By Neto Baptiste
Captain of the Empire Nation and middle-order batsman, Kenrick Scott, is confident his team will be ready to successfully defend the sought after Cool & Smooth T20 Explosion title they won in 2023.
The Gray’s Farm men failed to advance to the semifinal round of the just concluded Super40 competition while they exited the Two Day Championships at the semifinal stage.
Scott however said that a few heart-to-heart talks with the players have taken place and they are eager to move forward in a positive manner.
“We had a meeting after the 40 overs and we went into the things we were doing and tried to work out things we need to work on. We looked at all the bad and all of the good and we sat down and talked about what we need to do going forward, so with all the mistakes that we’ve made — and we are humans so we will make mistakes — it’s just to learn from them and go forward,” he said.
Empire Nation won the 2023 edition of the tournament, beating 2022 champions, the Liberta Blackhawks by 46 runs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in May last year.
Scott said the team is well aware that it will not be an easy undertaking.
“It’s easier to win it than to defend it at this point. We have somethings that we have to defend but the other teams don’t have anything to lose so they are just going to come at you so it comes down to the pressure of holding it. Everybody will be talking and saying that you are the defending champions so you have to go out there and defend your crown so it would be a bit more pressure on us to defend it but once we prepare well and do the simple and basic things correctly then it shouldn’t be that hard,” the player said.
Meanwhile, marketing officer for the Cool & Smooth T20 Explosions 2024, Yorie Taylor, revealed that as part of the body’s plans to give back to fans and to the general public, individuals will be able to purchase tickets to enter a raffle for a top of the live vehicle.
“Outside of having great entertainment, having quality cricket, we have a raffle going on because we want people to be able to win at every aspect, not just the players but also the attendees.
“So we have a raffle going on to win a Nissan Frontier and the tickets are just $5. We will have different outlets but currently we have Auto Craze and Cool & Smooth where you can get your tickets,” she said.
This year’s tournament is scheduled for July 3 to 21 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
