Bachan, Lynch ready to debut

WEST Indies youth spinner Rishi Bachan and Tile It Central Sports Kyron Lynch are poised to make their national debuts against Guyana in the Carib Beer Series opening round match at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain next Friday. Both Bachan and Lynch were impressive in the trial matches and they have the potential to become match winners. The national selectors Dudnath Ramkessoon (chairman), Roland Sampath and David Williams along with skipper Daren Ganga are to seriously consider the attributes of these two youngsters to give them the opportunity to prove themselves at the higher level. The 17-year-old Bachan would earn his place in the starting eleven based on his outstanding performances and his style of bowling, which will provide Ganga   with many options in the four-day First Class matches.

Lynch will get to share the new ball with all-rounder Richard Kelly who proved his worth in the President’s Cup which TT won convincingly against Guyana on October 31 at Kensington Oval, Barbados. West Indies quickie Ravi Rampaul would have been the prime candidate to start the new ball attack but he is still to regain full bowling fitness for the rigours at the regional level. He will need to participate in two or three National Cricket League Division One matches with his club Clico Preysal to prove his bowling fitness before returning for national duties. Injury to all-rounder Reyad Emrit has also ruled him out of contention and he will also need to prove his bowling fitness in the NCL matches before being considered for selection.

The unavailability of both Rampaul and Emrit paves the way for the rookie fast bowler Lynch who has shown remarkable improvement in his bowling prowess and emerged as the leading pacer in the trials and the Pizza Hut/Gerry Gomez North-South Classic. Playing for North Zone, Lynch picked up four wickets for 49 runs in the first innings and one for 48 in the second innings. Lynch also got a four-wicket haul in the first trial match and always got the breakthrough in the other innings. In that same North-South match, Kelly, who also represented North, also showed his ability to pick up wickets with three for 18 in the first innings and six for 63 in the second.

TT will be well served with Lynch and Kelly plus three specialist spinners in Amit Jaggernauth (off-spinner), Dave Mohammed (left arm back of the hand spinner) and Bachan (back of the hand spinner). Sherwin Ganga will have Lendl Simmons or the injured Imran Jan as opening partner, while Daren comes in a three, Ricardo Powell at four and Shazam Babwah or Simmons at five. With four specialist bowlers and all-rounder Kelly in the lower order, the number six spot will be occupied by West Indies youth wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin who is also a capable middle-order batsman. PowerGen’s all-rounder Samuel Badree who showed excellent form and good discipline with the bat and also performed well in the President’s Cup matches, should also secure the final place in the 13-member squad. 

Middle-order batsman Kenton Thompson who batted reasonably well by occupying the crease for long periods but was unable to get half-centuries should be among the three reserves. Off-spinner Rodney Sooklal who got among the wickets in the trials and performed creditably in the President’s Cup should be the back-up spinner while promising fast bowler Brent Harriot did enough to edge out Theodore Modeste for the back-up pacer spot. In the Pizza Hut Gerry Gomez Classic, Harriot generated a lot of pace and picked two early wickets. He showed his batting prowess in that feature match and posted the biggest partnership with skipper Ganga who made 107.

Based on the performances in trial matches and the Pizza Hut/Gerry Gomez Classic coupled with the experience and various attributes of the players vying for national selection, the 13-member squad should comprise:  Daren Ganga (captain), Sherwin Ganga, Imran Jan, Lendl Simmons, Ricardo Powell, Shazam Babwah, Samuel Badree, Dinesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Richard Kelly, Dave Mohammed, Amit Jaggernauth, Rishi Bachan and Kyron Lynch. Former TT fast bowler Giles Antoine, who served as South’s manager in the Pizza Hut/GG Classic, will be confirmed as manager while former West Indies wicketkeeper David Williams, who worked with the team during its successful campaign in the President’s Cup, will retain his position as coach of the team. Trainer Gerard Garcia, who has instilled a serious work ethic among the players, will also retain his position with the squad. Reserves should be Kenton Thompson, Rodney Sooklal and Brent Harriot.