TRINIDAD and Tobago cricketers will travel to Canada next week to participate in a quadrangular Twenty20 tournament in Canada after all. The T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) yesterday announced that the cricketers, who are preparing for the Champions League T20 qualifying tournament in India next month, were rescued by corporate sponsors National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) and The National Gas Company (NGC). Only last week the TTCB were forced to opt out of a planned triangular competition involving hosts Canada and 2010 T20 World Cup finalists Afghanistan because of a lack of funds. A budget of $300,000 was prepared earlier this year but up to late last week the Board had not received the level of support required to make the trip.

However yesterday, TTCB first vice-president Dudnath Ramkessoon confirmed that a squad led by captain Daren Ganga, will indeed travel to Toronto for an August 11-13 quadrangular tournament.
The fourth team in the tournament will be the USA, and T&T will be hoping to get some much needed competitive action after a series of practice matches over the past month were severely hampered by inclement weather.
Ramkessoon yesterday expressed the TTCB’s appreciation for the intervention of the NLCB and NGC.
T&T qualified for the Airtel Champions League T20 tournament by winning the 2011 Caribbean T20 Championship in January.
Also making the trip to Canada will be West Indies opener Adrian Barath, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, along with Queen’s Park opener Justin Guillen and experienced chinaman bowler Dave Mohammed.
Brothers Darren and Dwayne Bravo, along with pacer Ravi Rampaul and opener Lendl Simmons are among the notable names missing from the squad. But Ramkessoon said yesterday that those players are also in the running for the final T&T squad for the Champions League.
“A few players have been left out,” Ramkessoon told the Express. “We’re still in the preparation stage, so we’re still giving a few players the opportunity to address the selectors prior to the selection to the team. It’s just a four-nation tournament (in Canada) and it’s just three matches.”
T&T will also be without regular coach Kelvin Williams for the Canadian tour, as he will travel to Australia with Kevon Cooper and Sunil Narine where the players are expected to do tests on their respective bowling actions.
In his stead, former T&T coach David Williams will join the T&T technical team.