Nagamootoo Lucky; Ramdass Isn't
Despite being excluded from last Sunday's El Dorado inter-county one-day final between Demerara and Berbice, experienced leg-spinning all-rounder Mahendra agamootoo has been given another lease on his cricketing career by Guyana's national selectors.
The controversial Nagamootoo was axed by the Berbice selectors after participating in the first two round-robin preliminary matches against Essequibo and Demerara played at the Blairmont and Wales ground respectively.
Alluding to advice from new captain, Damodar Daesrath who claimed that the former West Indies player was uncooperative and citing his alleged onfield behaviour, the Berbice selectors opted to enter the final without the player who had led the county up to last year.
Speculation was therefore rife as to what action, if any, acting chairman of the national selectors, Lennox Hunte, Claude Raphael and Alfred Maycock would have taken. In the end, they they opted for Nagamootoo.
The irony of it all, Nagamootoo's omission got the full sanction of national coach Albert Smith who in his capacity of chairman of the Berbice selection panel, featured prominently at the meeting called to discuss the player's alleged misconduct.
While the elder Nagamotoo is set to once more join vice-captain Neil McGarrell as Guyana's main spinning combination, his brother and long-standing national wicket-keeper Vishal was not so lucky. The stodgy right-hander and competent keeper has made way for debutant Demerara Cricket Club's hard-hitting batsman and wicket-keeper Derwin Christian.
The no-nonsense Christian, who enjoyed a fine season in Trinidad and Tobago, is one of two newcomers in the 14-man squad, the other being off-spinner Imran Jafferally, a surprise pick ahead of fellow off-spinner Zaheer Mohamed who isn't even among the six standby players.
Mohamed, whose batting has also improved tremendously, was Guyana's leading scorer in this year's Under-19 competition, played in Jamaica and made his senior debut in this year's Carib Beer tournament.
Fast bowler Reon King is also set to relaunch his regional first class career after returning to the Demerara side with a fair amount of success.The 29-year-old has just completed a successful season in the Durham League.
Plagued by injury and loss of form, King last played for Guyana in the opening matches of the 2003 regional four-day tournament but failed to complete the competition.
A subsequent contract with Northerns Cricket Union in South Africa saw him missing last year's Red Stripe Bowl sponsored one-day tournament.
Mystery surrounds the status of opener Ryan Ramdass who represented Guyana in last year's Red Stripe Bowl One-day tournament, slamming a half century in the process. The attacking right-hander also made 91 for the West Indies B team in this year's regional four-day competition. After his stint in this year's West Indies Cricket Board Academy, Ramdass toured Barbados under coach Roger Harper and performed admirably.
Unless he was injured, and this was not reported in the Guyana media, his exclusion from the Demerara one-day side and subsequently the Guyana team, remains mystifying.
Guyana will once again be led by West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul with McGarrell his deputy.
After last year's big hurrah over the captaincy, the selectors and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) had their job made easy with the forced withdrawal of West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan who will miss the entire tournament because of a knee ailment. Sarwan, the recent Champions Trophy Player of the Tournament, is reportedly in Miami seeking treatment.
Team: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Neil McGarrell (vice-captain) Krishna Arjune, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Lennox Cush, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Damodar Daesrath, Darwin Christian (wicketkeeper), Mahendra Nagamootoo, Imran Jafferally, Reon King, Esaun Crandon and Rayon Griffith.
Standbys: Royston Crandon, Hemnarine Harrinarine, Vishaul Nagamootoo, Trevon Garraway, Sauid Drepaul and Dinesh Joseph.
The manager is Carl Moore and Albert Smith the coach.