Motie ignored for ODIs against Australia despite taking most wickets in last Regional Super50

Jul 09, 2021 Sports

By Sean Devers

Kaieteur News – The none selection of 26-year-old Guyanese left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie in the West Indies 15-man squad to face Australia in a three-match ODI in Barbados from July 20, has raised eyebrows.

Gudakesh Motie. CWI Media

Since his List ‘A’ debut for Guyana against the Windwards in St Kitts on January 6, 2016, the Barbican has played 18 matches and captured 27 wickets at an average 23.66 and an economy rate of 4.20.
The last time Motie played for Guyana in List ‘A’ cricket was in February 26, 2021 against T&T in Antigua in the last Regional Super50. Motie plays for Albion which has produced the last Guyanese Test spinners in Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo.
In this year’s Regional Super 50 in Antigua, Motie played seven matches, bowled 372 deliveries, conceded 283 runs with a best of 4-45. His 17 wickets were taken at an average 16.64 and an economy rate 4.56 while all of his three 4-wicket hauls were achieved in his last tournament.
Motie, who also has 100 wickets from 29 First-Class matches with four 5-wickets hauls, has produced the ‘goods’ the Roger Harper led selection panel was looking for at the Regional level and speculation is rife as to why was he has not been selected in a 15-man ODI squad.
Motie’s performance in the 2021 Regional Super 50 reads: Guyana vs Trinidad & Tobago 28 1/43 26-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A; Guyana vs Windward Is — 4/53 24-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A; Guyana vs Windward Is — 1/37 21-Feb-2021 North Sound List A; Guyana vs Trinidad & Tobago 6* 2/36 19-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A; Guyana vs Jamaica 3 4/55 13-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A; Guyana vs Leeward Is — 4/45 11-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A; Guyana vs Barbados 13 1/14 07-Feb-2021 Coolidge List A.
Motie made his National U-15 debut in 2007 as an 11-year-old and four years at that level before representing this Country for two years at the U-17 level and three years at the U-19 level making him the most capped Guyana youth player.
In 2013 Motie was selected for the West Indies U-19 team for their tour of Bangladesh before playing for the Regional side in the 2014 U-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The talented left-arm spinner has also played in T&T, Barbados, St Kitts and Dominica and his best ever bowling figures at any level is 7-15 for Albion against New Amsterdam side Bermine at U-17 level.
After Motie made his First-Class debut he has also shown his worth with Red ball and was good enough with the bat to score 71 which suggest he could perform in all formats. In 2015 at the Providence Stadium over 100 miles from his home in Belvedere in East Berbice, he joined fellow Albion spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo as the only Guyanese to register a 10-wicket haul at that venue.
Playing in only his second First-Class match, Motie, bowling with lots of variety, took 6-20 for the Guyana Jaguars against the Leewards Hurricanes to help send the visitors crashing to 85 all out. He then grabbed 5-85 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 11-105. Bishoo has achieved the feat three times, while Permaul has one 10-wicket haul at Providence.
Ironically, it was Permaul’s ankle injury that paved the way for Motie’s inclusion and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands taking three wickets on debut against the Windwards Volcanoes before bagging 11 in the next match.
Motie recently returned home from Los Angeles where he represented Nepali Rhino in a T20 Tournament and ended fourth on the wicket-takers list in a tournament. The tournament included several West Indian and Guyana players like Chanderpaul Hemraj, Ashmead Nedd, Sherfane Rutherford and Chris Barnwell.
Motie, who was first picked for Albion’s U-15 at age eight and made his Berbice U-15 debut a year later, confirmed that he informed the GCB that he was leaving for the tournament and that he had no fitness or injury issues.