TTCB – News

TT cricketers will finish in top three
February 2, 2010

AZIM BASSARATH

RANGY NANAN

DUDNATH RAMKESSOON

AZIM BASSARATH, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has said he expects the Trinidad and Tobago team to finish in the top three of the ongoing regional First Class Championship. This will be one better than last year’s fourth place.

The top cricket official’s comment comes in spite of an generally dismal display by the TT cricketers who are without several of their top players because of injury or unavailability.

The Trinidad and Tobago cricketers were surprisingly beaten by the Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC) in their opening match before rebounding to a draw against Guyana and Barbados.

They received their first outright win Monday’s by beating the Leeward Islands at the Foursquare in Barbados. Yesterday Bassarath warned though that the TT team must work on their batting.

He admitted that the team is not doing as well as they had been expected to do but feels that the ability and talent are there to achieve victories in their remaining two matches.

“We have shown that we are improving with every game so I think we will beat the Windward Islands here at the Oval before whipping Jamaica in our last game,” he said confidently.

Meanwhile Dudnath Ramkessoon, chairman of the national selectors, called for a big improvement in the batting department to be made if the TT cricketers are to have any chance of winning their last two matches. Ramkessoon described Monday’s victory over the Leeward Islands as “comforting” but expressed disappointment in the overall display by the team.

“We are not playing to our best right now. We are without seven of our players and I think the time has come for the younger players to step up and perform in the absence of the senior ones,” he said.

“We will like to see the batsmen do more work. I want to see more consistent batting. If the batters perform their role then it will take a lot of pressure off the bowlers.”

Ramkessoon described the performance of TT spinner Imran Khan as a positive one amidst the basically poor performance. Khan finished with figures of seven wickets for 85 runs and was the main wicket-taker in the TT victory.

“The players will be on a two-week break and I would hope that they use that time, not only to rest, but also to do some reflection on where they have faltered in their last matches. I hope that they will progress in their remaining matches,” Ramkeessoon said.

Meanwhile Rangy Nanan also called for stability in the team’s batting. He said this critical if the team is to improve on its performances in the other two matches.

“Although it is hard to cope with the loss of seven players, we have the ability. I am hoping that we pull things together for the next two games and achieve victories,” he said.