http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Burns-Why-we-left-out-Darren-Bravo--282228191.htmlTrinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) chairman of selectors Alec Burns says top T&T and Windies batsman Darren Bravo was excluded from the squad because he didn’t attend training, was not in contact with the selectors and didn’t make himself available.
Several calls to secure a response from Bravo failed when his cellphone went unanswered.
The TTCB issued the Red Force team to the media yesterday, stating that the TTCB executive had accepted the recommendation by the its selction committee, chaired by Burns, to appoint Rayad Emrit and Jason Mohammed as captain and vice-captain respectively.
TTCB nominated member and former sport minister Manohar Ramsaran was appointed manager.
Contacted by the Express yesterday to explain why the West Indies batsman was not included in the Red Force 13-man squad named Sunday for the 2014/15 WICB’s Professional Cricket League, Burns said, “We never included him (Bravo) because he never turned up... nobody knows about Darren Bravo at this stage what his status is. He never turned up, there was no communication from Darren Bravio (to us). There was a pre-arranged meeting that he agreed to attend he never attended. At least my information is he never attended. He never called to say what is the position or whatever and that is the most we know about Darren Bravo so far.”
Burns said the final squad which includes demoted T&T captain Denesh Ramdin, who claimed victimisation from the TTCB because of his involvement with the WI players’ withdrawal of the India tour last month, was selected after the practice match at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, on Sunday.
The Red Force will bowl off their campaign on Friday when they host Barbados at the Oval.
The team for the first two matches:
Evin Lewis
Lendl Simmons
Yannick Ottley
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Jason Mohammed
Denesh Ramdin
Akeal Hosein
Imran Khana
Rayad Emrit
Shannon Gabriel
Marlon Richards
Bryan Charles
Yannic Cariah