Rampaul out for six weeks

T&T cricketers quest for top honours in the 2009 Regional four-day tournament received a major setback when fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was ruled out for the next six weeks due to a fractured finger on his left hand. Rampaul injured his finger while attempting to take a return catch from Darren Bravo on Sunday during the Pizza Hut/QPCC Gerry Gomez Memorial Cup Cricket Classic between North and South at the Queen’s Park Oval. Rampaul is expected to miss at least four matches in the regional competition, which bowls off on January 9. T&T will play Barbados in their opening round match.

According to manager/coach of the South team, Baldath Bodoe, Rampaul was sent to the St Clair Medical Centre yesterday and will visit Dr Terry Ali on Friday. Bodoe who is in his first stint as coach of the South team said that Rampaul is disapointed about the injury. “Ravi (Rampaul) is disappointed. He was looking forward to a good regional tournament to earn a place back on the West Indies team,” Bodoe said. Rampaul has joined West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo on the injured list. Bravo underwent surgery to his left ankle in October and is targetting a return to competitive cricket in February. So far, Bravo has missed the Stanford 2020 Super Series, the tri-nation series in August, the ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and the current tour of New Zealand. NY

Trinidad Guardian