Suruj Ragoonath

This extremely aggressive right handed opening batsman from Trinidad & Tobago may have thought that his chances of playing Test cricket would have passed him two years ago. That season, he scored two regional centuries and two fifties, but could not displace the openers. With the despondency, he lost form and fitness over the last year.

He actually had a broken hand late last year and only played in three of the five preliminary games in the 1999 regional Busta Cup competition. However, he did manage two half centuries in his last four innings, and things being as they are in the Caribbean, that is impressive. To date, his regional average for 1999 is just about 30. His last fifty came on the same day the team was selected for the first Test and with only one opener, Sherwin Campbell, assured of his place, Ragoonath's timing could not have been more perfect . He and Darren Ganga put on 99 for the first wicket before being separated. The rest of the team then capitulated and died.

Ragoonath was actually a policeman in his younger days, even though he is only now 27. He has a reputation of ``taking no prisoners'' when it comes to fast bowlers. He has been around for some time in regional cricket and has been on a West Indies ``A'' team tour in 1995 with limited success. His approach to faster bowlers is simple. ``Be aggressive to them before they dismantle you.'' At least Glen McGrath found that out on the selection day when he was hooked several times for boundaries by Ragoonath in compiling his half century. Perhaps because of his past association with the law, he is not one for fear. His aggression as a batsman, especially hooking and cutting could stand him in good stead if he gets lucky. However, it has sometimes been his downfall too, as he lacks the experiences to really turn the screws. This could be his time. His fielding is reliable too. Who says that one does not get a second chance? (Colin Croft, March 1999)