Andre Coley is hoping to guide his team to success in the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup, and the West Indies Academy Head Coach is also keen to see the young players mature and learn during the event.
Speaking during their ongoing pre-tournament camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Coley said things have been going according to plan and he is expecting a good showing in the eight-team tournament.
“We began with a pre-camp physical screening, followed by three consecutive solid days of cricket specific training and game play discussions. We had our first of two practice matches against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes which gave us valuable competitive cricket as a squad,” Coley told CWI Media.
“The focus for this week is getting through two practice matches against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, planning and managing player loads as we head into the tournament. The players have adapted well; the facility at Coolidge has been our base since the first camp in July of this year, so they are familiar with the environment.”
West Indies Academy will feature in the opening contest against Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday, October 29. This year’s event will feature eight teams – the traditional six franchises will be joined by West Indies Academy and Combined Campuses and Colleges.
The teams have been drawn in two groups of four and will play matches at four venues – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua; along with Brian Lara Cricket Academy and Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
“The mood is very positive as the players are a looking forward to playing against the three franchise squads in our group. This will be valuable competitive cricket for the squad since most have not been in competitive cricket consistently over the last 24 months,” Coley said.
“What we want to see our players buying into a winning mindset while working together as a team to achieve goals for each match, working together as a team. We also want to see them demonstrate resilience by adapting to various pitch and game conditions as they use their skill sets to achieve team goals.”
Fans in the region will be able to watch the CG United Super50 Cup on ESPN Caribbean. Overseas broadcast partners for the are ESPN+ (USA), BT Sport (UK & Ireland) and FanCode (India).
Additionally, LIVE ball-by-ball scoring for all 27 CG United Super50 Cup matches will be available on the www.windiescricket.com match centre. (CWI)
