National cricketer Akshaya Persaud ended the New York National Cricket League/Cricket Zone T20 tournament with the Most Valuable Player award.
The tournament concluded Sunday with Persaud’s Phoenix Cricket Club losing in the final.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport, Persaud said he was happy to be adjudged MVP of the tournament but wanted his side to win the title.
“I’m happy with my progress since playing on the United States circuit. This is my second MVP award in three tournaments and I’ve been working hard on improving my overall game,” he said.
He added, “It takes some adjustments playing here versus in the Caribbean and I am thankful for the opportunity to play for Phoenix. I would obviously like to have seen us lift the title but it’s cricket and anything can happen.”
Persaud finished as the leading wicket taker with 18 wickets at an economy rate of 5.77. The Cornelia Ida-born left-arm spinner picked up two four-wicket hauls and bagged 3-18 in the semi-final.
Carlos Bachu ended with 12 wickets while there were also exceptional performances from Persaud’s Guyanese counterparts Ushardeva Balgobin who picked up eight wickets while playing for Cultural United, Gudakesh Motie, Yutesh Avi Dhanpaul and Gajanand Singh who each returned five wicket hauls while Jonathan Rampersaud and Kellon Carmichael each bagged four wickets.
Persaud was third in the batting department with 219 runs from seven innings including a best of 71 and a strike rate of 136.8.
Heading that list was Persaud’s Phoenix teammate, Randall Wilson, who finished the tournament with 257 runs while Majestic’s Chris Patandin chalked up 248 runs.
Balgobin scored 171 runs from five innings, ending with the highest strike rate (267) among batsmen with over 100 runs and an average of 57.
The 24-year-old has played eight List A games along with two First-Class matches for the Guyana Jaguars and Combined Colleges and Campuses.
