Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo is seeking a recall to the West Indies senior side and sees the upcoming Professional Cricket League Regional Four-Day Championships as the perfect opportunity to stake his claim.
Bishoo, 34, suffered an injury to his knee which sidelined him for the better part of the year.
He returned to competitive cricket two weekends ago, turning out for Albion in the Berbice Cricket Board/Banks Beer first-division two-day tournament.
Stabroek Sport caught up with the leg-spinner after he took a match-haul of 9-17 against Rose Hall Canje and he discussed the prospect of returning to the highest level of the game.
“It’s good to be playing cricket you know, now coming back from injury I feel good,” Bishoo said.
Speaking of his match haul he said, “It is always a good feeling knowing you are getting wickets and doing well so it is a positive.
“The injury is coming along pretty good and it is just to keep pushing forward and improving.”
With an eye on the four-day competition,
Of the upcoming four-day competition Bishoo said, “Playing two-day cricket is really good when you got to play four-day cricket. This is a practice and I’m happy that I’m playing cricket back and its nice and I’m happy with the way I am now and with my bowling,” adding that he was looking forward to playing in the regional first-class competition.
All told he has played 100 first-class matches and taken 382 wickets with 20 five-wicket hauls and 20 four-wicket hauls.
Although he has been working on his fitness, which he finds suitable for him, he was wary of pushing himself too much, too soon.
“I’m not going to push it too much. Just taking it lightly day-by-day and try to get to where I want to be before the four-day.”
Bishoo stated that he has not set a lot of goals so far.
“The only goal I have is to play back for the West Indies. That is the most important thing and do whatever it takes to get back there.”
He, however, acknowledged that it was within his capabilities to do what is necessary to get back in the maroon colours.
“It’s all under my control. I have to keep getting wickets, keep bowling well and being consistent and that is the only way I would get back in the team. They have to pick you if you keep doing well,” he stated.
Bishoo has played 36 tests, the last was back in December 2018 against Bangladesh. He has taken 117 wickets with a best of 8-49. In the limited-overs format, Bishoo has featured in 42 One-Day Internationals where he took 38 wickets with an economy rate of under five and seven T20I with seven scalps under his belt. The last time he featured in Maroon colours was back in March when England toured the Caribbean.
Guyana Jaguars, the five-time defending champions, begin their season in Antigua against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes from January 9-12 in a day/night encounter.
