National captain Daren Ganga says that although it was disappointing losing to the National ‘A’ team in the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) T20 Cricket Festival, the loss came at the right time.
“We wanted a competitive few matches leading up to the regional T20 cricket series and we got just that. Although the rain spoilt our chances of playing against Guyana, we still had two good matches and the loss to the ‘A’ team will prove to be important in the end.” The T&T ‘A’ team surprisingly defeated the national senior team by eight wickets in the T20 Festival and went on to win the title. Guyana finished second, the T&T Senior team third and the T&T Academy fourth. Ganga continued :”The guys would have been playing with us during the build up and I must say congratulations to them. They played good cricket and
deserved to win the tournament.” Looking at his team for the upcoming regional tournament, Ganga said :”We have the potential to win this tournament but the guys have to realise that potential alone cannot win a tournament. How we approach the matches will determine how far we go but I am confident in the guys’ ability and we will do T&T proud.” The man who has been touted as one of the best captains in the region added that the loss of Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard was huge and he would have liked to have them on his team. Bravo and Pollard are currently in Australia playing in the Australian ‘Big Bash’ series.
“The loss of Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard is really huge for us. It is a big loss and I hope that the other guys step up and make up for the loss. It is a pity that they are playing club cricket rather than for their country but we will just have to make do without them and try to bring glory once again to T&T.
“We know what reaching the Champions League meant to T&T last time around and this will spur us on to good things again.” T&T won the Stanford T20 title back in 2008 and represented the Caribbean at the Airtel Champions League in India in 2009. The T&T boys under the inspirational leadership of Ganga reached the finals, only to lose out to New South Wales Blues.
In 2010 Guyana won the regional title and represented the region in the 2010 edition in South Africa, making a first round exit.
