Four newcomers in TT Carib Beer team

WEST INDIES youth players Dinesh Ramdin and Rishi Bachan,  all-rounder Richard Kelly and pacer Kyron Lynch are the four newcomers named in the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team for the 2005 Carib Beer Series first round match. Trinidad and Tobago play Guyana first at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva, Central Trinidad, from January 7 to 10. Selectors Dudnath Ramkissoon, Roland Sampath, David Williams and captain-elect Daren Ganga decided on a 14-member squad which will undergo further preparations for the opening round encounter.

Wicketkeeper Ramdin, the West Indies youth captain,  and Bachan will join their WI youth team-mate Lendl Simmons who forced his way back into the squad with two half-centuries in the last two trial matches at Gilbert Park and the NCC ground. But there was no place for West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul, still recovering from a shin splint injury, and talented opener Tishan Maraj who made his debut in this year’s Carib Beer Series. This year’s series will be contested over 10 rounds with teams meeting each other at home and away. Under the leadership of Daren Ganga, Trinidad and Tobago won the President’s Cup in October last despite the absence of seven frontline players. Ramdin who made his limited-overs debut last year and was a member of the triumphant President’s Cup team, was  voted Best Wicketkeeper.

He comes into the four-day competition ahead of former WI junior wicketkeeper Gibran Mohammed. Kelly is a very talented all-rounder and will form the new-ball attack with rookie fast bowler Kyron Lynch who will also be making his bow to “big cricket.” Left-arm spinner Bachan, the baby of the team at 17, will be part of  a spin trio along with off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth and WI Test spinner Dave Mohammed. Samuel Badree who made his debut two years ago, returns to the squad. He like Sherwin Ganga, Imran Jan, Shazam Babwah and Ricardo Powell contributed to TT’s first regional limited-overs triumph after eight years. The team will be under a new manager in Giles Antoine a former national fast bowler, who replaces Omar Khan who was at the helm for the 2003 and 2004 regional four-day series. Jan is expected to open the innings with left-handed Sherwin Ganga who was voted Best Batsman and Best Bowler in the recent President’s Cup. Coach David Williams and trainer Gerard Garcia retained their positions for the new season.

The squad:  Daren Ganga (capt), Sherwin Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Ricardo Powell, Shazam Babwah, Samuel Badree, Imran Jan, Dinesh Ramdin, Richard Kelly, Rishi Bachan, Amit Jaggernauth, Dave Mohammed, Kyron Lynch, and Theodore Modeste. Manager is Giles Antoine.