TTCB – News

T&T for Canada T20 - Corporate sponsors rescue T&T cricketers
August 3, 2011

TRINIDAD and Tobago cricketers will travel to Canada next week to participate in a quadrangular T20 tournament in Canada after all.

The T&T Cricket Board (T&TCB) on Wednesday announced that the cricketers, who are in the midst of preparing for the Champions League T20 in India later this year were rescued by corporate sponsors National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) and The National Gas Company (NGC).

Only last week the T&TCB were forced to opt out of a planned triangular competition involving hosts Canada and 2010 T20 World Cup finalists Afghanistan because of a lack of funds. A budget of $300,000 was prepared earlier this year but up to late last week it did not receive the level of support required to ensure the cricketers participated in the T20 warm-up.

However on Wednesday, Dudnath Ramkessoon, first vice-president of the T&TCB confirmed that the T&T cricketers led by Daren Ganga will indeed travel to Toronto for the quadrangular tournament which will be contested on August 11, 12 and 13.

The fourth team in the tournament will be the USA and T&T will be hoping to get some much needed competitive action after a series of practice matches over the past month was severely hampered by inclement weather.

Ramkessoon on Wednesday expressed the T&TCB’s appreciation for the timely intervention of the NLCB and NGC who he said have shown admirable corporate responsibility by coming on board to have the national cricket team receive the best possible preparation for the Champions League T20 which will be held in late September and early October.

By virtue of winning the 2011 Caribbean T20 Championship last January, T&T qualified for the Champions League T20 but a late stipulation decreed by the organisers requires Ganga’s men to play in a qualifying tournament in Hyderabad from September 19 to 21 with five other teams to get into the main draw.

T&T created a spectacular impression when they participated in the first Champions LeagueT20 tournament in 2009, playing unbeaten all the way to the final where they eventually finished runners-up to New South Wales Blues of Australia.

They will counting again on the experience of several players who were on that historic team although the T&TCB is yet to announce the final squad for the 2011 Champions League T20 qualifiers. Among those in the fray are West Indies players Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Daren Bravo and Ravi Rampaul; along with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, and allrounders Rayad Emrit, Sherwin Ganga and Richard Kelly.

T&T Team for Canada:

Daren Ganga (captain),Rayad Emrit, Samuel Badree, William Perkins, Denesh Ramdin, Sherwin Ganga, Adrian Barath, Jason Mohammed, Dave Mohammed, Justin Guillen, Imran Khan, Richard Kelly, Navin Stewart, Aneil Kanhai

Officials: Omar Khan (Manager); David Williams (Coach); Ronald Rogers (Trainer)