Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
Johnson named in Guyana team for first two Carib Beer matches
National squad to begin encampment from Tuesday
Leon Johnson
By Sean Devers
The Guyana senior selectors have named West Indies left-hander Leon Johnson in a 13-man squad for the first two Carib Beer regional four-day first-class cricket matches next month.
The 13-man touring party and the seven standbys will be encamped from Tuesday at the Board’s Hostel in the City before breaking camp for the Christmas holidays. Guyana battle the Windward Islands in Grenada from January 9 before traveling to Barbados to face the Combined Colleges and Campuses in their second game from January 16.
Guyana’s third match is against the Leeward Islands in Antigua from January 30 and West Indies players Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Sewnarine Chattergoon are expected to be available for that game after returning home from the limited overs series in New Zealand.
Because of the inclement weather early in the year in Guyana, Guyana’s first four matches are all ‘away’ fixtures. The South Americans face Barbados in Barbados from February 6 before playing their first match on home soil from February 13 when they oppose Jamaica.
Leon Johnson, who could become Guyana’s 42nd Test player if selected in the team for the Test matches against New Zealand this month, is named in the side which includes West Indies player Narsingh Deonarine.
All-rounder Chris Barnwell, who played four regional one-day games this year and former National under-19 opening batsman Shemroy Barrington, who is yet to represent Guyana at the senior level, are the only players in the 13-man squad without first class experience, while experienced batsman Travis Dowlin is expected to be named Captain.
Narsingh Deonarine
This could be the final opportunity for the talented but inconsistent 25-year-old Deonarine to stake a claim for a Test re-call with a prolific season after averaging 33.91 with just four centuries from 63 first class matches.
The elegant left-hander who averages a disappointing 21.40 from his four tests will spearhead the batting along with the 31-year-old Dowlin who averages 29.43 from 64 first-class matches with just four tons.
The 21-year-old Johnson, a former West Indies under-19 captain, has not been selected for the ODI series and after playing three ODI in Canada this year, will want to improve his average of 35.91 from eight first-class matches as he hopes to cement his place in the side for the home series against England.
Without their three Test batsman, the Guyana batting looks brittle and opener Krishna Arjune, Royston Crandon, Wicketkeeper Derwin Christian and 20-year-old West Indies under-19 Vice-Skipper Steven Jacobs, who has played two first-class matches, will need to play important roles with the bat this season.
The experienced 29-year-old Hoomchand Pooran, who played the last of his 10 first-class matches five years ago, has been selected as one of the standby players while 21-year-old former West Indies under-19 left-hander Gajanand Singh has been surprisingly overlooked after playing two first-class games this year and is also on the standby list.
Barnwell, Esaun Crandon and the genuinely quick 20-year-old Brandon Bess are the three pacers selected in a young bowling attack which includes West Indies under-19 left-arm spinner Veersammy Permaul and leg-spinner Davindra Bishoo.
Although Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Dowlin and Jacobs can all bowl off-spin, the exclusion of specialist off-spinner Zaheer Mohamed is a mild surprise.
However, Mohamed’s consistent exposure to limited overs cricket recently seems to have affected his action and ability to flight the ball.
Pacer Trevon Garraway can again consider himself unfortunate to have missed out on selection but with 12 matches to be played in a long ‘double round’ season he should force his way into the side before the season ends on April 6.
Twenty-three-year-old ex-West Indies youth player Assad Fudadin, who averages 25.96 from 21 first class matches, is also on the standby list.
The Guyana squad read:- Krishna Arjune, Shemroy Barrington, Leon Johnson, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Royston Crandon, Derwin Christian, Christopher Barnwell, Veersammy Permaul, Davindra Bishoo, Esaun Crandon, Brandon Bess, Steven Jacobs.
Standbys:- Hoomchand Pooran, Vishal Singh, Trevon Garraway, Assad Fudadin, Delbert Hicks, Zaheer Mohamed, Gajanand Singh.
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