Ganga leads 15-member WI 'A' squad

DAREN Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago captain, has been appointed to lead the West Indies A side for the Sri Lankan tour which starts on June 19.

Ganga, 26, has played 31 Tests for West Indies, and was also the captain on the last A tour to England in 2002. The Trinidadian right-hander will be joined on the management team by Ian Allen (coach) and Lyndel Wright (manager).

The naming of the 15-man squad had been delayed owing to pay disputes between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA). Both parties finally reached an agreement earlier this week.

The squad also includes players who took part in West Indies' recent series against South Africa and Pakistan - Tino Best, Narsingh Deonarine and Dwayne Smith have all been named in the line-up.

Others, like Marlon Samuels, Dave Bernard jnr, Jermaine Lawson and Carlton Baugh, who have been out of the West Indies side, get another chance to reclaim their spots. Nikita Miller, the left-arm spinner from Jamaica, and Ryan Ramdass, the Guyanese opener, have been rewarded for the consistent domestic performances.

Coach Ian Allen, who holds a Level 2 coaching certificate, has served recently as coach of the Windward Islands first class side. The 39-year-old Vincentian played in two Tests for the West Indies on the 1991 tour of England.

The manager, Lyndel Wright, served for four years as manager of the Jamaican national team before he was fired in December 2003.

WEST INDIES A SQUAD: Daren Ganga (capt), Ryan Ramdass, Xavier Marshall, Marlon Samuels, Narsingh Deonarine (vice-capt), Dwayne Smith, Runako Morton, Dave Bernard jnr, Carlton Baugh (wk), Dave Mohammed, Nikita Miller, Dwight Washington, Tino Best, Jermaine Lawson, Kerry Jeremy.

[cricinfo/caribcric]