“Daren Ganga leads T&T’s Red Force back to Caribbean T-20 Championship for 2011!”

Jan 30, 2011 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is soon, but, first, to immediate business; Trinidad & Tobago, playing unbeaten, again being regional T-20 champions (2011). Daren Ganga was again the happy captain.
Colin Croft (CC): Even with the excitement, you are a very reflective person.  Was that win in the Caribbean T-20 2011 as easy for T&T as it looked?
Daren Ganga (DG): It was not! This world of sports is amazing.  Six months ago, we lost the 2010 T-20 semi-final to Guyana. Then, we were not able to retain our 50-over championship.  There was much criticism and many doubts about the quality of our team, and how well we would do this time in.
This is just testimony that T-20 cricket is very volatile. As we bask in the glory of this championship, if we do not go on to win the 2011 Champions League, or if we do not regain this title next year, it will not be testimony that we are a bad team. That is the reality of this version of the game. It is very important for supporters and doubters to understand that!
CC: You normally look ahead.  Champions League 2011; India; is six months away. Can you maintain this intensity?
DG: We have designed a structure to play T-20 cricket, how we approach T-20 overall, and the varying situations in that version of the game. I think that communications is paramount, players all understanding their responsibilities and roles. That is exactly what we are trying to do at this level.
It is cricket, at the end of the day. There is need to apply thought throughout, understand situations.  We encourage players to think on their feet, understand what is happening around them, assess conditions, and to make calculated decisions.
If you continue doing that, you will get positive results.  Those are habits that we are trying to inculcate in our players.  It is already paying good dividends.
CC: T&T lost the Champions League T-20 2009 final. After also losing Caribbean T-20 2010 final, you said that T&T must come back, in 2011, ‘for our game!’ You are back! What about the 2011 final then?
DG: It is very difficult to say that you will win any tournament, especially a T-20 tournament.  It is important to have players in prime form and to understand that that is critical to team dynamics.
If you dissect a T-20 game, your top three batters need to be in good nick, to lay proper foundations, but flexibility is necessary too.
Much went well for us, and a lot happened positively because of the preparation that we put in to appear in this tournament. We know, from experience, that, critically, tournaments are won on the training fields, and that is exactly what we will try to do for Champions League T-20 2011.
CC: Daren Bravo has been brilliant. I do not agree that he is just a ‘young Brian Lara’. He is an excellent prospect, who could have his own character in international cricket.
DG: Many have seen semblances of Brian in Daren’s batsmanship. He recognizes that those are very big shoes to fill. Daren’s cricket is based on Brian’s efforts as a batsman. It has given Daren rewards, proving to be very successful in his game. He knows that cricket is always a learning game, one that teaches as progress is made. I am sure that he will continue to learn.
Daren is indeed a great talent, developing very well. He has moved from No. 5 to batting at No. 3.  He is learning that it is not just about talent, but working hard in some situations.
Both Daren and Adrian Barrath are two young, very exciting players for both T&T and West Indies.  We will try our level best to nurture these guys and to make them the best they can possibly be.
CC: Lendyl Simmons – ‘Man of the Series’ in Caribbean T-20 2011 – yet cannot make West Indies 30 called up for ICC CWC 2011, much less the final XV. Is something wrong there?
DG: Of course. There is a formal investigation as to why he has not been involved. I will not pre-empt.  Lendyl is another very talented player. Batsmen recognize that consistency is very important, our biggest challenge. For the last 12-18 months, he has been on the outside, talked about in a very negative light.
It just goes to show that when care is taken of a player, with efforts and focus put on that player, most times, that feel-good factor will have a positive impact on his state of play. We West Indians need to understand the ‘man-management’ in cricket. The key is player motivation, especially for young players from varying backgrounds.
It is very important to make sure that they are well taken care of, feel valued in a team context.  Lendyl will definitely be playing international cricket in the near future.  We hope that he will maintain the consistency that is required for that level.
CC: There are also Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo to come back into your Champions League 2011 team. How do you deal with their considerations?
DG: There are many permutations ahead. Many people need to put their heads together and come up with correct decisions in order to go forward, and to do so in very quick time. There is no time to ponder. It is about making firm decisions that are going to be beneficial to all parties involved.  That would require substantial dialogue, investigation, and research as to what could transpire in India. Whatever decisions are made, we hope and expect that they will be in the best interest of T&T’s cricket.
CC: Many suggest that you are the best cricket captain in the Caribbean. You too were not in West Indies 30, much less consideration for the last 15. Yet, as captain of Trinidad & Tobago, you keep winning tournaments?
DG: They say that doing well in regional tournaments is the prerequisite for being selected for West Indies international duty. Prior to 2010-2011, for the last two years or so, I have been averaging, as a batsman, the highest in our 50-overs competitions, and helping to win titles for T&T. Yet, I cannot even be considered in a 30-man squad.
Ahead for me is playing cricket for Trinidad & Tobago. That is my focus. The selectors, whomsoever they may be, have got a job to do, and so do I, as captain of Trinidad & Tobago, and as a player.
Everything else will take care of itself. I am enjoying my cricket and we are getting success. I am having a wonderful time, seeing so many of our younger players develop into world beating potential. It is not just about Daren Ganga, and achieving what I want to achieve, as a player or captain. It is about ensuring that young players that come into the fray will develop in the correct manner.
That is probably the best thing of a leader; to recognize that talent and to make the right decisions so that these youngsters can develop properly and to fully blossom into being the players that they can be.
CC:  Thank you.

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