Bravo, Dillon to miss TT trial

ALL-ROUNDER Dwayne Bravo and fast bowler Mervyn Dillon is likely to miss the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s final two-day trial match which starts tomorrow at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain. The duo as well as West Indies skipper Brian Lara are due to link-up with the rest of the 14-member regional team, which is scheduled to leave for Australia on Wednesday. Bravo was listed to lead Team “B” in the trial match while Dillon was also named to participate.

While in Australia on international duties, the Trinidadians will miss three rounds of  the Carib Beer Series. With both players preparing to depart for Australia, it will present the other local players with  opportunities to stake their claims for national selection. For Bravo and Dillon, there is a risk factor should they play at Balmain and pick up any kind of injury which could jeopardise their chances of  making it Down Under where the West Indies will play in the VB triangular limited-overs tournament. Pakistan and the host nation are the other teams in the contest. Jamaica-born Ricardo Pow-ell became one of the three casualties from the triumphant West Indies team which won the ICC Champ-ions Trophy in September last.

Middle-order batsman Sylvester Joseph, rookie medium pacer Darren Sammy and Powell lost their places while Barbadian quickie Corey Collymore was forced to withdraw because of injuries during the intensive three-week preparation camp conducted by newly-appointed Australia-born coach Bennett King in Barbados. Ironically that no player from the triumphant Trinidad and Tobago team in the President’s Cup regional limited overs competition team was selected for the VB Series. The challenge for Lara and his team is to prove that their ICC Champions trophy win was no fluke. West Indies youth captain Dinesh Ramdin will be asked to lead Team “B” in the final trial match. Daren Ganga will lead Team “A”. Selectors hope players will be fully fit and will produce substantially with both bat and ball and further enhance their chances of being in the final 14-member squad. The TT squad will be selected on Wednesday and will prepare to face Guyana in the first round match on January 7.