Bidhesi expects good T&T showing in first-class season

Three newcomers included in team
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Former Trinidad and Tobago middle-order batsman and newly appointed chairman of the senior selection panel, Narine Bidhesi, expects the national team will do well in the upcoming regional four-day tournament.

Bidhesi headed the three-member selection panel that also included two former national players, Claude Phillip and Alec Burns.

“We expect the team to do well, especially since several players are looking for a recall on the West Indies team, including skipper Daren Ganga, batsman Lendl Simmons and spinners Dave Mohammed and Amit Jaggernauth,” Bidhesi said.

Three newcomers have been included in a 13-man T&T squad for the opening match of the 2009 WICB Four-day Regional Tournament against Barbados, starting next Friday in Bridgetown.

Former Under-19 batsman Justin Guillen has earned a call-up after solid performances in the trial matches and the Stanford Super Series last year, while former West Indies Youth team off-spinner Sunil Narine and fast bowler Atiba Alert have also been included after a series of impressive performances.

Narine sent a strong signal to selectors when he took all 10 wickets in an innings in a trial match recently while Alert has been steady, bowling impressively in the annual North/South match on Wednesday.

“The team is a mixture of youth and experience. The opportunity was there for the younger players to show their worth as the West Indies cricketers are on international duty and two of the team’s key players – Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul – are on the injured list.

Bidhesi admitted that it was a tough decision to leave out talented all-rounder Imran Khan from the squad of 13 but said that his chance could still come in the extended season.

Khan performed well in the annual North/South Gerry Gomez Classic, scoring 96 runs in South’s second innings.

“It was a tough decision to leave out Imran (Khan) but at the end of the day, opportunities will be there for him and others, since it is a long season. Also Amit Jaggernauth has a niggle on his right-arm and that is a slight concern for us,” Bidhesi added.

The team will train at the Oval today and tomorrow. They will leave for Barbados on Tuesday.

SQUAD – Daren Ganga (captain), Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Justin Guillen, Sherwin Ganga, Gibran Mohammed, Rayad Emrit, Richard Kelly, Dave Mohammed, Amit Jaggernauth, Atiba Alert, Sunil Narine.

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