Ramprakash to play for CLICO Preysal

EX-ENGLAND Test batsman Mark Ramprakash will play for CLICO Preysal in next season’s Carib National Cricket League.

Ramprakash, who has been the odd-man out in England cricket during  his Test  career, has been inked by the local club as overseas player/coach for a six-week stint. According to club chairman Anthony Harford, Ramprakash will be replacing former West Indies left-hand batsman Keith Arthurton who declined the position for a fourth year, to take up a similar contract with his native St Kitts government. Harford said, Preysal’s major thrust continues to be player development, and as a result, “we prefer a coach who plays rather than the other way around.”

Last season, there were 14 CLICO Preysal players chosen on all national teams. And Harford said this was due  largely to the emphasis the club pays on the technical staff which is headed by Debideen Manick and Prakash Sookhai. According to Harford, Rampra-kash will coach the junior players at Preysal, and will turn out for the club in some limited-overs matches. He said, CLICO Preysal is also looking at hiring another overseas player next month.

During the coming season, CLICO Preysal will be without Ravi Rampaul, now touring South Africa with the West Indies, Dinesh Ramdhin the designated captain of the West Indies Under-19 team for the World Cup in Bangladesh, Shazam Babwah and Marlon Black. And it is the hope of the CLICO Preysal chairman that younger players will be well equipped to fill the void. Meanwhile, 67 youngsters aged between seven and 15 have graduated from a three-month training session at the Preysal Cricket School and were addressed at a ceremony by ex-West Indies fastbowler and club captain Ian Bishop.