Sampath: Shillingford no excuse for losing

MANAGER of the TT Red Force Roland Sampath said his team is not using the excuse that spin bowler Shane Shillingford's illegal bowling action cost them the match.

The Dominican grabbed five wickets against the Guyana Jaguars in round one, before taking 12 wickets in a Man-of-the Match performance last month against Red Force to help his team to a 76-run victory at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba.

Shillingford was unplayable vs TT, taking six wickets for 74 runs in 27.1 overs in the first innings and six for 73 in 35 overs in the second as the hosts were bowled out for 225 and 193 respectively.

It is unclear if Shillingford will play any further part in the regional competition as he has been suspended by Cricket West Indies (CWI) for an illegal action. He is out of the Windward Islands squad for today's match against Jamaica Scorpions.

The former Test spinner is no stranger to this unfortunate situation and has been banned in the past for the same reason.

Asked if the Red Force were suspicious of Shillingford's action during the match against the Volcanoes, Sampath said, "He always had a suspicious action and damage was already done. What should I say? We cannot reverse that (defeat). When he goes the extra 'mile' he will get results, he will get wickets."

Sampath made it clear though they were not making excuses for their loss. "No (it is not an excuse), you asked me my opinion. I said he had a suspicious action and damage already done – irreversible," he said.

According to DBS Radio, the Dominican was apparently reported following Windward Islands Volcanoes first-round match against Guyana Jaguars in St Lucia. Video footage was subsequently sent to England for analysis, confirming the suspicion of match officials.