Preview by Gokul Gopal
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Hyderabad, Sep 20: Trinidad and Tobago set the right foot forward as they got their qualifiers campaign off to a winning start. However, they will be facing a tougher challenge when they take on Leicestershire, who would be determined to keep the Caribbean side off the Champions League.
Trinidad and Tobago: The Daren Ganga led side did manage to overcome the Ruhuna Rhinos in the opening match of the CL T20 qualifiers and keep alive their hopes of making it to the main event. However, there is a lot room for improvement, having witnessed their performance in that game.
The bowlers did a good job in bogging down the Ruhana batsmen and picking up regular wickets. Despite a fifty from Chandimal, the Rhinos could only manage a total of 138. Ravi Rampaul was the best of the lot, picking up 2/17 off his 4 overs. Kevin Cooper too was economical, giving away 18 runs off his 4 overs while managing to pick up a wicket. Apart from Lendl Simmons, who gave away 30 runs off his 2 overs, the rest of the bowlers did a fairly decent job.
The Caribbean batsmen though did not quite seem up to the task, particularly the top order. They let the pressure get the better of them and could not get the team off to a good start in a tricky chase. The likes of Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath fell cheaply and that meant a lot of work load for the middle order. Darren Bravo, a very talented player, was not quite in his elements. Although he scored an unbeaten 44, he consumed a lot of deliveries which meant that the chase was going down the wire. It required a blitzy 39 off 15 balls by Sherwin Ganga at the end which saw the Caribbean side through. The Trinidad skipper, while banking on his bowlers, would be hoping for a better effort from the batters as they are a win away from qualifying for the CL while a loss could lead to an early flight back home.
Leicestershire: The champions of the Friends Provident League will be making their first appearance in the Champions League and they would be wanting to make their presence felt immediately. Following a pretty long T20 season, which started on June 1 this year, Leicestershire, who played 18 matches in total, made their trip to India along with Somerset, who they defeated by 18 runs in the finals.
The team may not comprise of star players, but what they have is a bunch of talented players who have proved their worth in the T20 format. In Andrew McDonald, they have the highest run-accumulator of the FL T20 2011 - McDonald scored 584 runs at an average of 53.09, including 7 half-centuries. The team also consists of youngsters like James Taylor and Joshua Cobb who have been performing consistently with the bat. Experienced players like Paul Nixon and Will Jefferson provide the ideal balance to the side. Not to forget, the English county side also has the Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who can prove to be a lethal proposition for the opponents, especially in sub-continent conditions.
When it comes to bowling, skipper Matthew Hoggard leads the pack that consists the likes of South African Claude Henderson and 21-year old left-arm pacer Harry Gurney. The bowling line-up also has Andrew McDonald and Abdul Razzaq, who are also very capable with the ball as with the bat. Hoggard has a very balanced squad filled up with players who have all-round capabilities and he will not like to return from India empty-handed.
Quotes:
It is good to get a win. This will give us a lot of confidence. We played the extra batsman. Simmons conceded big runs but Rampaul did well to pull it back. Our batters are in good nick and we look to take it forward: Daren Ganga, following the win against the Ruhana Rhinos.
I know if I perform well it is a good thing for Pakistan cricket and players as well. I am sure after this trip our players will also be able to play in the IPL again. I know if I perform well it is a good thing for Pakistan cricket and players as well: Abdul Razzaq, eager to make an impression.
Teams:
Trinidad and Tobago (From): Daren Ganga(c), Ravi Rampaul, William Perkins, Jason Mohammed, Rayad Emrit, Darren Bravo, Samuel Badree, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin(w), Sunil Narine, Dave Mohammed, Shannon Gabriel, Kevon Cooper, Adrian Barath, Sherwin Ganga
Leicestershire (From): Matthew Hoggard(c), James Taylor, Paul Nixon(w), Andrew McDonald, Claude Henderson, Jacques Du Toit, Nathan Buck, Abdul Razzaq, Wayne White, Greg Smith, Jigar Naik, Will Jefferson, Harry Gurney, Joshua Cobb, Matthew Boyce.
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