Guyana Axes Nagas, Cush
Guyana's national selectors dropped a bombshell Wednesday when they omitted West Indies all-rounder and national vice-captain Mahendra Nagamootoo from the Carib Beer Cup squad. Also axed were experienced opening batsman Azeemul Haniff, and middle-order batsmen Lennox Cush and Andre Percival from the squad that played the three away Carib Beer matches.
In their places come four new caps -- including 16-year-old Leon Johnson -- in the 13-man squad to face the Leewards Islands in a Carib Beer fourth round clash starting at the Enmore Community Centre ground Friday.
They are Georgetown Cricket Club?s teenaged left-handed batsman Leon Johnson, East Coast Under-19 all-rounder Zaheer Mohamed and Berbicians in left-arm spinner Hemnarine Harrinarine and all-rounder Damodar Daesrat.
And Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) batsman Travis Dowlin will take over from Nagamootoo as vice-captain.
The Guyana thirteen-man squad under manager Carl Moore and coach Albert Smith returned home on Tuesday night after losing all their matches outright and in the process registering no points in their three-away games against Barbados, Jamaica and Windward Islands.
The Guyana?s batting in those matches was far from impressive and from all reports, they showed a lack of commitment.
The team?s showing was so much a cause for concern, that the GCB under president Chetram Singh convened a meeting yesterday at the Board?s Office at which all the Area Board presidents were present, along with the national selectors, skipper Neil McGarrell and manager and coach of the Guyana team. Also present was public relations officer Terry Holder.
The meeting, Chronicle Sport was reliably informed, dealt with the overall performance of the team and what went wrong in a frank and amicable manner.
The revamped squad reads: Neil McGarrell (captain), Travis Dowlin,(vice-captain) Sewnarine Chattergoon, Krishna Arjune, Narsingh Deonarine, Vishal Nagamootoo, Reon Thomas, Rayon Griffith and Esan Crandon. Damodar Dasrat, Zaheer Mohamed, Leon Johnson and Hemnarine Harrinarine.
* From Guyana Chronicle.