Ganga for Champions 20/20

Daren Ganga will be leading the national cricket team to the Champions League in India after Energy Minister Conrad Enill intervened on his behalf in the dispute with his employers Petrotrin over the allowance of time-off to represent the country.

Ganga had allegedly already utilised 37 working days in 2009 while on national duty, well above the one month per annum allowed by the state-owned company.

Despite being lenient with Ganga in the past, FIFA vice president Jack Warner blasted Petrotrin for restricting one of TT’s leading athletes from representing his country.

Since learning of the dispute, Warner has been campaigning for the former West Indies batsman, taking his argument to the media and the government.

A disappointed Ganga, wrote to the TT Cricket Board (TTCB), West Indies Players association (WIPA) and West Indies Cricket Board seeking support and redress but it was the intervention of Warner that counted.

Warner called Enill allegedly after an unsuccessful attempt to meet Minister of Sport Gary Hunt and he was assured that Ganga would be given the required time-off to compete.

Warner described the attempt by Petrotrin to hinder Ganga from competing in the inaugural competition as unpatriotic and praised Enill for resolving the situation.

Ganga will leave with the national team on Friday for Guyana to play two practice matches before leaving for India on October 4 to contest for US$2.5 million.

Warner has been calling for a sport policy for persons on national duty for quite some time and pointed out that Ganga’s feud with his employers could have been avoided if one was in place.

T&T Newsday