‘I would not have picked Gayle’ – says Ex Guyana youth player Kevin George feels Rutherford & Shepherd were unlucky

Sep 27, 2021 Sports

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By Sean Devers
Kaieteur News- Despite not playing Firs-Class Cricket or in major franchise Leagues, former Guyana U-19 off-spinner Kevin George has still been able to earn playing professionally in Canada and semi-Pro in Trinidad.
However, the emergence of the Global Covid-19 Virus pandemic has brought activities around the World to a screeching halt and cricket tournaments were not spared.
On Saturday the GCB announced that the Covid Task Force has suspended all cricket until further notice due to escalation in Covid cases and deaths in Guyana.
The 38-year-old George is hoping to return to Canada next year to continue his work for the Melbourne sports club in the elite division in the Labats league.
“I hope to play in Canada for another six or seven years…I have lost two years to covid-19 and I need to make some money. My last game was a first Division game for DCC against UG in 2019,” said George, the father of two sons; Kadeem and Kevin George Jnr.

The DCC all-rounder, who represented his Country in the 2001 Regional U-19 series which was held in Guyana while playing at the second Division level, give his views on West Indies T20 world Cup squad, what is needed to improve the standard of local cricket and cricket in Schools.
Like Trinidad and West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree, George, who first played in Canada in 2008, spent 14 years in the Education sector as Teacher and got his first contract in 2016 to play for Glenora Sports Club in the North zone Premiership League in Trinidad.
In November 2009 George hit his maiden first division century (109) for DCC in the Demerara zone of the GCB National first division cricket competition.
George was born on June 5, 1983 to Andrea Jarvis and Malcome George and attended Queenstown Community High School, Kuru Kuru Training Complex, GTI and the University of Guyana IDCE.
He became interested in cricket by watching West Indies playing on Television while a friend motivated him to join DCC at age 12.
After completing his technical education certificate programme at GTI, he was placed at St Mary’s high school in the technical department to teach building technology to levels 9 and 10 students.
“The difference between now and then is that technology has evolved and has changed the way of learning because of the pandemic. The interest in Education has depreciated a lot since the Pandemic.
School cricket has always been a sore problem for development. I believe physical education should be compulsory from the primary to tertiary level,” said George.
“I was practicing at DCC and someone asked me if I would be interested in playing cricket in Canada… that was in 2008. I went and played in the EDCL league for Calypso sports club.
The standard of cricket in Canada is very competitive I played with Vitoria Park CC in 2010 in the premier division and we won the playoffs and went up to elite and I returned to represent them the next season,” informed George.
“To improve the standard of local cricket, the grounds and the pitches needs to be better and we need Administrators with an equality mind-set who giv

es everyone a fair chance once they are doing well in whatever they are doing,” George continued.
George believes that that Guyanese pair of Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd should have been in the T20 World Cup squad, while he said he not have selected Chris Gayle as a playing member.

“The current West Indies team is missing two players who have demonstrated exemplary performance Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd in their most recent T20 matches in the just concluded CPL.
Both of these players already have International experience and demonstrated excellent skill sets and performed very well.
The selectors should have given them the opportunity to be in the World Cup Squad even if in reserve list ahead of Daren Bravo and Sheldon Cottrell. I am very disappointed in the selection panel,” George lamented.
“On the issue of taking Gayle to the World Cup at this period of his career is a hard decision. His vast experience could be a good thing for the team but to answer your question, on his present and recent form I would say no, I would not have picked him for the World Cup.
Let me explain why I feel so. He made a century in the last World Cup (2016) but that was his last century and he failed in the remaining matches.
To me, he is the greatest T20 batsman in the World and has scored more T20 centuries than anyone else but there comes a time when your mind says Yes but your body say No Way!
It’s been over 20 matches now that he has not scored even a fifty, and at 42, even if he gets one good score I don’t think he is capable now to score with any consistency.
In addition to that, he is not fit enough to run quick singles for any length of time and this will put extra pressure on the other batsman to try hit big shots to score his runs,” George opined.
George however feels that the batting is very strong on paper and if they don’t do anything reckless and be very consistent West Indies stands a chance of winning their third T20 tittle.

 

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