By Calvin Roberts
Cricket fans that were at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence on Tuesday when the national cricket team was eliminated from this year’s President’s Cup limited overs tournament are angry and disappointed with the performance of the team.
The Guyana team went under to defending one-day champions Jamaica in their penultimate game of the preliminary round by 37 runs in a match they needed to win to stay in contention for a semi-final berth.
President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh told Stabroek Sports that he was shocked at the school-boy manner in which the host team lost the match on the whole.
“I am in total shock and disbelief at the way they played. This is a team that was picked on their experience, and to lose to a depleted or second string Jamaica team in such a manner, with reckless shot selection is hard to digest at this moment.”
And a die-hard Guyanese fan who wished to remain anonymous, told Stabroek Sport that he was ashamed at the way the team went down without much of a fight, even though their backs were never against the wall.
“It is a shame to be here today and witness such a defeat. I cannot begin to comprehend, how a team with players of the calibre of Mahendra Nagamootoo, Travis Dowlin, Darwin Christian, Narsingh Deonarine and Assad Fudadin, all seasoned players can crumble so easily.
“Both Nagamootoo and Deonarine have played for the West Indies and it is time they put up their hands and be counted in Guyana’s cricket. How can these players hold their heads up in public after such a deplorable display? “ the fan asked.
“We are stakeholders in Guyana’s cricket and players such as Nagamootoo and to an extent Deonarine, need to pull their weight in this team. They have both played at the highest level and travelled around the world; therefore an easy target of 180 should not have been out of their reach.
“We are waiting patiently to see what steps the authorities would take, following this deplorable display of cricket from a team that is supposed to be an experienced one. But if I had the will, I would have played the under-19 team with a few seniors in this competition, as they have the hunger for success.”
