The ceremony celebrated the remarkable contributions of CWI Directors, Enoch Lewis, President of Leeward Island Cricket Board, and Conde Riley, President of Barbados Cricket Association.
Lewis has dedicated over 18 years to CWI, while Riley has committed more than 15 years to the organization. Both men have played pivotal roles in the development and success of West Indies cricket. The awards were presented by CWI president Dr. Kishore Shallow and vice president Azim Bassarath.
Shallow was full of praise for the awardees.
"Mr. Lewis and Mr. Riley have shown unwavering dedication and leadership within Cricket West Indies. Their contributions have been instrumental across regional cricket from junior to senior levels, and we are honored to recognize their service,” Shallow said.
“The task of service in public life is not an easy one; it requires immense commitment, sacrifices, integrity, and a passion for making a difference. Directors Lewis and Riley have embodied these qualities throughout their tenure,” he added.
The event was graced by the presence of distinguished guests, including the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Gaston Browne, and Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Greg Barclay, Chairman of the International Cricket Council, was also in attendance.
Insularity and some amount of bias have often been charges leveled at those who select which grounds will be picked to host international cricket on various West Indies tours. International grounds in bigger countries have often been given the nod but Graves insists it might not be the case in the future.
“The highest crowds we experienced in this series was in Grenada. Grenada didn’t have cricket between 2015 and 2019 and I think it is important we spread cricket around our international grounds,” Graves said.
“I think we need to do far more as an organization to promote and market to make sure all the cricket fans and even the non-cricket fans know that the West Indies team is coming to their country to play,” he added.
“I hope everyone understands that policy and we do our best to spread cricket around the region.”
With the exception of Barbados the West Indies' first tour of the new year, against Ireland, was played in Grenada and St Kitts. The New Zealand New Zealand tour in July will be hosted in Antigua, Dominica, and Guyana, with Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and Jamaica.
Lloyd claims that the newspaper attributed to him, disparaging comments made about all-rounder Jason Holder, himself now a former West Indies captain. However, the man who is also known as the 'Big Cat' insists that he did not speak to the reporter employed by the Guyanese media house.
The offending story published on March 13, was headlined ‘Holder has outlived his usefulness in the position, says Lloyd’ over the byline of Rajiv Bisnauth, who has subsequently been suspended. The newspaper has also apologized for their publication of the story.
However, Thorne revealed on the Mason & Guest talk show in Barbados last night that they were proceeding with legal action against the newspaper.
“I am representing Sir Clive Lloyd in association with Guyanese counsel and if the Chronicle or anybody at the Chronicle is hearing let them understand that we are pressing ahead with the case on behalf of one of the great West Indians of the last 100 years,” Ralph Thorne.
In response to Thorne’s declaration, Editor at the Guyana Chronicle Tajeram Mahabir told Sportsmax.TV that since the story was published online, they had taken several actions that included reaching out to Sir Clive Lloyd with an apology as well as publishing a retraction and apology on the front page of their online publication.
Mr Mahabir also revealed that the newspaper had also reached out to Lloyd’s attorney with an apology, also indicating that the attorney had requested a settlement. He was unable to say whether an agreement was reached on any settlement.
He directed Sportsmax.TV to General Manager Moshamie Ramotar, who was said to be in a meeting when a call was made to her office.
Meanwhile, Mr Mahbir, who said he was disappointed and appalled by the headline and the story saying that had he seen it before it would not have been published. The editor, who described Lloyd as an icon, also said that the newspaper has also engaged the reporting staff in libel training.
On Tuesday night, Thorne said regional newspapers needed to be more responsible with their reporting.
“This region is what it is because we have some people called cricketers. This region derives much of its identity and much of its respect in the international community because of cricket, and therefore because of our cricketers you are not going to meet a more distinguished West Indian than Sir Clive Lloyd,” he said.
