, in second position.
Chemar Holder
Pride have not won the Regional 4-Day title since 2013, because the five-time defending champions, Guyana Jaguars, began their quest to sweet success in that season.
Despite Pride being the second-best team for most seasons, they have had the most players in the West Indies teams over the past seasons.
After eight rounds in this 2020 season of the Regional 4-Day tournament, Pride have looked a class above all, topping the points’ table with 134.8 points culled from six wins out of eight matches.
Barbados Pride Head Coach Emmerson Trotman
Pride’s most memorable win came against their arch-rivals, Jaguars. Pride defeated the Jaguars in their own backyard by a whopping 235 runs.
After that dominant performance, Pride Head Coach Emmerson Trotman, speaking exclusively to this daily publication, expressed great satisfaction with the team’s performance.
“We worked very hard all year,” he said. “We didn’t take too much time off in the off-season, we continued to practice after the last season. It is a fantastic feeling (the win). We deserve it, because we put in all the effort. I am happy for the young guys especially, who executed well.”
Kyle Mayers, batting during the day/night match
Further, he praised the captaincy of Test opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who has been cool and calm in executing his plans to perfection. With Pride finishing second best in previous seasons, Trotman noted, it is a nice feeling to be on top this season.
“We were flirting with the top spot for a number of seasons, and at some time the guys had to come through. They have been putting in that hard work,” Trotman explained.
With Kemar Roach being Pride’s destroying weapon against Jaguars with the pink-ball in hand, Trotman noted that Roach is simply a “pro”. He noted that watching Roach wreaking havoc with the ball was a pleasing sight. Trotman was also happy with Roach’s consistency. The pacer was consistent in his testing line and lengths against the Jaguars.
Team Barbados Pride (Brandon Corlette photos)
The biggest find for Pride this season has been Kyle Mayers. The all-rounder has resurrected himself with the bat, scoring 654 runs, with two centuries and five half-centuries. He has a high score of 140 and an average of 50.30.
Meanwhile, Shayne Mosely has been a quiet performer with 490 runs, while Brathwaite has 468 runs. West Indies wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich has scored 360 runs, while young pace sensation Chemar Holder has been the man with the ball. He has taken 36 wickets, with three five-wicket hauls, while Kemar Roach has taken 30 scalps in only five matches. Keon Harding, another youngster, has taken 29 wickets. The fast-bowling points for Pride have been a huge bonus this season.
With two rounds remaining, Pride are expected to win the tournament, their having a lead of 40.2 points over their nearest rival. Trinidad and Tobago Red Force are is second position with 94.6 points, while Jamaica Scorpions and Jaguars are tied in third position with 91.8 points.
