CWI Regional Super50
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) panel of selectors late on Saturday night announced the Guyana Harpy Eagles squad, which will be representing the nation at the upcoming Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Super50 Championship.
Among the squad, the selectors have seemingly picked a squad largely based on names and reputations rather than performances during the just concluded Super50 Inter-County competition. The selection panel is headed by former Guyana and West Indies cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan along with Peter Persaud, Leslie Solomon, and Norwayne Fredericks.
Devon Lord, the left-arm spinner, will surely feel hard done by being left out of the 14-man squad, especially after a stellar GCB Inter-County campaign where he ended as the leading wicket-taker (11 wickets). However, he has been listed as a standby along with fellow spinners Antony Adams, Junior Sinclair, and Richie Looknauth, while batsmen Sachin Singh and Kanhaiya Ramkarran are also on that list.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Matthew Nandu, who both had a good outing in the GCB Inter-County competition with the bat, have been selected, while 18-year-old Berbice opener Rampertab Ramnauth has made the cut.
Making up the middle order for the Harpy Eagles will be Kevlon Anderson, Tevin Imlach (captain), Kevin Sinclair, Kemol Savory and Keemo Paul. The latter’s inclusion has raised eyebrows as he is also listed as Vice-Captain.
The all-rounder has been woefully out of form in all formats, short of runs and wickets, but it seems as though the selectors are banking on an abrupt turnaround in his fortunes. Anderson and Savory too have not enjoyed a good run of form and will also be looking to justify their selection.
While the Harpy Eagles are bowler heavy, Ronsford Beaton has made a surprise return to the fold after working out his suspect action for which he was reported during the last regional 4-day competition.
While he is cleared to bowl, Beaton is in the twilight of his career and is prone to injury, while his returns at the inter-county level have been lean. His inclusion, along with Veerasammy Permaul, who is now 35 years old and also nearing the end of his career, means that talented younger players will continue to watch on from the sidelines.
On the other hand, youngsters Isai Thorne, Sylus Tyndall, Ashmead Nedd, and Ronaldo Ali Mohamed will help shoulder the responsibility of the bowling.
The regional competition is slated to bowl off on Tuesday, October 29th, in Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana’s first match, a day/night encounter against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.
The full squad reads: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Matthew Nandu, Rampertab Ramnauth, Kevlon Anderson, Tevin Imlach (captain), Kemol Savory, Kevin Sinclair, Kemo Paul (vice captain), Veerasammy Permaul, Ashmead Nedd, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Sylus Tyndall, Isai Thorne, and Ronsford Beaton.
The standby players are Devon Lord, Antony Adams, Junior Sinclair, Richie Looknauth, Sachin Singh, and Kanhaiya Ramkarran.
