As is the case with the brain drain which has led to a loss of our skilled workers and graduates, our cricketers are also looking for more lucrative deals abroad and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) president Chetram Singh says that the GCB has no control over the situation.
Malteenoes Sports Club player, Kellon Carmichael, 20, Guyana Defence Force’s, Travis Blyden, 20, and Guyana National Industrial Corporation opening batsman, Elton Baker, 21, have all renewed their contracts with their respective clubs in Trinidad and Tobago.
The trio yesterday told Stabroek Sport that somehow the GCB has to find a way to keep its cricketers at home.
The trio noted that the standard of cricket had declined significantly in the country and said their aim was mainly to elevate the level of their play.
They added that they enjoy the high standards of the game in the Twin-Island Republic.
“Well basically playing in T&T is to improve my cricket so that the selectors back home can see my performance and probably select me for the Guyana team. I have been working very hard towards making the Guyana team without much success,”said Carmichael.
“Playing club cricket here (Guyana) the high standard is not like before; the standards have declined a lot. It is more competitive, cricket in Trinidad and this will make me a better cricketer,” he added.
Carmichael, who will be playing with the Aranguez club next year, captured 33 wickets and scored 560 runs from eight two-day and five one-day matches for his old club Sweet Revenge. He hit five half centuries (with the highest being an unbeaten innings of 68) while his best bowling figures were 6-67 in the two –day format; 5-27 was his best bowling statistics in the one-day version.
Singh said that in many cases players are leaving to play in other countries second and third-division leagues where they fail to learn much.
He pointed out that in many cases for the players it is the hype of playing overseas that drives them to make the move.
However, he was also cognizant that some of the overseas professional leagues, especially the ones in England, cater to the holistic development of the players and said that those programmes pay much more than the second and third division leagues of T&T that many of the locals go to. “We cannot stop them from going to play in other countries since the board does not have contracts with them. They are free to do whatever. For most of these players, they are going because of economic problems,” Singh contended.
When asked whether the GCB would be looking to implement systems to counter this exodus of cricketers Singh pointed out that in T&T, businesses have invested in the professional league which is equivalent to our sponsored first-division tournaments. He reiterated that the players leave for the financial benefits and not necessarily for the improvement of their trade. Baker and Blyden enjoyed good seasons in T&T playing for Rousillac United earlier this year. Baker scored 839 runs overall and took 33 wickets from 11 games (seven two-day games and four limited over games) batting at number five while Blyden scored 453 runs in the three-day league, 207 runs in the Twenty20 league, with the highest score being 68 and 300 runs in the 35-over league from 10 matches.
Blyden expects to continue his good form which he hopes will signal the selectors to consider him for the Demerara team as he intends to take it one step at a time. The batting all-rounder said that he was focusing on all aspects of his game.
“As an underdog you have to try harder than those that are above you so I am working on my batting and bowling to establish myself as a good all-rounder,” the former Tutorial High School student reasoned.
Blyden said that the difference between Guyana and T&T was that things there are done on a more professional level. He also pointed to the fact that the pitches are extremely slow in Guyana which was not so much of a problem in T&T as the ball comes unto the batsman faster there.
Baker, who also plays for Rousillac, said that he will be giving his all to make the Demerara roster in the upcoming year.
Last week discarded cricketers Steven Jacobs, Leon Johnson and Shemroy Barrington also stated that they will be leaving for T&T to play cricket with the hope of lifting the level of their games. The cricketers will be leaving in early January for at least five months in the sister Caribbean territory.
