Tough Spot for Daesrath

A player given the responsibility of leading his national team in the dawn of his career is nothing new, it happens all the time. However, giving that player a team of players the majority of whom are as green or greener than him is another story.

Damodar Daesrath, in his second season of first-class cricket, will be leading the Guyana team onto the field when they take on Trinidad and Tobago in a first round match of the 2005 Carib Cup on January 7 at the Guaracara Park in Point-a-Pierre.

Of course, with Daesrath at the helm it?s obvious that the team is without Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, its two best batsmen, both representing the regional side Down Under. Also missing because of West Indies duties is fast bowler Reon King, who has emerged as spearhead of the Guyana attack in recent years. Add to the missing heap experienced batsmen Lennox Cush and Travis Dowlin, along with fast bowlers Reon Griffith and Esaun Crandon and you will get the picture I?m trying to paint.

Cush, Griffith, who has become somewhat of a fixture alongside King, and Crandon are all injured, while Dowlin has fallen out of favour with the selectors. In their stead come Troy Cornelius, Imran Jafferally and Trevon Garraway, all without first-class experience, teenager Assad Fudadin ? with two such games, and Rayon Thomas who played six of his nine games with the West Indies B team in 2003.

The left-handed Fudadin, long earmarked for big things, finally gets his chance with the big boys. Pundits have been singing his praise ever since his match-winning half-century in the final of what passed for the Under-15 World Cup in England in 200. He also handled himself well with the West Indies Under-19 but it is left to be seen how soon he can transfer his run-scoring prowess to this level.

Cornelius, another left-hander ? upright in stance, does not possess the same record of accomplishment as Fudadin but his consistency for Essequibo over the years, which culminated in his maiden century in the 2004 inter-county, was a huge factor in his inclusion.

Now, if these two batsmen were brought into a line-up which included the cushioning presence of Sarwan and Chanderpaul it would have been all well and good. However, they are entering a team where nobody averages 30 with the bat.

Narsingh Deonarine ? the biggest name in the line-up, averages 29.41 but has been presented with the perfect opportunity to start producing runs in the quantities he?s been promising for some time now. Fellow leftie Sewnarine Chattergoon and Krishna Arjune seem to have been around forever without making their mark, but now that they are obliged to wear the tag of senior players, it is imperative that they too step to the fore.

The bowling department is a bit better served with the seasoned spin pair Neil Mc Garrell and Mahendra Nagamootoo shouldering responsibilities. With experience in the Test and ODI arena, they should once again prove to be a handful for opposing batsmen but would need major backing from their support staff.

Thomas, who is arguably the fastest bowler in Guyana, is expected to share new ball duties with Demerara Cricket Club team mate Garraway ? a steadier bowler if a little less speedy. He would need to get his radar right however, if he is to be a force to reckon with. Garraway, like Thomas, is a graduate of the Shell Academy but to date, has been limited to representing Essequibo in the inter-county competitions.

Off-spinner Jafferally is once again a surprise pick, this time ahead of teenage all-rounder Zaheer Mohamed who appeared, albeit briefly, in the 2004 tournament. A steady bowler, Jafferally is not expected to play much of a role in the scheme of things.

Returning to the team is wicket-keeper Vishal Nagamootoo who was displaced by Derwin Christian for the limited-overs tournament. While Christian did not put a glove wrong during his stint, his removal can be linked directly to the return of chief selector Joe Solomon. Solomon was absent for the selection of the limited-over team and made a public announcement on his return that he had nothing to do with the ousting of the long-serving Nagamootoo.

That chain of events could be a positive for the team however since Nagamootoo, no slouch with the bat, could see this as a perfect opportunity to cement his place with some impressive scores.

Putting it simple, the Guyana team will find it difficult to compete with such an inexperienced bowling and inconsistent batting line-up. They could be hard pressed to avoid a repeat of the 2004 season when they returned from their overseas matches without a point. However, Guyanese fans can take heart from the fact that a very inexperienced Trinidad and Tobago team did carry off the regional one-day title against all the odds.

The team for the away matches against Trinidad and Tobago, the Leewards Islands, the Windwards Islands and Jamaica is: Damodar Daesrath (captain), Narsingh Deonarine (vice-captain), Ryan Ramdass, Krishna Arjune, Assad Fudadin, Troy Cornelius, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Vishal Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell, Imran Jafferally, Trevon Garraway and Rayon Thomas.

The reserves are: Zaheer Mohamed, Lennox Cush, Zamal Khan, Darwin Christian, Rayon Griffith, Esaun Crandon.