Rampaul out Angostura weekend preps

WEST INDIES pacer Ravi Rampaul will miss this weekend’s Angostura Classic matches in preparation for the regional limited overs tournament starting October 8 in Guyana. The teams for the first two matches of the tournament were released by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) yesterday and Rampaul was excluded. Chairman of the national selection panel Dudnath Ramkessoon explained:  “Ravi is still doing remedial work on his injured foot after suffering shin splints on the West Indies tour of England.

“He would visit Dr Terry Ali today and he would then indicate to us when he can resume cricket training.” West Indies opener Daren Ganga will skipper the XS team, while newly married Shazam Babwah will be in charge of the White Oak team. The tournament which comprises of four games will be played as competitive matches and will not be trials where players can switch teams. Other notable omissions from the teams are Theodore Modeste who is out with a side strain, Tishan Maraj a sprained ankle, Sherwin Ganga will be back from England on Monday and Richard Kelly is still suffering with a groin strain.

Ramkessoon added: “It is the hope of the selectors that these players are fit and ready for the second and third matches of the series. “They are important to the team and we need all our players fit in order to choose the best possible squad for the tournament.” The tournament gets underway in Guyana and the Trinidad and Tobago team are expected to leave on October 5. This weekend the matches will be of 50 overs duration and will start at 9.30 am.

Teams: XS: Daren Ganga (capt), William Perkins, Lendl Simmons, Gregory Mahabir, Earnil Ryan, Jonathan Augustus, Gibran Mohammed, Keiron Lynch, Sean Siloch, Amit Jaggernauth, Rayad Emrit, Rishard Harris and Dave Mohammed. Manager/Coach: Dasrath Maharaj.
WHITE OAK: Shazam Babwah (capt), Imran Jan, Imran Khan, Kenton Thompson, Aneil Kanhai, Dinesh Ramdin, Samuel Badree, Rodney Sooklal, Rishi Bachan, Atiba Alert, Brent Harriot and Nisholas Ramjass. Manager/Coach: David Williams.