“And therefore, newspapers must be very careful how they portray our heroes. Sir Clive Lloyd is a West Indian hero, an authentic West Indian hero and when a reporter is going to say to the world in an online edition that Sir Clive Lloyd spoke to him and he quoted Sir Clive Lloyd as having said that he disavowed Jason Holder.
That is unkind, not only because Sir Clive Lloyd is a West Indian hero speaking about a West Indian captain but Sir Clive Lloyd never said that. These men must not be defamed by newspapers simply because they have the power of the pen.”
Hetmyer was replaced by Shamarh Brooks in the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup after the player missed a rescheduled flight to join his teammates in Australia.
The West Indies’ loss turned out to be Berbice’s gain as the 25-year-old explosive batsman was named in a strong Berbice XI to take on Demerara at Bourda.
The Berbice team also features former West Indies spinner Veersammy Permaul and rising talent Gudakesh Motie as well as Kevin Sinclair and Romario Shepherd.
The Dominica Government, through its Sports Ministry, on Thursday pointed out that it is “in the best interest of all” that it withdraws as one of the hosts of the global event set for June 4-30.
“The implementation timelines submitted by the various contractors revealed that it would not be possible to complete these works within the stipulated timeframe before the commencement of the tournament,” A press release from Dominica’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development Administration explained.
“As a result, a decision was taken not to host any of the matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, as it would not be prudent for the Government of Dominica to commit to hosting these games," it added.
In September of this year, Dominica was listed among seven venues in the Caribbean selected to host matches. Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, are the others. Dominica’s Windsor Park Sports Stadium (WPSS) was shortlisted for one group stage match and two games in the Super 8 stage of the tournament, subject to the attainment of various obligations as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
“Several tangible actions were taken both at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and at the Benjamin’s Park including the commencement of upgrading and enhancement of the practice and match venues, various assessments and the creation of additional pitches where necessary,” the release stated.
“In light of Dominica’s sterling reputation in hosting international cricket, this decision is considered to be in the best interest of all. The Government of Dominica thanks Cricket West Indies (CWI) for its partnership over the years and looks forward to continued collaboration in the future. The Government of Dominica extends best wishes to the organisers for a successful tournament in June 2024,” the Ministry’s release concluded.
This big news accompanied Friday’s marketing-campaign launch for the global tournament, with the rallying tagline and jingle ‘Be There’ being rolled out across the host nations – Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago – and globally via social media and other digital platforms.
However, in the wake of COVID-19, Cricket West Indies has stipulated that fans should visit www.u19cwc.com/tickets to get FREE tickets. This process will allow organizers to control the number of spectators attending.
“While there will be free entry, fans must get their tickets prior to match day and adhere to the relevant protocols,” stressed Tournament Director, Fawwaz Baksh.
“Regarding COVID-19, we will observe the national protocols when it comes to people attending large-scale events. If the Government and Ministry of Health officials say fans must be vaccinated, then so be it. If fans must have registered a negative test within a certain time period, before the match, then so be it. We are working with all four host governments to ensure a safe environment.”
Meanwhile, Regional Marketing Manager for the tournament, Chalita Rose, urged West Indians to heed the clarion call to ‘Be There’ for the 16-team cricketing blockbuster, featuring 48 matches in 23 days. He noted the key elements of the marketing campaign are designed to attract “the Caribbean public, and the world, to watch and support the future stars of cricket”.
“Headlined by an infectious, West Indian-flavoured jingle by Voice – a young, popular soca artiste from Trinidad – the ‘Be There’ campaign has strong visuals. We are highlighting former West Indies under-19 players who have evolved into international stars,” he revealed.
“We have Alzarri Joseph from Antigua and Shimron Hetmyer from Guyana; both members of the West Indies victorious Under-19 World Cup team in 2016, with Hetmyer as captain. We also feature Jayden Seales from Trinidad who was in the Under-19 Team of the Tournament in 2020 and is now playing Test cricket. So, our campaign shows Under-19 cricket as the pathway to success.”
