PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Minister of Sport Anil Roberts said officials of the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board owe him a public apology over their decision to allow Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo to play for other teams in last year’s Champions League Twenty20. Roberts claimed T&TCB president Azim Bassarath misled him, accusing the chief cricket administrator of selling out the players.
He said contrary to statements by Bassarath at the time, the T&TCB received US$240 000 for the services of Pollard and Bravo to play for their respective IPL franchises, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the CLT20.
“When I asked him, what was the position with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, regarding them participating or not participating for T&T in the CLT20, it created quite a furore in which Mr Bassarath accused me of playing politics and supporting Friends of Cricket in the Cricket Board Elections,” said Roberts.
The minister believed that “selling out’, as he described it, cost T&T their chance to win the CLT20.
Roberts explained that T&T lost their first two matches – one by one run and the other in a Super Over – in the main draw, which could have easily been won with the likes of Bravo and Pollard included.
He said that Bassarath had publicly criticised him, when he questioned the validity of the T&TCB’s assertion that the governing body did not receive money for the players, and that the two all-rounders were simply not eligible to play for the country.
“This formed the basis of his entire attack on my character, on my professionalism and my integrity,” said Roberts.
“He stated that there was no money for the T&TCB to gain from them playing for their IPL franchises.”
Roberts said he contacted the franchises and they informed him of the amount that the T&TCB would get for each player.
“Here it is, T&TCB received US$240 000, approximately TT$1.5 million, for selling out Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard,” said Roberts.
“I hope that this now brings a rest to this issue and that Mr Azim Bassarath and his Board will now do the honourable thing after calling me all sorts of names.
“I call upon the president as a man to do the right thing … that (the T&TCB) can now humbly apologise. This is a serious issue that any national sports organisation, found to be giving Ministry officials false info, will be dealt with very seriously.”