(Trinidad Express) Former Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga was told before the Nokia Champions League (CLT20) Twenty20 Tournament in India in September that the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) wanted to remove him as skipper.
According to a captain’s report from Ganga to the TTCB, some unnamed players informed him of TTCB president Azim Bassarath’s intentions to remove him from the helm of the T&T squad “by the end of the year”.
The Express yesterday obtained a copy of the report, which stated that some players were concerned about the stability of the team.
The report also asked for this and other team issues to be resolved, including retainer contracts for players, so they can focus solely on cricket, as well as Bassarath’s public statements on the team’s performances.
Trinidad and Tobago narrowly missed out on the CLT20 semi-finals after losing the first two of their four Group Stage matches.
Ganga also requested a meeting to discuss the issues and rectify the situation before next season.
The former West Indies opener quit as T&T captain last month and the issue has been up in the air since West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president Dinanath Ramnarine suggested at a press conference earlier this month that there was a plot by the TTCB to force Ganga out of the national team.
TTCB president Bassarath and chairman of selectors Dudnath Ramkessoon have denied there was any plot to get rid of the 32-year-old batsman.
Since his resignation, Ganga missed the cut in Trinidad and Tobago’s 14-man squad for the Caribbean T20 tournament next month.
T&T will be skippered by West Indies wicket-keeper, Denesh Ramdin.
When contacted yesterday, Ganga, who is currently recovering from injury, declined comment on the matter. The Express was also unable to reach Bassarath for comment.
Ramkessoon, however, recently suggested Ganga could maintain his place in the T&T four-day team after good performances in that form of the game in 2011.
And during a speech last week at a media luncheon at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), Bassarath also hinted that there was still room for the right-handed batsman.
“Daren is still available as a player,” Bassarath said, “and just as the great (Australia’s Ricky) Ponting, (New Zealand’s Daniel) Vettori and (South Africa’s) Graeme Smith, among others, have displayed, there is life after captaincy.”
