Guyana and West Indies leg spinner Devendra Bishoo is one of five players and the lone Guyanese to be awarded an all format contract under the new Cricket West Indies (CWI) retainer contracts which see the central retainer contract being categorized in three groups.
Bishoo, who has taken 102 wickets in his 28-match test career, 31 wickets in 27 One-Day Internationals and six wickets in five T20 international matches has been among the leading wicket takers since 2017.
With only five players awarded this all format contracts, Bishoo finds himself alongside test captain Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel.
According to Chief Executive Officer of CWI, Johnny Grave, “all new contracts offer increased remunerations to our WIndies men’s team as well as enhanced medial and insurance policies.”
However, the details were not released.
This new format comes in light of a number of world class players from the region opting to play in the Pakistan Super League rather than in the World Cup Qualifiers in the maroon outfit.
Amongst these players who chose franchise cricket were Keiron Pollard, Andre Russel and Sunil Narine.
CWI can only issue a total of 18 contracts collectively and a maximum of 11 under the all format category.
Under the development contracts under white ball and red ball categories, a total of four can be awarded with that quota being filled already. Among the four are two Guyanese test players, Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer who both were given their developmental contracts under the red ball category along with Kieran Powell while Kesrick Williams was given the development contract under the white ball format.
The developmental contract facilitates players who have not found themselves as mainstays in the playing XI but are looking to the upcoming year to make their mark.
Hetmyer, 21-years-old, has so far played five tests with one half century under his belt while Singh has played two matches for West Indies and has been consistently amongst the leading run scores in the Regional 4-Day competition.
Whilst the new WIndies men’s contracts will officially run from October 2017 to September 2018, Grave confirmed that new retainers would be offered to the Windies men’s team and Regional players on 1st July 2018 and added that “all future contracts for all of our professional cricketers will start on the same date, July 1st, which will become the start of our cricketing year.”
LIST OF RETAINED PLAYERS:
All-Format Contracts: Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Devendra Bishoo
Red-Ball Contracts: Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Jermaine Blackwood, Miguel Cummins, Jomel Warrican, Shimron Hetmyer*, Kieran Powell*, Vishaul Singh*
White-Ball Contracts: Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis, Rovman Powell, Kesrick Williams*
* denotes development contracts
