Singh shockingly dropped from Guyana team

Mar 21, 2009 Sports

Esaun Crandon, Bishoo return for overseas matches

Rabindranauth Seeram

Gajanand Singh

By Sean Devers
After declaring with Gajanand Singh seven short of his maiden fifty in his third match at first class-level, national Coach Rabindranauth Seeram and his fellow selectors have now dropped the talented left-hander from the 13-man squad for the next two matches.
Guyana, languishing at the bottom of the points table in the seven-team competition, has been winless in their five matches under Seeram, who was appointed to replace Albert Smith as coach after the first four matches this season and the coach, a high-class former first-class batsman, seems at a loss in deciding what strategy to employ as Guyana continue to struggle this season.
It was understood that Guyana declared at Bourda to hunt an outright win although they had 20 overs to bowl on the penultimate day and could have allowed the 21-year-od Singh, in his first match for the season, two more overs to reach his land mark or declared when Assad Fudadin was dismissed for 93 a few overs before.

That leaking covers and questionable work by the ground staff caused the entire last day of that game to be washed is now history.
While Guyana could no longer win the title, Manager Carl Moore explained that they wanted to win matches to finish in the top half of the points table. Yet after the first two-days were washed out in their last game in Berbice, Seeram returned to his defensive tactics instead of trying to get first innings points to improve their standing in the competition.

Singh, a former West Indies under-19 batsman and one of the most talented young batsmen in the region, was caught at deep mid-on looking to attack when he was well set on 30 and Guyana on 319-8 since a lunch time declaration was expected.

However, Seeram, a Level 1 Coach attached to the Sports Ministry, opted not to declare at 336 with the last pair at the crease at the interval although spectators had paid hoping to see a contest.
Guyana were bowled out five balls after Lunch and the Leewards raced to 206-4 by the time the game was called off leaving, Guyana with just four points for their worries and 24 from nine matches so far.

That Singh, who leads the Guyana batting averages with 73.00 from two matches, has been sacked for the next two games raises several questions as the real reason for his omission. It is wondered if it has anything to do with the fact that two of the present executives on the Guyana Cricket Board publicly said Seeram was incompetent when he was not in agreement with picking Singh, who now resides in West Bank Demerara and plays for Demerara.

Fast bowler Trevon Garraway is the other player from the squad which played in Berbice this week who will not be going to Trinidad as leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo makes a welcome return to the team.
Fast bowler Esaun Crandon, who has struggled for pace and averages 12.18 with the bat this season has also been re-called.

Guyana begin the 11th round next week Friday, six points behind CCC who are in the penultimate position with one more match than Guyana in hand.
The ploy to drop a young promising player with Guyana no longer in contention to win seems very strange at a time when player development should be the focus as Guyana hope to mould a young team to hopefully return Guyana to its winning ways in a season or two.

The Guyana team will practice today and Monday before leaving the country on Tuesday. The players are expected to witness the two ODIs in Guyana today and on Sunday.
The team read:- Travis Dowlin (Captain), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Chris Barnwell, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Davendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Brandon Bess, Carl Moore (Manager), Rabindranauth Seeram (Coach).

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