The marketing blitz, spearheaded by Trinidad-based advertising agency, Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi, will see advertisements across all media, billboards and giant cricket bats sprinkled across host countries; wide-ranging digital promotions, as well as social-media endorsements by regional influencers. There will also be interviews with key tournament officials by diverse media.
In the coming weeks, fans will see more of the ‘Be There’ momentum, with activations throughout the host nations, including a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative geared to youth, promotional giveaways and the unveiling of match-day sportainment plans to enhance this exciting tournament.
Despite being one of the region’s top prospects, the 23-year-old has not played for the West Indies since 2020. Paul opted out of the team’s tour of England in 2020 but appeared against New Zealand in T20 internationals at the end of that same year. He has not been seen on the international stage since.
The player has, however, in the meantime taken part in a few T20 leagues and with the regional 4-day tournament looming on the horizon, Paul will be looking to make a statement. According to reports, the player recently turned in excellent scores in a fitness test conducted in Guyana recently.
“I am feeling excellent, I think I needed this to get back out there and bowl a few overs to get the feel of four-day cricket. My body is responding really well and for me personally, I am feeling really happy with where I am right now. I bowled a few overs on the trot, I was not feeling tired, I just wanted to put a few balls in the right area and it’s coming out really nice and I am happy with that,” Paul recently told the Guyana Times.
“I was in the Sri Lankan Premier League, it was not the best of tournaments for me, but it is always a learning experience for me; you go to these different leagues in the different continents and you play on different pitches, you gain a lot of experience so that was a major learning curve for me,” he added.
“My body is starting to feel like where it was when I first started playing. I am in the gym and I am trying not to worry about injuries. I just want to try and enjoy my cricket as best as I can. I want to represent my country and hopefully, back to the West Indies team sometime soon.”
In the 2018-2019 season, his last full season in the four-day competition Paul claimed 42 wickets in 10 matches, while scoring 260 runs.
Chanderpaul retired from international cricket in 2016 after an incredible, if unheralded, career that saw score 30 Test centuries and 11.867 Test runs. During that career in which he often played the sheet anchor role in the West Indies middle order, he had scores of 50 or more 96 times, which saw him end his playing career with a healthy average of 51.37.
His tenacity, refusing to give his wicket away cheaply, became a trademark for the soft-spoken Guyanese batsman.
Radford, who had two coaching stints with the West Indies, the last ending just before the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, believes that batsmen in the Caribbean have been lacking in the kind of application shown by Chanderpaul during his playing days.
In the recently truncated season of the West Indies Four-Day Championship, no batsman scored more than two centuries with Jason Mohammed, Nkrumah Bonner, Paul Palmer Jr., John Campbell and Kyle Mayers, the only batsmen to do so.
In addition, only three batsman - Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers and Devon Smith scored more than of 600 runs during the season.
The numbers bring into sharp focus the apparent inability of the batsmen to remain at the crease for long-enough periods to score heavily.
“Could a player be a lot better if he reined himself in, prepared to bat a bit longer and prepare to bat through the difficult patches?” Radford said during an interview with News Room Sport.
“Someone like Shiv, if you bowled three tight overs, Shiv would play three maidens, but in the fourth or fifth over when you are tired, Shiv would pick you off because he had the patience. For him, the mental capacity to be patient is part of that as well,” Radford explained.
He added that some players have been impatient and eager to play big shots all the time leading to their downfall.
“It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if the all is not there in the right spot, you can’t put it away,” he said.
“I tell a lot of young players that Shiv Chanderpaul was professional and that’s the mindset you want to see with your young players coming through, this hunger and sell your wicket so dearly; do not give your wicket away and that was Shiv.”
The politician in question Charles Ramson Jr, a member of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), reportedly endorsed and shared a claim made during a meeting in Albertown, Georgetown in January. The claim stated Gayle had been promised US$50,000 by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) for a visit to Linden late last year and was still trying to get the money, which was owed to him.
