Star duo keen to play for T&T in Champions League

CMC

Thursday, January 27, 2011

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — All-rounder Dwayne Bravo says he and his West Indies counterpart Kieron Pollard will make themselves available for Trinidad and Tobago's trip to the Airtel Champions League, despite opting for Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash over the Caribbean T20.

Neither Bravo nor Pollard was part of the T&T squad which played unbeaten to win the CT20 last Sunday in Barbados, defeating English county Hampshire in the final at Kensington Oval.

Bravo chose to play for Victoria's Bushrangers while Pollard turned out for the South Australia Redbacks.

"I know there has been talk, Keiron Pollard and I put club before country but this was not the case," the 27-year-old said.

"We had discussions with the president of the T&T Cricket Board, Azim Bassarath, and also with the chairman of the selection panel, Dudnath Ramkessoon, and they give us their blessings. So it was a case of a lot of people having a say and in the end we decided to go to Australia."

Without them, T&T produced a series of clinical performances to romp through the CT20, to clinch their second berth in three years at the lucrative CLT20.

Last time they were there in 2009, they shocked the cricket world by playing unbeaten against more experienced T20 teams to reach the final before losing to New South Wales of Australia.

Bravo and Pollard were members of that successful unit and the leading Windies all-rounder said he was keen to suit up again.

"The Champions league is quite a while away but both Pollard and I will be making ourselves available to play for T&T," Bravo said.

"Once given the opportunity we will be looking to go out there and represent T&T well and build on the good work the guys did in the Caribbean T20 series."

Bravo's Victoria had a poor campaign in the Big Bash, racking up four losses and a win to be eliminated early while Pollard's South Australia are top of the standings after just one defeat.

Pollard was outstanding, averaging nearly 50 with the bat and then topping the bowling averages while Bravo struggled in both departments, with 47 runs from four innings and just two wickets to show for his bowling efforts.