PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A disappointed Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga says changes will have to be made to the side following another inept batting which led to a 29-run defeat to Leeward Islands on Monday.
“Our batting has been our problem from the start of the tournament and it continues to be and after what we have noticed [in this game], changes must be made to the team,” said the former West Indies opener. “There are a number of young players around and I am sure they would like an opportunity to get in and give it a try at the regional level.” Chasing a modest 183 for victory, only Sherwin Ganga with 77 got more than 20 as T&T folded for 153 in their second innings at Queen’s Park Oval. Ganga, the leading run-scorer for his side this season with 375 runs, said more batsmen needed to take responsibility for building T&T totals.
“Denesh Ramdin, Sherwin Ganga and myself have been carrying the batting all the while but we need others to come forward at this point in time,” he pointed out.
“We still have two games left and we are looking to cement our place in the semi-finals.”
He added: “We never wanted to be in this position but this is the case and we need to move on from here. We knew chasing 183 runs would have been difficult but the manner in which some of the guys at the top of the order got out, is very disappointing indeed.”
Despite the loss, T&T remained second in the standings on 37 points, two points adrift of Jamaica who they meet in the next round in Kingston. For the Leewards, it was their first win of the season after three defeats in four matches and captain Steve Liburd says he believes his side can still push on to reach the semi-finals. “Beating Trinidad and Tobago at home is a big deal for us and we would definitely use this to push us forward,” Liburd said. “We still believe we can make a semi-final spot and this win has given us a lot of confidence.”