The West Indian star was spotted in Linden last year with officials of the PNCR. The opening batsman who was in the country for a cricket match and to celebrate his 40th birthday was quick to dismiss any political motive or links to the appearance. Gayle pointed out that the visit had simply been part of a community outreach program.
In a letter dated February 4 Gayle’s attorney Roysdale Forde gave the politician 24 hours to retract the statements, which were referred to as “defamatory” and totally “false.” The letter went on to state that the claims also seem calculated to subject [Gayle] to ridicule and portray him as being paid by a political party in Guyana to engage in work on its behalf.”
“As you are aware my client is an internationally recognized personality and cricketer and has carefully protected his brand and reputation especially by refusing to engage in public relations activities at the request of political parties,” the letter states, before adding that Gayle has engaged in a number of business ventures in Guyana, such as the promotion of a number of entertainment events, branded on his personality and persons in Guyana,” the letter read.
“Your statements are injurious to the financial success of these events and by extension necessarily to the said business undertaking of my client in Guyana and worldwide,” the letter concluded.
The missive to the CWI comes on the heels of the recent announcement by CWI of 18 players who were offered retainer contracts for the year July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022. Among those who were awarded were newcomers Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner, who had standout performances against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
However, there were no contracts for the four Guyanese players, a troubling development for the GCB.
“The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) notes with great concern the information that Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd were not awarded International Retainer Contracts by the Cricket West Indies (CWI),” the board said in a statement Friday.
“The GCB is also concerned with the non-award of an International Retainer Contract to Veerasammy Permaul.”
The GCB said it is not aware and was not informed of the criteria used for the award of international retainer contracts nor were any reasons given for the non-award contracts to the four players.
“The non-award of International Retainer Contracts to these players by CWI is a matter of extreme concern to the GCB and to the Guyanese public and the GCB intends to fully investigate this matter,” the GCB said.
The Guyana Harpy Eagles will play Windward Islands Volcanoes from February 9-12, 2022 and Leeward Islands Hurricanes from February 16-19, 2022. Both matches will be played at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
Keemo Paul has been named vice-captain of the squad that includes, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Anthony Bramble, Tevin Imlach, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie Nial Smith, Clinton Pestano, Shimron Hetmyer, Keon Joseph and Antony Adams.
Meanwhile, Kemol Savory, Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith and Demitri Cameron have been named among the reserves.
The squad and reserves are currently engaged in the third and final trial match at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence after which preparation will continue with intensive practice and fitness training under the watchful eyes of the team management led by Head Coach Esuan Crandon.
The Essequibo Cricket Board, Demerara Cricket Board and Berbice Cricket Board have each given an undertaking to register a minimum of 16 potential participants.
Representatives of all three counties met with CWI Coach Development Manager Chris Brabazon on Thursday, January 20, to discuss the roll-out of the coaching education courses.
For beginners, the first step in the coaching education certification program will be their participation in the now online CWI Foundation Coaching Course.
Individuals holding CWI Foundation Coaching Certificates and/or licenses interested in the CWI Level One Coaching Certification Course must ensure that they have the prerequisites before registering for the course in March.
These prerequisites are CWI Foundation Coaching Certificate or its equivalent, Child Protection Certificate, First Aid Certificate and Police Clearance.
GCB’s President Bissoondyal Singh has indicated that teachers and other individuals desirous of participating in the CWI Foundation and Level One Coaching Courses are encouraged to make contact with their respective county boards to explore the possibilities of registration for the series of planned courses.
Further, he suggested that CWI Level One Certified coaches are also encouraged to register their interest with their respective county boards in participating in the CWI Level Two Coaching Course.
Motie’s contributions have been integral to the Amazon Warriors’ success over the years. In the recently concluded 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he emerged as the team’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 17 wickets at an impressive average of 18.64. His consistency helped propel the Warriors to the CPL final, continuing his strong form from the previous year when they clinched the championship in 2023.
