Former Guyana and West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan yesterday said that he had made Cricket Guyana Incorporated (CGI) aware of his desire to play cricket and at no time did he indicate that he would not be able to participate in any tournament.
Sarwan was responding to recent statements by CGI, the company formed by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to be in charge of the Guyana Franchise which will participate in the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) 2014/15 season.
Sarwan was not selected by CGI as the CGI representatives at the Draft held at the Accra Beach Hotel in Barbados recently, opted for Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer ahead of the Guyanese all-rounder. The new Franchise based system, which forms part of the WICB new Professional Cricket League, saw each of the six franchises being able to pre select 10 players from the home territory. Sarwan was not one of the 10 selected by Guyana.
Neither was he their first choice when the Draft got underway. He was eventually snapped up by the Trinidad Red Steel in the second round.
Sarwan had previously spoken of his omission on the popular Sportsmax television programme which forced the CGI to issue a response.
Yesterday, Sarwan issued a statement in response to the CGI press release carried earlier by this newspaper.
The CGI in their statement had described Sarwan’s omission from the Guyana Franchise as “unfortunate” adding that the CGI selectors always had the stylish middle-order batsman under their radar.
The CGI release had also stated that Sarwan had notified the GCB of his inability to participate in the Inter County One-day and Four-day tournaments.
“Mr. Sarwan had called the board about two weeks ago to say that he was not fit to participate in both the Inter County 50 Overs and the Four-Day format administered by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in August and September.
He further stated that he would have been fit in a month’s time which would have coincided with the start of the Regional WICB season,” CGI stated in its release.
Sarwan is his response yesterday said that this was not so.
“The CGI, through its Chairman of Selectors, has on numerous occasions been made fully aware of my progress and desire to continue playing cricket,” he wrote adding….”Following this, at no time did I indicate that I would not be available to participate in any cricket tournament.”
CGI had also indicated that while a number of the local players were present at the launch of the new franchise on September 23 at the Everest Cricket Club, Sarwan was not one of them.
….”As I was recently made to understand, a seminar for the
Franchise discussion was held the Tuesday before the bidding at the Everest Cricket Club Pavilion. However, no one including Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI) officials, displayed the simplest of courtesy or sought to extend an invitation or inform me of this seminar,” wrote Sarwan.
Sarwan also spoke of his injuries, and his contracts with the Kings XI Punjab of the Indian Premier League, English County side Leicestershire and for the Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.
