West Indies Domestic: Trinidad drop six for Busta decider

Port-of-Spain - Amidst talk that players' match fees might have been withheld following a two-day drubbing last weekend, Trinidad and Tobago have made sweeping changes and are massively strengthened for their decisive final round Busta Cup clash against Barbados starting today.

Captain Brian Lara, his appearances at this level limited during the last three seasons, heads seven new faces in a Trinidad and Tobago team that desperately needs a victory to stand a chance of qualifying for the semifinals.

Daren Ganga, Mervyn Dillon and Marlon Black, all affected by injuries and ailments this season, have also been named in a squad of 13 which features the notable exclusions of Lincoln Roberts and Suruj Ragoonath, who announced his retirement a few days ago.

Beaten by nine wickets mainly because of paltry team scores of 72 and 119, the team immediately drew strong condemnation from Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board president Alloy Lequay.

In a hard-hitting statement, Lequay asked manager Bryan Davis to 'advise if the withholding of payments of fees for the match is justified'.

The topic was the centre of discussion on a radio phone-in programme here yesterday with many callers not in support for the players' matches fees to be withheld. As it turned out, however, the players were paid yesterday, three days after returning from Jamaica.

Trinidad and Tobago can only qualify for the last four if they beat Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands fail to secure at least first innings points in their matches against leaders Jamaica and second-placed Guyana starting tomorrow.

For Barbados, a semifinal place is not yet guaranteed.

As is stands, they can finish first, second, third, fourth or fifth when the preliminary round is completed on Tuesday.

A worst-case scenario is a defeat here and victories for the Leewards and the Windwards. Those results will end Barbados' reign as champions.

Once they do not lose to Lara's men, they will go through to the semifinals.

'We are aware of all the equations. We have studied them very carefully,' captain Philo Wallace said before afternoon rain affected their practice session at the Queen's Park Oval yesterday.

'We will be approaching this game in the same way that we have approached all the others. If we can get maximum points, it will be a bonus.'

They will no doubt approach this match with confidence after their victory inside three days against the Windwards in Dominica.

It carried them to third place on 32 points, behind Jamaica (44) and Guyana (36). The table is completed by Leewards (21), Windwards (20) and Trinidad and Tobago (12).

Trinidad and Tobago, last year's runners-up, have had a wretched season which has culminated in Lequay's stinging attack. Now, Lara, Ganga, Dillon and Black, along with West Indies youth players Rodney Sooklal and Zaheer Ali and the recalled Keno Mason are back to help their cause.

The 27-year-old Mason, who last played for Trinidad and Tobago in 1997, is a specialist batsman, but has been asked to keep wicket in place of Navin Chan.

Apart from Roberts and Chan, the others losing their places after Jamaica are Anil Balliram, Darryl Brown, Ken Hazel and Asif Jan.

The team is: Brian Lara (captain), Daren Ganga, Imran Jan, Denis Rampersad, Richard Smith, Keno Mason, Mervyn Dillon, Dinanath Ramnarine, Mukesh Persad, Marlon Black, Rodney Sooklal, Zaheer Ali, Gregory Mahabir.

Umpires: Billy Doctrove (Dominica), Zainul Maccum (Trinidad).