Deonarine surprised at Windies ODI omission

Mar 18, 2009 Sports

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Aims to become first to score 1000 runs in a regional tourney

By Sean Devers

 

Twenty-five year-old left-hander Narsingh Deonarine is enjoying the form of his life and has so far scored 863 runs from nine matches in this year’s WICB regional first-class cricket competition including two tons and four half-centuries at an average of 61.64.

Deonarine who played the last of his four Tests four years ago in Sri Lanka, has carried the struggling Guyanese batting almost single-handedly this season and his 94 against the Leewards on his home ground Albion last Sunday was top class.

With six first-class tons and five at regional level to his name, Deonarine has been earmarked for greatness since he scored the first century in regional under-19 one-day cricket in Barbados in 1999 and then burst onto the first-class arena the next year, still a teenager.

However, despite his tremendous talent, an apparent lack of commitment to work hard and distractions off the field have contributed to Deonarine’s inconsistent performances since his Test debut against South Africa at Bourda in March of 2005.

The elegant stroke-player who was born in Berbice (Guyana’s second largest county) on August 16, 1983, averages just under 40 from 72 first-class matches and passed 4000 first-class runs during his last innings. His highest score of 198 last week at Bourda against CCC should have been converted into a double century.

The last of Deonarine’s five ODIs was against Zimbabwe in December 2007 and the former West Indies under-19 Skipper said he was surprised to be overlooked for the West Indies One-Day team which was announced on Monday.

“I set myself 800 runs at the start of this season and I think I have been batting pretty well and I have scored more runs than everybody else so I was a bit surprised and disappointed not to be picked for the one-day team,” Deonarine disclosed.

While a few very tough umpiring decisions has not helped his cause this season, Deonarine now has his eyes set on becoming the first player ever to score 1000 runs in a single regional season and with three matches to go and 127 more needed, he should easily accomplish that goal.

In 1999 Deonarine, Ryan Hinds and Marlon Samuels were the stand-out batsmen in the regional under-19 series. A decade later Hinds is struggling to keep his place in the regional side, Samuels has been banned and Deonarine is now mounting a strong come-back effort.

When he came back from the Sri Lanka tour in 2005 and then hit the million-dollar six to give Guyana victory against Trinidad and Tobago in the final over of the pulsating Stanford 20/20 final in 2006, Deonarine was on a high.

The fact that he had received over G$15 million and his entire family were residing in the USA probably contributed to a lack of focus and a social life which contributed to poor fitness.

While it is easy to say that Deonarine’s ‘loose’ lifestyle contributed to his inconsistency on the field and his apparent aversion to rigorous physical training aided in him losing his Test place, it must be remembered that he was just 21 when he last played Test cricket.

Fully recovered from a back injury which affected his first-class career last year and which again flared up during last year’s Stanford 20/20 tournament in Antigua, Deonarine is determined to make up for lost time.

“I can’t really say why I did not make a lot more runs for Guyana just after I got dropped from the West Indies team but I think maybe I put too much pressure on myself and was not as matured as I am now,” Deonarine opined.

Also a competent off-spinner, Deonarine also hinted that seeing others with less ability (and at times less runs) gain West Indies selection ahead of him might have put a damper on his desire to work his hardest on his game.

“Looking back, over the last few years I could have spent a bit more time on my fitness but now I understand myself more now and my hunger for the game is greater than ever. I am working really hard on my training and being fitter is a main reason why I am now getting consistent scores. When you are fit you concentrate longer and I am enjoying my time in the middle,” Deonarine said.

He said he is confident and eagerly looking forward to a lot more runs to seal his place in the West Indies team to tour England next month end.

“While I have seen others get picked for the one day team from their four-day performance I guess the selectors knows best and I now intend to pick myself for the England tour by making runs every time I bat and learning from my mistakes and improving. I am not too sure if I was mentally ready for Test cricket when I first got selected and I might even have gotten a bit carried away with my success four, five years ago. I am older now and look at life in a different way. I know that once I am given the chance I will do well in Test cricket now,” Deonarine revealed.

Deonarine, who averages 21 from six Test innings with a highest score of 40, says he wants to develop into a genuine all-rounder although he says he has not been getting much bowling for Guyana this season since Davendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs have been doing the bulk of the spin bowling in the matches.

Called up for the inaugural 20/20 World Cup after two years in the International wilderness, Deonarine says that while Test cricket is the real Test of a cricketer, he also enjoys limited overs cricket.

He also feels inexperience and the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan are major

reasons why Guyana have not been doing well this season but added that if the youngsters are kept together and play more matches Guyana should be a force to be reckoned with in another season or two.

Only one of three players from Albion to play Test cricket, Deonarine thinks that better pitches are needed in the region to produce more genuinely fast bowlers and batsmen who are great cutters and hookers.

“The pitches in the region are really too slow and not the best for stroke-play. For batsmen to do well they need to spend time in the middle and graft a bit since you just can’t come out on most of the pitches around now and play shots,” Deonarine explained.

The talent has always been there but his maturity, confidence and willingness to work hard are key factors in his recent success and it will be a major surprise if Deonarine is not recalled for the England tour.

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