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Stanford 20/20

Ganga: Fans drove us to succeed

Roger Seepersad

February 26, 2008

	Daren Ganga hopes to give T&T fans plenty to cheer about in the future as well © Stanford 20/20

Trinidad and Tobago cricket has been elevated to a new level with the success of the senior team over the last few years and Daren Ganga, their captain, believes it is the expectations of the fans that enabled them to walk away as 2008 Stanford 20/20 champions.

"We won the KFC Cup, the Carib Beer Series and the Carib Challenge trophy, but there was one tournament that we really could not conquer, one prize that we could not get our hands on, the Stanford 20/20 title," Ganga said T&T's nine-wicket win over Jamaica in the final in Coolidge.

"The memories we recalled from that final game in 2006 really hurt us and really pained us and I think the expectations of people in Trinidad and Tobago have grown tremendously in the last few years and we as players have different feelings now from what we are accustomed to.

"We really believed we could go all the way and it was that expectation from everyone that really drove us. It was a fantastic ride for us in the tournament."

Ganga recalled making his national debut back in 1997, noting that T&T would play year after year, making it to the semi-final or finishing runners-up and not winning the titles. "The recent success of the team is really heartening for me and I am sure for the younger players as well," he said. "It is not the end of the road, it is just a continuation of the success...and we look forward to that support from our fans in the future."

With celebrations going on all around him at Piarco, Ganga remained focussed on the job at hand. "We head straight into the Carib Beer Series four-day competition and we need to turn around and get ready for that game against Jamaica on Friday and we look forward to that continued support from our fans."

© Trinidad & Tobago Express