GCB announces final 14 to defend Regional T20 title- Andre Stoll lone newcomer

By Rajiv  Bisnauth

The Guyana Cricket Board selectors on Tuesday afternoon released a 14-member squad that will defend the country’s Regional T20 title. 

Discarded former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is expected to lead the team that includes veteran West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The squad also includes West Indies players Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, and Royston Crandon.

West Indies ‘A’ team players Davendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul have also been included. Twenty-year-old Jonathon Foo, who helped Guyana to victory in the last Regional T20, is also in the squad. 

National under-19 leftarm pacer Andre Stoll is the only newcomer. Derwin Christian got the nod over Anthony Bramble, despite his failure of recent with the bat. 

Former West Indies opening batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon did not find favour with the selectors despite being the top run scorer in the just concluded Carib/Pepsi T20 inter-county tournament, which was run-off primarily to select the best possible team to represent Guyana. Another shocking omission is West Indies ‘A’ team middle order batsman, Assad Fudadin. 

The full squad reads: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Travis Dowlin, Richard Ramdeen Narsingh Deonarine, Eusan Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Jonathan Foo, Steven Jacobs, Andre Stool, Royston Crandon, Derwin Christian, Veersammy Permaul, and Davendra Bishoo. 

The selectors have named eight standbys: Shemroy Barrington, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Assad Fudadin, Anthony Bramble, Kellon Carmichael, Zaheer Mohammed, Steven Latcha and Leon Johnson. 

Both Manager Carl Moore and Coach Ravindra Seeram have retained their respective positions.

Meanwhile, the 22-man squad, minus Chanderpaul, concluded a two-day fitness session under the watchful eyes of Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Territorial Development Officer (TDO), Reon King, Coach Rabindranauth Seeram, and trainer Kezqweyah Yisrael, at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. 

Coach Ravindra Seeram, in an invited comment by this publication yesterday, revealed that the fitness level of most of the players is acceptable, meeting that of the West Indies Cricket Board. “We had two good sessions and the overall level of fitness is satisfactory,” Seeram stated.

The squad will break camp on December 23 for the Christmas holidays, before returning to play three warm-up matches against the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) national team on December 28, 29, 30 in T&T, at a venue to be announced. 

Guyana, the most successful team in regional T20 cricket, will commence their defence of the title against Jamaica in a night match on January 10 from 20:00hrs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.