Emrit breaks into TT team, Roberts dumped

Ceramic Merryboys fast bowler Reyad Emrit was named on the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team for the Red Stripe Bowl regional one-day cricket series due in Jamaica from October 1. This was revealed in a media release by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) yesterday. Emrit is the only newcomer in the team who were beaten semi-finalists last year. He gained selection to the squad after his impressive five wickets for 22-run spell for the Rush XI in the Angostura Classic on Sunday against an XS selection at Balmain Village. Fellow Merryboys batsman Aniel Kanhai was also included picked after his two centuries for the West Indies “B” team in the Carib Beer regional competition earlier this year.  The left-hander also scored 35 runs on Sunday and looked in good form. However another Merryboys batsman, Lincoln Roberts, a hard hitting stroke player, was left to ponder his future after he was dropped.

Considered one of the most aggressive batsmen in the country, Roberts failed to impress in the Angostura Classic. The selectors have been persisting with the mercurial Tobago right-hander but he has been inconsistent of late.  Another surprising omission was young slow bowler Amit Jaggernauth. The talented right-arm off-spinner grabbed six wickets in the two matches during the Angostura series but was dropped in preference of Rodney Sooklal. Sooklal missed the trials but was passed fit to play in the regional tournament. The right-arm offspinner was impressive in the last Red Stripe Bowl forcing the selectors to keep faith in him. Wicketkeeper Gibran Mohammed will also make his senior team debut after some solid performances in
the trials and for First Citizens Clarke Road United in the 2003 domestic cricket season.

Another player making a comeback to the national team is Dave Mohammed. Highly touted in the Caribbean for his left-arm chinaman and googly bowling, he  is expected to play the all-rounder’s role on the team. The team will continue to practice at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre, Balmain from today and will be involved in a three-match series against the West Indies Under-19 team starting on Saturday at the National Cricket Centre. TT team: Daren Ganga (capt), Brian Lara, Mervyn Dillon, Dwayne Bravo, Aneil Kanhai, Shazam Babwah, Dave Mohammed, Gibran Mohammed, Dinanath Ramnarine, Reyad Emrit, Andy Jackson, Rodney Sooklal, Imran Jan and Theodore Modeste.
Reserves: Devindra Krishna, Richard Kelly, Kenton Thompson, Keiron Lynch and Navin Chan.