The 29-year-old spinner joins a talented roster of Guyanese players, including Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, and Keemo Paul, as the Amazon Warriors prepare to face off against international teams Hampshire Hawks, Lahore Qalandars, Rangpur Riders, and Victoria.
The Global Super League marks a significant development in international T20 cricket, with the tournament drawing teams from around the world to Guyana’s National Stadium at Providence. Over 11 matches, the participating teams will battle for the title and a share of the lucrative prize pool.
As a local star with international pedigree, Motie’s inclusion strengthens the Amazon Warriors’ chances in this inaugural competition. The spinner is known for his ability to control the game in the middle overs, a skill that will be crucial against top-tier opposition in the GSL.
Motie, along with the rest of the Amazon Warriors squad, will aim to leverage home advantage as they seek to make history in this first-of-its-kind tournament. The Global Super League promises to showcase the best of T20 cricket while providing a platform for local talent to shine on the international stage.
Fans of the Amazon Warriors and cricket enthusiasts across Guyana are eagerly awaiting the action-packed tournament, which is expected to further elevate the region’s reputation as a hub for world-class cricket.
According to the GCB, the tournament to be held in Guyana complements Cricket West Indies’ plans of two-year incremental development programs.
Consequently, it is expected that the Under-13 players will be adequately exposed to competitive cricket which is hoped will facilitate their growth and development for future GCB’s two-year incremental development programs such as the National Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 training programmes.
The GCB has established structured cricket development programmes for their Under-11, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, and Senior levels.
The Under-11s are being prepared through the Republic Bank Five for Fun Cricket Development programme.
Additionally, the GCB and Republic Bank are in the planning stages of initiating a national Under-23 Inter-Club Tournament.
President of the GCB Bissoondyal Singh expressed delight at being able to positively engage the President of the TTCB Azim Bassarath.
“Both territorial boards are keen on exposing our future professional cricketers at an early age to the highest competitive standards possible. We recognize the need for children to develop their art, bowling, batting, and fielding in a fun-related manner,” he said.
“However, we strongly believe that players in the Under-13 age group can begin to challenge their minds a bit more than is currently being done. Learning cricket techniques is good but executing the respective skills in competitive environments will set the players on a greater path to success.”
President Singh added that the U13 initiative paves the way for a regional Under-13 tournament.
“We believe in promoting the training aspects of cricket so that players can inculcate the recommended practices for the game as well as a person,” he said.
“Our planned cricket academy which will cater to the needs of players ages seven to 17, is geared at making our players rounded cricketers. In addition to technical and skill development, our academy focuses on areas of cricket laws, scoring, match referee and umpire duties and etiquette including personal communication, interviewing as a priority activity, and psychology.”
After being postponed last month, due to a number of contentious issues raised by the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB), the process, conducted by recently appointed cricket ombudsman Kamal Ramkarran, reportedly went off without a hitch.
Other appointments will see Rabindranauth Saywack and Hilbert Foster serve as vice-presidents with Ronald Williams named secretary. Former West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has been named as the Chairman of the Senior Selectors, with current Cricket West Indies chief of selectors Roger Harper, also offered a position as a technocrat member with voting rights at executive meetings.
On Sunday, the CWI elections, which were slated to have Guyana’s Anand Sanasie and Barbados’ Calvin Hope challenge the incumbents Ricky Skerrit and Kishore Shallow, was postponed after a quorum could not be reached due to the absence of representatives from the Guyana and Barbados.
The elections have been re-set for April 11 but could now take on an entirely context following the GCB elections. Sanasie previously held the post of general secretary but has through his attorney’s questioned both the legality of appointing the Ombudsman and elections themselves.
GCB full slate
President– Bissoondyal Singh
Vice-President– Hilbert Foster
Vice-President– Rabindranauth Saywack
Secretary– Ronald Williams
Assistant Secretary– Davteerth Anandjit
Treasurer– Pretipaul Jaigobin
Assistant Treasurer– Dr. Cecil Beharry
Public Relations Officer– Claude Raphael
Marketing Manager– Mohamed Baksh
Chairman of Competitions Committee– Shaun Massiah
Chairman of Senior Selectors– Ramnaresh Sarwan
Chairman of Junior Selectors– Andre Percival
Technocrat members with voting rights at executive meetings– Roger Harper and Anil Beharry.
