Another regional cricket season is upon us and all fans of the game are anxiously looking forward to the Red Force national team making a bold and successful claim for the four-day crown which has eluded us for several years.Our team comprises proven match-winners and we have already started off the new season in fantastic style by claiming a hat-trick of Caribbean T20 tournament titles.
This has been attributed to the wonderful job accomplished by the national selectors as well as the full support of the T&T Cricket Board and the astute leadership of team captain Denesh Ramdin and manager Omar Khan.T&T cricketers deserve the backing of the entire national community in their quest and not be distracted by off-the-field issues that have so often in the past bedevilled regional campaigns in the past.
I refer specifically to Minister of Sports Anil Roberts who must restrain his "enthusiasm" to browbeat the national cricket organisation when his plans go wrong.Though he pretends otherwise, Roberts knows fully well that the consistent success of T&T cricket has not come out of a magician's hat, but by the hard work and visionary leadership of the T&TCB.
Despite being deprived of substantial funding which it desperately needs the national organisation has been able to put forward and execute its plans and programmes which ensures that T&T shines like a beacon in the cricket world.Roberts' must realise that bashing the T&TCB will not earn him any points since the cricketing public is actually quite well informed and have the organisation's proven track record of success to refer to in any debate that involves the competency of the present administrators.
Also, former national captain Daren Ganga and ex-president of the West Indies Players' Association Dinanath Ramnarine must also get behind the T&TCB and the national team and not create unnecessary diversions.
Ramdeo Harripersad,
Caroni Village