T&T's progress jeopardises travel plans

Trinidad and Tobago's progress to the finals of the Champions League Twenty20 in India has created an unusual dilemma for the national cricket board (TTCB), which is struggling to send its players back home in time for the WICB President's Cup that gets underway on October 28. T&T play New South Wales in the Champions League final in Hyderabad on Friday.

Forbes Persaud, the TTCB's chief executive, said the WICB had rejected a request to change the dates of the domestic one-day tournament in Guyana. They were still trying to get confirmed tickets for the players, he said, and that the squad may return in two batches. Colin Borde, the team manager, told Cricinfo that the team's departure was originally booked for October 19, ironically because nobody expected the team to perform this well.

"Well, we came on British Airways but they can't secure enough seats for the whole team so we have been trying some other options like Virgin Airlines," Persaud told the Trinidad and Tobago Express. "They [the tournament organisers] probably didn't believe we would have reached this far in the tournament so there were no reservations for us."

Persaud, who in India with the team, said the majority of the team would probably leave on Sunday, a day later than intended, on two separate flights. They will then dash to Georgetown, Guyana, fight off jet lag and take on Jamaica in their opening game.

Deryck Murray, the TTCB president, was however confident his team would make it back in time. "This situation is a reality of life for the modern-day cricketer with a packed schedule. But for us, this is a nice problem to have since we always intended to make it to the final," Murray told the paper.

Participation in the President's Cup is crucial for the players as it serves as a selection trial for the tour of Australia, more so for the senior players who went on strike with the WICB over contracts.