Young Barath in TCL Under-19 squad

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s selectors have included the gifted 15-year-old batsman Adrian Barath in their squad for the TCL Group West Indies Under-19 Challenge tournament starting in St Vincent and the Grenadines on August 1. Barath, who was voted the “Most Valuable Player” in this year’s Regional Under-15 tournament, heads the list of new players who will come up against Jamaica in the opening round of the tournament at Stubbs Hill.

Allrounder Javed Mohammed has been named captain and first-timers in the 14-member squad include fast bowler Jeewan Ramroop, left-arm spinner Dane Teelucksingh, and batsmen Marion Belcon, Sunil Narine, Kierron Pollard, Marlon Barclay and the 16-year-old Darren Bravo, the younger brother of West Indies player Dwayne Bravo. Four players have been retained from the team that participated in last year ‘s tournament in Jamaica, including Mohammed, left-arm spinners Rishi Bachan and Kavesh Kantasingh and batsmen William Perkins and Dion Bennett. Bennett was also a member of the victorious TT team that won an unprecedented regional youth double —  league and limited overs titles —  in Guyana in 2003.

The team will be managed by former TT allrounder Roland Sampath, with former Test fast bowler Anthony Gray as coach. Sampath is happy with the squad and believes the emphasis on batting, with the inclusion of Belcon, Pollard and Barclay will serve the team well. “We tried to put the extra batsmen in because we realise over the years that Trinidad and Tobago have trouble getting runs on the board,” Sampath told CMC Sport. “We believe if we get runs on the board, we have the bowlers to get the opposition out,” he added.

TT squad — Javed Mohammed (captain), Mario Belcon, Adrian Barath, Sunil Narine, Kierron Pollard, Marlon Barclay, Darren Bravo, Jeewan Ramroop, Dane Teelucksingh, Rishi Bachan, Jason Mohammed, Kavesh Kantasingh, William Perkins, Dion Bennett.