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Chanderpaul to play in GCB cricket Festival next weekend
By Sean Devers
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) confirmed through its television commercials this week that former West Indies Captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul will play in its 20/20 Cricket Festival next weekend at the Guyana National Stadium.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Host Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and the USA will battle for top honours in the fund raising 2-day competition on October 24 & 25 with two matches being played each day and a concert with some of Guyana’s top Chutney and Soca performers expected to entertain the fans after the final.
The 35-year-old left-hander reportedly missed the Inter-County One-Day final last Saturday to ‘tie up some personal matters in the USA’ although his contract with English club Durham ended last month but according to the GCB, the region’s best batsman will be on show to entertain his many fans next weekend ahead of the Regional One-Day tournament which starts here on October 28.
While Chanderpaul does not favor 20/20 cricket and in contrast to his outstanding record on Tests and ODIs, averages under 20 and is without a single fifty in 20/20 Internationals.
His presence however should spark plenty of interest and help to generate a massive turnout for the GCB fund-raiser after a successful first-class season for Durham which climaxed with a double century to give his County the English title.
Averaging just under 50 from 121 Tests with 21 tons and 41.6 from 252 ODIs with 10 hundreds and 55 fifties, Chanderpaul is expected to play a crucial role in reviving Guyana’s fortunes at the Regional level this year once he can focus completely on his cricket without too many other distractions.
With his experience of 361 List A matches, Chanderpaul’s presence in the Guyana team could see an unprecedented five Test players batting in consecutive places in the Guyana batting order for the Regional competition once Sewnarine Chattergoon, Travis Dowlin, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Narsingh Deonarine are fit.
Chanderpaul was one of the players who withdrew his services due to the contractual dispute between the WIPA and the WICB. He and Denesh Ramdeen were the only players who did not join the strike when the West Indies toured Sri Lanka in 2005 following another flare up between the players and the Board. If selected for the Australia tour, he should be the best prepared for test cricket of the senior players due to his County contract.
It was believed that Chanderpaul was coming for the Inter-County final but traveled from England to New York instead and most local fans, fed up of the ordinary standard of cricket in Guyana recently are hoping that he comes for the 20/20 Festival.
“The tiger like sharing licks man…if he come the Stadium should full” a nut vender, who says he will be plying his trade at the Stadium next weekend, told Kaieteur Sport outside the GCB Office yesterday.
While he is usually a sedate batsman, Chanderpaul, who resides with his wife Amy in Florida, scored the 3rd fastest Test hundred at Bourda against Australia in 2003 and many would remember his blistering onslaught taking 26 in an over from England’s Stuart Broad at the Stadium this year when he passed 8,000 ODI runs.
If the Guyanese batting Maestro from Unity turn ups in one of his rare pugnacious moods fans could be in for a treat next weekend.
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