The Trinidad and Tobago versus Jamaica rivalry will be renewed Wednesday with the Red Force hosting the Scorpions at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in first-round action of the returning West Indies four-day cricket championship.

In other matches, title holders Barbados Pride welcome Leeward Islands Hurricanes to Kensington Oval, while Guyana Harpy Eagles (formerly Guyana Jaguars) face Windward Islands Volcanoes at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

During a pre-match media conference on Tuesday, the Red Force and West Indies Test wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva predicted that the clash against the Scorpions in Tarouba will be a hard-fought one.

“It will be a highly contested game,” he said.

“Hopefully, it goes a bit like how it went last [time] when we scored 400-plus though we just couldn’t bowl then out twice in the end,” he added in reference to when the teams drew in Trinidad during the 2019-20 season.

Da Silva said players are eager for action especially because there was no regional four-day competition last year because of the novel coronvirus pandemic.

“The guys can’t wait to get on the park. They are really excited to get things going and I’m really excited to get back into first-class cricket, and hopefully we can get a [positive] result,” he told journalists.

The Scorpions Head Coach Andre Coley noted both squads are comprised similarly with a mixture of promising youths and experienced campaigners.

“We have always had competitive matches against Trinidad, but we are really looking to start well. What is going to be important throughout the tournament is the matchups, so the more senior players within each team will definitely have to matchup well against their opposites in the respective teams,” he said on the eve of the match.

During the last staging of the tournament, the Scorpions had a challenge finding a reliable opening partner for skipper John Campbell.

Coley said selectors have invested in young top-order batsmen Leroy Lugg and left-hander Kirk McKenzie as potential sidekicks for Campbell.

To further boost the batting, wicketkeeper Romaine Morris, who is regarded for his batsmanship, is in the squad ahead of Aldaine Thomas though the latter is considered the better glove man.

“We did have some production from the batting but it was more around the middle [order]. The area of concern for us was the opening. We just couldn’t find a steady opening partner for John,” he said.

“So we have gone with younger investment at the top of the order to partner John and we brought in young wicketkeeper/batter Romaine Morris with the intention of strengthening the batting,” Coley explained.

“The understanding is that the senior players will do most of the heavy lifting. But we are confident that the younger player that we have included earned their right to be in the squad,” the Scorpions coach added.

Barbados Pride are defending champions after lifting the Headley-Weekes Trophy in the 2019-20 season which was cut short because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Squads: Red Force — Imran Khan (captain), Keagan Simmons, Jeremy Solozano, Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Mohammed, Kirstan Kallicharan, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Shannon Gabriel, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Isaiah Rajah, Jayden Seales

Scorpions — John Campbell (captain), Brad Barnes, Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Jermaine Blackwood, Paul Palmer, Alwyn Williams, Oraine Williams, Romaine Morris, Derval Green, Jamie Merchant, Gordon Bryan, Nicholson Gordon, Patrick Harty, Marquino Mindley