Bravo XI vs Pollard XI: Where the fan is The Selector
Port of Spain: Even as the Trinbago Knight Riders assembled their players for their first practice session of the season on Thursday (29th August), the excitement of being the first to play in a Fan-driven game can be witnessed not just in the camp but in the whole city of Port of Spain.
Most members of this 2019 squad, along with other upcoming cricketers from Trinidad & Tobago, will be taking part in an exhibition match called The Selector Fan Cup in Port of Spain's Queen's Park Oval Stadium on 1st September (starting 11:00 am AST).
DJ Bravo will be captaining one of the sides, while Kieron Pollard, one of Trinidad & Tobago's favourite sons, will be leading the second team. As a star attraction, Brian Lara, the former West Indies captain, will be turning out for Bravo's team as a player. The legendary man from Trinidad last played in the Masters Champions League in the UAE in 2016, and the Cricket All-Stars Series in USA the previous year.
While Bravo XI is studded with local stars such as Lara, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and DJ himself, youngsters like Ali Khan, Tion Webster, Amir Jangoo and Akeal Hossein would also be looking to make the most out of this encounter.
Pollard's team looks equally strong on paper, with the likes of Denesh Ramdin, World Cup finalist Jimmy Neesham, Sri Lanka's Seekugge Prasanna, and youngster Khary Pierre making up the squad. It would be interesting to observe how the other local talents like Mark Deyal and Anderson Phillip perform, as this could be their best chance to prove their mettle at this level.
Some of the focus would also be on some of the lesser-known players who will get a chance to rub shoulders with the best in the business, besides being watched by millions of people who will be following the game on LIVE television.
For the first time ever, The Selector App is also giving fans a chance to be an integral part of the action, by introducing the Fan Decision System.
How? Simple. All they need to do is download The Selector App on their mobile phones, and make game-changing decisions like picking the captain, calling the toss, or choosing the batting order while enjoying the match LIVE
As a tribute to the people of Trinidad & Tobago, who celebrate Independence Day on 31st August, authorities have declared FREE ENTRY for all those who want to enjoy the game at the stadium.
Big names from around the world of cricket and other sports (Lara, Virender Sehwag, Sania Mirza, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Kumar Sangakkara to name a few) recently took to social media to express their excitement for the match, and how they were going to be glued to The Selector App when the action unfolds.
To get an idea of the conditions at QPO, it is interesting to observe that in the two recently-concluded ODIs between Windies and India, only 8 out of 28 wickets went to spinners. The batsmen have scored freely enough on these tracks, but the pacers have enjoyed their time in the middle the most.
The weather forecast for Sunday looks bright and sunny in PoS, and it promises to be a rollicking contest you wouldn't want to miss!
When? September 01 (11 AM AST, 8:30 PM IST)
Stadium Entry: FREE for everyone
Where can you watch?
India – Star Sports
The Caribbean - (Flo 22regions) / TV6
Pakistan - Geo Sports
North America - Willow
Squads (from)
Bravo XI: Brian Lara, Lendl Simmons, Amir Jangoo (wk), Tion Webster, Dwayne Bravo (c), Javon Searles, Yannic Cariah, Sunil Narine, Ali Khan, Akeal Hossain, Sheeno Berridge, Jayden Seales, Isiah Rajah, JP Barrie, Dexter Sween
Pollard XI: Denesh Ramdin (wk), Mark Deyal, Kieron Pollard (c), Jimmy Neesham, Seekugge Prasanna, Joshua De Silva, Khary Pierre, Terrance Hinds, Anderson Phillip, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Jalarnie Seales, Leonardo Julien, Nicholas Alexi, Kjorn Ottley, Yannick Ottley, Daron Cruickshank
Also see - Live cricket score