Permaul not surprised by WI selection

By Avenash Ramzan

Guyanese left-arm spinner, Veerasammy Permaul, said he was not surprised by his selection to the West Indies team for the upcoming series against hosts Bangladesh. In fact, the Albion Community Centre cricketer said “it was just a matter of time” before he wore the maroon West Indies cap, taking into consideration he was performing well with bat and ball over the last two years.
Permaul, who is the lone new face in the 15-man squad, has played 45 First-Class matches since his debut five years ago, snaring 152 wickets at 24.59 apiece.
“Well, I was not surprised [by the selection],” he told this publication via telephone on Monday from his home in Berbice. “I know it was just a matter of time, so this is not surprising at all. However, I’m excited to finally get the opportunity to play at the highest level.”
The 23-year-old Permaul has just returned from a tour of Bangladesh with the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre, where he collected 21 wickets over the three formats of the game and was a constant threat with the ball. He was the West Indies A- Team captain earlier this year, when they prevailed over India-A in a home series.
Conditions
“The conditions in Bangladesh are similar to Guyana, so I’m looking forward to bowling there if I get the chance to play,” Permaul said.
He added that several persons have played pivotal roles in his career, including his immediate family, the executives of the Albion Community Centre, especially Secretary Vemen Walter, and team-mates Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Devendra Bishoo, who have all played at the Test level.
Permaul, who joined the Albion Sports Complex in 2002, made his First-Class debut for Guyana in the 2006-07 Carib Beer Series where he picked up four wickets against the Windward Islands.
Commenting on Permaul’s elevation to the senior West Indies team, Walter said this is as a result of hard work, dedication and commitment.
“I remember vividly on Labour Day in 2002 when, as a frail 13-year-old, he first came to the club. Since then he has displayed great discipline, commitment and dedication and he’s a hard worker at his game,” Walter pointed out.

Humble beginnings
He added, “He has come from very humble beginnings, and apart from being a good listener and one who is always looking at ways of improving his game, I think he has made the most of the opportunities given to him, whether it’s for Guyana or the West Indies A team.”
Walter, who has played an integral role in the growth and development of Permaul and other such cricketers like Deonarine, Chattergoon and Bishoo at the club, said cricket has been a good companion of West Indies A team captain.
“The first time he crossed the Berbice River was because of cricketing duties in 2002 when we played Blairmont in the semi-final of an Under-15 competition.
A few days after we travelled to Georgetown for the final of that same competition and it was his first time coming to the city as well… so cricket has served to expose him to different lifestyles and has helped him to develop as an all-round individual,” Walter intimated.
Apart from Permaul, three other Guyanese- Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine and Assad Fudadin- have also been included in the squad.
West Indies are scheduled to play two Tests, five One day Internationals and one Twenty20 International on the tour between November 3 and December 12.
The squad reads: Darren Sammy (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice- captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, and Marlon Samuels.