CPL 2020: Know your team ft. Barbados Tridents
Defending champions Barbados Tridents start their campaign against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the second game of the eighth edition of the Caribbean Premier League.
Led by West Indies' red-ball skipper Jason Holder, the Tridents will be in the hunt for their third title this season. After finishing at 3, 1 and 2 in the first three seasons, the Barbados-based team went through a little slump in the next three seasons before lifting the trophy in 2019.
The Barbados Tridents signed one of the best T20 bowlers around, Rashid Khan, along with Marcus Stoinis, Johnson Charles and Nyeem Young. Among the drafted players, Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are some of the big names. However, Englishmen Alex Hales and Harry Gurney are set to miss the whole season.
Barbados Tridents squad
Retained: Jason Holder, Harry Gurney (Overseas) (Unavailable), Shai Hope, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Justin Greaves.
Signed: Rashid Khan (Overseas), Marcus Stoinis (Overseas), Johnson Charles, Nyeem Young.
Drafted: Alex Hales (Overseas) (Unavailable), Kyle Mayers, Joshua Bishop, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Overseas), Shayan Jahangir (ICC Americas pick).
Replacements: Corey Anderson (Overseas), Mitchell Santner (Overseas)
Barbados Tridents Strengths and Weaknesses
The biggest strength of the Barbados Tridents has to be the multi-dimensional layers the team possess. In an ideal XI, all eleven players can bat and there is a minimum of 26 overs available in the playing XI.
The batting starts with Afghan wicket-keeper batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Johnson Charles at the top, followed by Shai Hope at 3. The middle order will comprise of Stoinis, Carter, Holder and Corey Anderson. Kyle Mayers, Justin Greaves and the U-19 sensation Nyeem Young are decent backups for the middle order. The lower order includes Nurse, Rashid, Hayden Walsh and Reifer, all of whom can tonk the ball with authority.
One of the best, if not the best spin attacks in the tournament, Barbados Tridents will bank on their spinners to take them to the pinnacle. Rashid Khan, Ashley Nurse, Hayden Walsh Jr. and Mitchell Santner constitute the spin bowling unit.
Pace bowling is something Barbados Tridents will be a bit worried about. Apart from Holder and Reifer there isn't much experience in the squad. Nyeem Young is an exciting prospect, but is yet to make his CPL debut. Harry Gurney, therefore, will be a big miss, even more than Alex Hales.
Barbados Tridents Probable First-Choice Playing XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Marcus Stoinis, Corey Anderson/ Nyeem Young, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse/Mitchell Santner, Rashid Khan, Hayden Walsh Jr, Raymon Reifer