President of the Central Essequibo Cricket Committee, Aotto Christiani, is putting the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) on notice with regards to the selection of Anthony Adams and Kemol Savory for the upcoming regional first-class cricket season.
Christiani, during an interview with Stabroek Sports, stated that he believes the duo has done enough over the years to be contracted by the Guyana Jaguars as franchise players for the 2020-2021 West Indies domestic professional season.
“I’m concerned that the Guyana Cricket Board is going into the process of selecting our franchise players for the 2020 season without considering Anthony Adams and Kemol Savory,” said Christiani.
His comments are well timed since the six regional franchises are set to announce their squads for the upcoming season. The process allows for each team to retain 10 players from the previous season while five others are selected from the draft.
Adams is an attacking left-arm spinner and a competent lower-order batsman who continues to produce exciting figures locally but often fails to find favour with the national selectors.
He epitomizes consistency. The 27-year-old, who hails from Suddie on the Essequibo Coast, ended the 2017 GCB three-day franchise league as the tournament’s best all-rounder and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after scoring 235 runs which included a ton. He also captured 52 wickets, all wrapped up in seven five-wicket hauls.
He has also been one of the leading one- day players during the 50 overs leg of the GCB organized tournaments from 2017 to 2019.
Savory, statically, has been the leading wicket-keeper/batsman in the country. He scored over 400 runs in the 2017 three – day franchise league and gloved 18 dismissals.
His one-day form too has been phenomenal, scoring five half-centuries and a ton over the last three seasons which earned him a national 50 – overs call up in 2019.
“Adams has repeatedly topped the bowling charts even in tournaments where Veerasammy Permaul and Gudakesh Motie played in and he still continues to be overlooked,” the official added.
Asked why he believes the Essequibian duo and others from that part of Guyana are being short-changed, Christiani said: “they continue to take Essequibo for granted. That’s the problem.”
The lack of support for players from Essequibo continues to be a surprising one even though the purported President of the board, Fizul Bacchus, hails from Essequibo.
