Under-19s must buck up on batting

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Alloy Lequay is not happy with the batting of the Under-19 team despite their victory in the TCL Group Cricket Challenge limited overs cricket tournament in Guyana on Sunday.

Lequay relayed his concerns to manager of the team Roland Sampath yesterday. He told Sampath: “I am a bit worried about the batting of our team. The guys need to buck up a bit on the batting. They are putting the bowlers under too much pressure and this they must take a close look at.” The TT boys whipped defending champions Windwards by five-runs in the rain affected 30-overs match at Bourda. Sampath said yesterday in a telephone interview that he was happy with the victory but the job is only half done. “The guys played well, but  I must say but they need to improve their game in order to capture the league title now,” Sampath said. TT begin their challenge for the league title today against the Windwards, their third meeting so far in the TCL Group competition.

Batting first on Sunday TT made 157 for seven wickets  in 30 overs, before bowling out the Windwards for 152 to register a five-run win. Sampath was quick to add that although the Under-19s won, the technical team was able to spot certain flaws and will be working quickly to correct them ahead of the rest of the playing programme. “We are going to continue to work with the players in order to get them in top condition for the rest of the tournament. They have played well so far but need to improve. “All the players are fit and ready and with the one-day triumph has come a renewed confidence. They are focused on the job at hand and will be going after the opposition today, looking for full points in the opening encounter,” Sampath said. Sampath said his team has enjoyed playing at Bourda and the spinners should get assistance on the slow track. TT team: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Aaron Ragoonath, Tishan Maraj, Petrock Nicholas, Dion Bennett, Kavesh Kantasingh, Jonathan Augustus, Ravi Rampaul, Magnum Nanan, Kwesi Roy, Capil Subran, Lendl Simmons, Rishi Bachan and Vishnu Narine.