One of the greatest thrills of our childhood is sneaking out from the house to go play with our friends after being explicitly told not to do so, and this is exactly what Veerasammy Permaul did most days during his childhood.
The now 28-year-old Permaul grew up in the village of Belvedere on the Corentyne. He remembers his childhood as one filled with fun and brotherhood. Now, Permaul is a household name because of his pure talent as a cricketer. He is a deadly spin bowler and one of the hardest hitters.
He explained that his parents had preferred that he stayed at home rather than roam the streets with his friends. But being the kind of person he is, Permaul would escape after chores were completed and play cricket with his friends.
“I used to play softball in the street with neighbours and friends. I also used to get way to go the ballfield to play cause my mother always wanted me be home. So I used to make sure I finish my house chores before I leave the house without anyone knowing and play all day,” he reminisced.
Permaul said gradually his love for cricket developed as he played with the neighbourhood boys. He noted that he preferred to be on the field rather than in the stands and he continued to enjoy being on the field. While growing up, Permaul had never been privileged enough to witness a cricket match because of the absence of a television in their home.
“I never used to get allowed to go watch cricket game anywhere ‘cause it used to be a far way from where I lived. One day I saw it on the neighbour’s TV and that make I love it more bad. I used to tell my friends them that I will become a cricketer and any other person who asked me what my ambition was.”
Permaul was just 13 when he first started to play club cricket. He joined the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club in 2002 before going on to represent his home county as well as Guyana at several levels.
He established himself on the West Indian domestic circuit when he made his First-Class debut for Guyana in the 2006-07 season. He was impressive right away scalping four wickets in his first game against Windward Islands. He then went on to claim his first five-for in First-Class cricket against Jamaica in the KFC Cup later that year.
Permaul continued to perform brilliantly at the domestic level and was outstanding in the 2011-2012 season, finishing with a haul of 37 wickets at an average of 22.05. He was exceptional in the West Indies High Performance Centre tour in 2012, where he troubled the Bangladeshi batsmen and picked up 12 wickets in just two matches. This performance earned him a place in the West Indies and he made his Test debut in the series against Bangladesh. He then impressed the selectors with eight wickets in two matches.
Permaul was selected for the West Indies tour of India in November 2013. He played in the first Test and bowled well taking two wickets but was dropped for the second game in favour of fellow Guyanese Narsingh Deonarine.
The left-arm twirler exhibited good control in the subsequent Test series in New Zealand, but was pushed to the shade by the Sunil Narine magic. Permaul is also a handy batsman to boot. If he can add some variety to his bowling, he can claw his way back into the ODI set-up, according to cricketing pundits.
This is not the first time Permaul is representing the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and for him, the opportunity to play for and represent home is one he cherishes. This year, he is in superb form and plans to contribute with the ball as well as the bat and in the field. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