Earlier this month, CWI West Indies released the names of 18 players who were offered retainer contracts for the different formats of the game. Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner were all rewarded with contracts after standout performances against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka earlier this year.
However, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul and Romario Shepherd, were not among the players who will be retained for the year July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
Subsequently, the GCB wrote to the CWI requesting the criteria for being offered contracts as it began what it says was an investigation into why the players were overlooked by CWI.
Asked about the matter, Harper, while speaking on the Mason and Guest show in Barbados last week revealed that GCB President Bissoondyal Singh and Vice President Hilbert Foster, Directors at CWI, were in attendance at the CWI Board of Directors meeting where the players that were being considered for contracts were discussed. He said they were fully aware of which players were being offered contracts before the names were made public.
“The opportunity was there to ask as many questions as they needed to so I am not quite sure what’s going on,” Harper said.
Harper’s statements prompted a charged response from the GCB.
“We write to you with great astonishment and much disappointment on the media statements by the Chairman of Selectors of the CWI as they relate to the issue of the non-retainer by CWI of male Guyanese cricketers,” the letter said.
“We at GCB thought that we were doing the proper and decent thing by first, writing to CWI requesting the criteria which were used for the retention and/or non-retention of our male cricketers, prior to making any public statements on their non-retention.
“It is most unfortunate and quite disappointing that while we are still patiently awaiting the submission of the said criteria, the Chairman of Selectors thought it best, whether on his own accord or with the support of the CWI, to make the comments in the media that two of our Directors were present at the meeting when the matter of retention and/or non-retention was discussed.”
The GCB said they believe Harper ought to have been aware that there was no "handing over of the mantle" to the current directors of GCB by the two former directors" and it was the first meeting of the CWI that the two new directors attended and the issue of the retention of the players was more in the form of a report after the decision was already made.
Additionally, the GCB said, the two directors could not have commented and/or usefully participated in the "report" in relation to the retention of the players without the two directors knowing or being fully apprised of the selection and/or non-selection criteria.
“Like the Chairman of Selectors, GCB also has its own responsibility to the public and will, therefore, following the trend set by the said Chairman, to make this letter available to the media,” the GCB said.
“We are still patiently awaiting the criteria and report on the non-retention of our male cricketers and we fervently hope that CWI sees it best to provide those to us urgently rather than to have one of its officers (the Chairman), whether on a frolic of his own or not, unleash his unnecessary and unfortunate wrath on the GCB. “
Mr Figueira thanked the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for the contribution that will help ensure that the youth of Upper Demerara benefit significantly.
He said that he would be liaising with the GCB for further collaboration regarding cricket development in Linden. Discussions are already on the way for the construction of two clay wickets at the grounds of the McKenzie Sports Club and Linden Technical Institute.
Territorial Development Officer, Colin Stuart expressed the GCB’s delight in being able to contribute. He said there is a wealth of talent in the community waiting to be developed under a well-managed programme.
“We are confident that you, Mr Figueira, and your supporting colleagues, will be able to positively address the development and empowering needs of the said region,” he said.
Should the current board be swept from power, it would delegitimize Sanasie's run for the presidency.
According to reports emerging from Guyana, the elections, the first in more than a decade, was put off after reported mounting pressure to have it delayed, according to cricket commentator and talk show host Andrew Mason, who reported early this morning that there was an attempt at the highest level to stop the elections.
He reported that a lot of pressure was being put on the counties that would have been voting and that the Minister of Sport in Guyana Charles Ramson Jr was to meet with the president of Guyana on the matter.
A later report just after midday Jamaica time, said that the elections would not be held.
