Cricket in Guyana, beleaguered as it already is, is almost certain to face its darkest hour in the next few weeks as the off field crisis continues to intensify. Today the Guyana Cricket Board announced a 31 member provisional squad for the WICB Regional 4 Day Tournament while the Government of Guyana’s Interim Management Committee headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd announced a 30 member squad of its own.

The vast majority of players have been named on both squads however the West Indies Cricket Board Board of Directors is set to meet later this week to review the situation and decide on Guyana's fate.

Although the GCB has named a squad it has no access to resources as its offices at the Bourda Cricket Ground remained padlocked by the government.

The IMC has invited the players it has selected to assemble at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport tomorrow at 1pm.

 

With the Government of Guyana insistent that its IMC must manage cricket in Guyana and the new Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Anil Nandlall publicly declaring that the GCB is ‘defunct’ the government seems intent on not backing down.

The WICB has already made its position clear, that it will only accept a Guyana team as provided by the GCB which it says it recognizes as the authorised governing body for cricket in Guyana. With the GCB having no access to its resources and the IMC selecting its own squad Guyana’s participation in the Regional 4 Day is now in serious jeopardy.

This latest chapter in the imbroglio resembles the one leading up the Caribbean Twenty20 with Guyana’s participation becoming a last minute reality. Guyana failed to emerge from the group stage of the regional tournament.

 

The situation for Guyana’s cricket appears worsened in this instance as Guyana is scheduled to host the Leeward Islands in the opening round of the Regional 4 Day. Further the WICB Board of Directors took a decision to play all matches in this year’s Regional 4 Day at the international venue. Guyana’s current international venue is the Guyana National Stadium which is owned by government.

The WICB is likely to move the match from the Guyana National Stadium to a venue in the Leeward Islands – most likely Antigua where the WICB is headquartered.

 

If the GCB is not able to provide a Guyana team then it appears as though, with the WICB holding firm to ICC directives, the Guyanese players will be shut out from participating in the Regional 4 Day. Guyana’s non-participation in the Regional 4 Day could jeopardize its players – such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Devendra Bishoo – qualifying to play for the West Indies against Australia who are scheduled to tour the Caribbean in March and April.