The Merissa Aguilleira-led national women's cricket team will leave Piarco International Airport this morning to compete in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional 50-over and T20 tournament in Grenada aiming to improve on their second place finish in 2012.This is the first time 50-over and T20 matches will be contested in the competition. Last year only T20 matches were played, and T&T had to settle for the runners-up position behind Jamaica.Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia will join T&T and Jamaica in both formats.
T&T will welcome back vice-captain Anisa Mohammed to the squad. Mohammed, who made her debut for the West Indies in 2003, missed T&T's successful tour of South Africa in April due to aninjury. The team will be on a psychological high as they won eight of their nine matches in South Africa, that included 50-over and T20 matches.The T&T team is filled with experienced faces and some talented new blood. Mohammed, Stacy-Ann King and Gaitri Seetahal will give the team some experience. King and Seetahal both performed admirably in South Africa, left-handed King scored heavily, while meidum-fast bowler Seetahal was a consistent wicket-taker, ending the tour with 11 wickets.
T&T will also welcome former national U-17 player Stephanie Ramcharan in the team for the first time. Ramcharan, a bowling all-rounder, toured Canada in 2007 with the U-17 team. Samantha Bissoon and Selene O'Neil, who made their debut for T&T on the tour of South Africa, have also been included in the set up. Eleven of the fourteen players who went to South Africa, will make the trip to Grenada.Marjorie Thomas, the coach and manager of the team said the team has potential, but they must deliver. "We have a good team on paper, but we need to put that into reality," she remarked. Thomas also believes the team needs to stick to the game plan and keep focused to be successful in the tournament.T&T will open their campaign on Monday in a 50-over match against Barbados. Following the 50-over competition, T&T will face Guyana in their opening match of the T20 competition on August 16.
SQUAD
Merissa Aguilleira (Captain), Anisa Mohammed (Vice captain), Alisa Mohammed, Amanda Samaroo, Britney Cooper, Gaitri Seetahal, Kamara Ragoobar, Kirbyina Alexander, Lee Ann Kirby, Samantha Bissoon, Selene O'Neil, Shenelle Lord, Stacy Ann-King, Stephanie Ramcharan, Marjorie Thomas (Manager/Coach), John Trumpet (Assistant Coach), Wayne Samuel (Trainer)
Reserves: Rackeal Bissoon, Leandra Ramdeen, Chantal Emmanuel, Loretta Eligon, Shanella Townsend.