-Heyliger, Ramdeen, Foo and Hicks also get call up

By Marlon Munroe

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) selectors sprang a surprise by naming leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo in a 24-man squad to prepare for the upcoming regional one-dayers scheduled for Guyana later this month.The squad will commence training  tomorrow in preparation for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President’s Cup limited overs tournament scheduled to begin on October 28.

Mahendra Nagamootoo

The selectors also named West Indies middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the squad.

Chanderpaul has fulfilled his contractual obligations with English County side Durham.

President of the GCB, Chetram Singh, last Friday had told Stabroek Sport that Chanderpaul would be home in time for the GCB’s Fundraising Twenty20 Cricket Festival at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on October 23 and 24.

This extravaganza is geared at developing cricket in Guyana especially after Guyana’s performances at home and regionally in recent years.

The festival will include teams from Barbados and Jamaica along with a Guyana/USA squad.

The selectors have also included some new blood following their performances in the just-concluded El Dorado Inter County one day tournament which Berbice won.

Those gaining the nod are Essequibo’s middle order batsman Delon Heyliger, stylish Berbice opening batsman Richard Ramdeen, national under-19 wicketkeeper Delbert Hicks and Berbice middle order batsman Jonathan Foo.

Richard Ramdeen

Delon Heyliger

National coach, Rabindranauth Seeram, said that hopefully the young players will use this chance to merit selection to the final 14.

He added that during this encampment period a lot of emphasis will be placed on the technical aspects of the game.

Additionally, he said that there will be match simulations for players to toughen them psychologically.

Seeram also reasoned that too many of the young and seasoned players alike have been getting very ordinary scores at the club and county levels and that the technical team will be looking to ensure that players understand the importance of their wicket.

Seeram, a former national middle order batsman, replaced long-serving coach Albert Smith earlier this year.

He is hopeful that with West Indies players Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Travis Dowlin and Royston Crandon in the squad, the younger players will aspire to lifting the level of their cricket suggesting that this could be a good time for Guyana to rise out of ashes of regional cricket.

Of the upcoming regional one dayers Seeram is of the opinion that Guyana’s zone (B) is an easier zone than Zone A which includes defending champions Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Windward Islands and the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC).

The Windward Islands and CCC teams, who were always considered regional cricket minnows, beat Guyana outright in the WICB regional four-day tournament earlier this year.

Guyana is grouped with Barbados, the Leeward Islands and a West Indies Under-19 squad that includes Guyana’s Trevon Griffith.

Griffith scored a century over the weekend in the Georgetown final of the Hand-in-Hand tournament.

Seeram also revealed that Sarwan will be working with closely with the squad in all areas to ensure that players are fit mentally and physically for the tourney.

He said that Sarwan is also confident ahead of the tournament and is eager to play with the final squad.

The technical team will also be looking to utilize the services of former fast bowlers.

The squad reads: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Travis Dowlin, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Christopher Barnwell, Narsingh Deonarine, Richard Ramdeen, Royston Crandon, Shemroy Barrington, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Delon Heyliger, Delbert Hicks, Esaun Crandon, Veersammy Permaul, Davendra Bishoo, Brandon Bess, Trevon Garraway, Sauid Drepaul, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Jonathan Foo, Derwin Christian and Dion Ferrier.