TT aim to upset champs B’dos

West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara seems likely to play for Trinidad and Tobago today, as well as three other Test players in a bid to help this country overcome Barbados.

The seventh round match starting today at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre will also determine a  place in the semi-finals of the Carib Beer Cup regional cricket series. Trinidad and Tobago are on 40 points after six rounds, while Barbados have already won the preliminary title by taking six wins from as many matches. Chairman of the national selection panel Dudnath Ramkessoon said yesterday that Lara who will undergo a fitness test prior to the match is likely to play. Lara trained with the team at the Sir Frank Worrell cricket ground in Balmain yesterday.

Meanwhile the other three senior West Indies players are all ready to take their places in the team. Fast bowler Mervyn Dillon indicated a few days ago that he will be fit, while Ricardo Powell passed a fitness test yesterday morning at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain under the watchful eyes of Dr Terry Ali and team physiotherapist Clinton Jeremiah. The Jamaican-born allrounder is reportedly ready for battle. Spinner Dave Mohammed was due to see the doctor late yesterday afternoon and according to Ramkessoon the preliminary reports suggest that he is fit enough to play.

Manager of the TT team Omar Khan told Newsday yesterday that his players were having a problem of focusing when they played outside Trinidad and Tobago and must rectify this if they are to get the title. “They have to rectify this problem and re-focus themselves for the task ahead. The batting is our problem and for too long it has been inconsistent. In Jamaica only Aneil Kanhai with 111, Sherwin Ganga with 64 and 26 and Daren Ganga who made 77 showed any fight. All the guys must be counted if we are to do well,” he said.

“The Barbadian team is a strong one and they have good players onboard to give us a rough time. However we are determined to be the one to upset them in this clash,” Khan said. Ramkessoon said the selectors were meeting at 6.30 pm yesterday to decide on the final team after getting the all-clear from the doctors. The Barbadian team practised at the National Cricket Centre yesterday also and had a long workout ahead of today’s match. They are buoyed by the return of their Test players in Vasbert Drakes, Corey Collymore and the dangerous Dwayne Smith. The match gets going at 10 am.