Defending Caribbean Single Wicket champion Dwayne Smith will be up against some stiff competition in the 2014 tournament which bowls off at 4.15 p.m. today at Sir Frank Worrell Ground at the University of St Augustine.
Among those challenging for the title this year are Trinidad and Tobago and Indian Premier League stars Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons as well as last year’s runner up Christopher Barnwell, wild card player Richard Kelly, and last-minute replacement player Imran Khan.
Khan replaced the injured Kevon Cooper and will line up against Pollard and Grenada’s Michael Brown in Group Three while Kelly will campaign against Smith and Narsingh Deonarine in Group Two.
T&T’s Marlon Richards will take on Antigua’s Devon Thomas in the opening Group One match at 4.15 p.m. followed by a clash between Deonarine and Kelly before Pollard takes the field against Brown at 5 p.m. Barnwell opens his campaign when he takes on Rayad Emrit 20 minutes later in Group Four before Simmons plays his first match against Thomas at 5.40 p.m. Smith will take on Kelly in the sixth match from 6 p.m.
The matches will be a one-on-one contest between two players. Each player will bowl two overs against his opponent, with the all-rounder who scores more runs winning the encounter.
The winners of each group will advance to the semi-finals. In addition to the cricket, there will be other attractions for fans, including a live performance from Raymond Ramnarine around 9.45 p.m. The final is expected to bowl off at 10.30 p.m. with a winner’s purse of US$7,000 at stake. Tickets cost $60.