“The Ombudsman turned up just before 1 ‘0’ clock and said as the result of an email he received last night (Thursday) the elections could not be held today."
This was due mainly to the no show of the Essequibo Cricket Board, one of three counties that would have been voting in the elections.
“The Essequibo board said it was simply not ready,” according to Mason, who added that the boards of Berbice and Demerara are upset about the development.
Earlier this week, lawyers for Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Secretary Anand Sanasie wrote to Guyana’s Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Charles Ramson Jr and Attorney Kamal Ramkarran, objecting to the appointment of both a cricket Ombudsman as well as the seven-day time period given for the staging of elections, claiming they were illegal under the Guyana Cricket Administration Act.
In response, Ramson Jr said he was on firm legal ground and well within the powers of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act.
The 30-year-old slow left-arm orthodox-spinner has played six Tests for the West Indies after making his debut against Bangladesh in November 2012 but he last played for the West Indies in June 2015 against Australia, having taken 18 wickets in his short Test career.
However, with 50 wickets under his belt, this past season at a miserly 12.98 per wicket, Permaul is hopeful that he has nudged the selectors once more.
“Playing for the West Indies is always my goal every season I play, but I wasn’t finding favour with the West Indies selectors,” he told Sportsmax.TV on Wednesday. “I don’t know how close I am to making the West Indies team but I would think after an excellent season like this one I am not far from playing for the West Indies Indies again.”
His optimism is somewhat tempered by the fact that he did miss his target of 60 wickets for the season even though Cricket West Indies cancelled the last two rounds of the West Indies Championship because of the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.
“I was on track to achieving my goal. I set myself small goals in the process. I was looking to get three wickets per innings that would take me to 60 if all the games had been played,” said Permaul who had best match figures of 15 for 77 against the Jamaica Scorpions at Florence Hall in February.
“I think I had an excellent season with the ball. I tried to control my economy rate, be patient and that brought my success.”
On 13 October, 2023, President Ali and CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow, met at State House in Guyana as part of the commitment to strengthen stakeholder relationships across the region. CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe; CWI Independent Director, Manniram Prashad; and Owner of Guyana Amazon Warriors, Dr. Ranjisinghi Bobby Ramroop were also in attendance.
The Head of State reiterated his commitment to establishing a partnership with CWI to improve the overall performance of West Indies cricket. One of the primary objectives will be establishing a High-Performance Centre in Guyana to service cricketers from across the region.
His Excellency said, “We are excited as a government to play our part with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) in the new re-development of cricket in the region. We welcome the partnership with CWI in the development of a regional High-Performance Centre and cricket academy here in Guyana."
He added his intention to work with the CWI President to advance the popularity and growth of the sport on multiple fronts in the Caribbean.
"We are also working with President Dr. Shallow and Cricket West Indies on advancing some innovative ideas in bringing more opportunities to our cricket players and spectators in the Region. I believe strongly that defining our product as distinct from other regions and countries is critical in the rebranding and repositioning CWI globally. Such a plan must incorporate the culture, people and natural beauty of our region."
President Ali underscored the importance of collaboration between parties with an interest in advancing the development of cricket at every level. He said, “I urge CWI to unify their efforts in rebuilding and strengthening our cricket in the interests of all stakeholders.”
Dr. Shallow lauded His Excellency for Guyana’s investments in cricket thus far and recognized the potential of collaborating with Guyana. He expressed, “President Ali’s commitment to cricket is evident with the major investments to stage the magnificent cricket festival, including the CPL finals in Guyana. His zeal for the success of West Indies cricket is unquestionable. This partnership with Guyana promises tremendous value for our young and emerging cricketers who will have access to world-class facilities and programs comparable to the best in the world. I emphasize that for West Indies teams to be iconic again, it is imperative that there is considerable collaboration between CWI and governments in our region.”
Guyana has successfully hosted the last two Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals. Their cricket festival, culminating with CPL's final, is emerging to be a regional calendar event, having attracted thousands of visitors to Guyana.
