TT ready for Bajan challenge

THE return of opener Tishan Maraj and West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo seems to give Trinidad and Tobago the competitive edge over dethroned champions Barbados in their Carib Beer Cricket Series final round robin match. The teams will be engaged in fierce battle over four days at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain starting today from 10 am. Skipper Daren Ganga and his buoyant men are on a mission to, at least secure first innings points, to keep in line for a chance to contest the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy final. Top two teams at the end of this round will advance to the title match over  five days with the winners getting US$5,000 prize money.

This will be the first-ever five-day final in WICB First-Class cricket and newly-crowned Carib Beer Cricket Series winners Jamaica, have already booked their place in the final, which the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) are busy making preparations to host. Before their final match against Windward Islands at the Alpart Sports Complex also starting today, the Jamaicans have 83 points Trinidad and Tobago are one point adrift of second placed Leeward Islands (55), who take on Guyana at Hampton Court ground, Essequibo.

The Guyanese are also in with an outside chance of qualifying for the final, but must win outright and hope Trinidad and Tobago falter. Ganga and his team will take the field with some confidence, having overwhelmed the Bajans at the North Star ground, in Barbados for their first ever victory over the Barbadians in their homeland since 1998. But he and his team must be wary of this Barbados outfit, which is not only stronger but bent on salvaging some lost pride. Courtney Browne has retaken leadership from Sherwin Campbell and has the services of West Indies players Ryan Hinds, Ian Baradshaw, Pedro Collins, Tino Best and Fidel Edwards.

Teams:
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO (from) —   Daren Ganga (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Tishan Maraj, Dwayne Bravo, Ricardo Powell, Gregory Mahabir, Richard Kelly, Rayad Emrit, Dave Mohammed, Mervyn Dillon, Amit Jaggernauth, Imran Khan, Samuel Badree.

BARBADOS (from) —  Courtney Browne (capt), Sherwin Campbell, Martin Nurse, Dwayne Smith, Dale Richards, Ryan Hinds, Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Tino Best, Patrick Browne, Jason Parri, Kenroy Williams.
Umpires: Camal Basdeo (TT) and Billy Doctrove (Windwards). Standby is Harry Rajkumar (TT).