WICB found wanting as Guyana sparkles in inaugural T20 series By Orin Davidson

The West Indies Cricket Board finally came around to staging its first ever Twenty20 championship, but compared to the original Stanford series, its organizing was like chalk to cheese.

Were it not for the excitement which is common in almost every T20 game, the WICB’s version would’ve been as attractive as mardigra in Iowa or Minnesota.

There was little promotion, non existent crowd rewards and meager side entertainment for spectators. Not to mention the player rewards, where the first place cash prize amounted to the Man of the Match money Stanford gave to each game winner.

Fans accustomed to enjoying the soca/reggae splendor of Machel Montano, Beenie Man and Allison Hinds at half time provided by Stanford’s version, had to be content with recorded music and a showcase of Carnival costumes seen six months prior In Trinidad, and paraded by possibly the same women who appeared like crosses between cheerleaders and match escorts.

For Guyanese fans It was a triumph sweeter than anything before it in a long, long time.
If you don’t like Twenty20 cricket, the sheer excitement the shortest form of the game brings, should turn any patriotic fans into the converted by now.

In the midst of the euphoria, following a great team performance by Guyana to lift the 2010 West Indies

Twenty20 title, one thing is certain, this batch of young players is not short on confidence and mental toughness.

T20 cricket may not be the best yardstick to measure a player’s technical skills and durability, but this year’s Regional Championship surely showed how tough Jonathan Foo, Devindra Bishoo and company can be.

Trinidad and Tobago’s party was ravished by the precociousness of the youthful Guyanese lineup in the semifinals, which brought out the other side of some notable Trinis and one specific writer from the Guardian newspaper.

How dare this Guyana team, being run by a Board in current turmoil, that is allegedly broke due to misused money, including the Stanford windfall, and where a top official was the victim of a heinous, violent acid attack, upstage the new poster team of Regional cricket, following Trinidad’s brilliant second place finish at last year’s Champions League in India?

Note how T&T captain Darren Ganga, who is supposedly the epitome of astuteness and decency, remonstrated with the Guyanese batting pair when they ran a single off a dead ball when they batted last Friday. Note how he deliberately signaled wide to the umpire in his turn at the crease as things got tight during the runs chase.

Then there was Kieron Pollard, once thought of as the gentle giant, who produced a boorish display of disrespect when showing Foo the pavilion on bowling him, after the young batsman had previously clobbered him.

But little do they all know that this team Guyana team is not one to lie down and play dead, even if Trinidad and Tobago is the world’s second best T20 club team. Not with this motivated young bunch brilliantly captained and inspired by Ramnaresh Sarwan.

At a mere 19 years of age, Foo showed he will not be awed by any tense situation, nor any big name player or team. At the time he entered the fray during Guyana’s innings against Barbados in last Saturday’s final, he went on to show why only he thought his team could win, from a losing position of 72-5.

The Berbician went on to reel off the sixes and fours with such fearless composure, it seemed West Indians were experiencing a reincarnation of a teenage Vivian Richards.

Bishoo on the other hand displayed such immaculate control and guile with his legspin in his very first T20 series for Guyana and before huge partisan crowds, you wonder if he never heard of two of the biggest names in world T20 cricket in Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, not to mention Dwayne Smith.

But Bishoo obviously has a huge appetite for the big occasion. Early in the competition when he got injured in the field against Windward Islands and was awaiting the umpire’s permission to return to the action with heavily bandaged fingers, the expression of intent on his face, told you everything about his great stomach for a fight.

Not forgetting Royston Crandon, who never lost the plot with the game on the line, and went on to sweep aside the last three Trinidad wickets in a memorable final over with his off spin, with the home team closing in on victory.

Despite its problems the Guyana Cricket Board and its selectors must be commended for selecting a winning team. The choice of Foo takes the cake as the insight in identifying his ability was incredible. At this time last year, Foo was playing for the Guyana Under-19s in Jamaica where he was just another team member.

There is also the case of Lennox Cush who was implored to return to the team from his duties with the United States national side.

Also in persisting with Sarwan as captain , the selectors were spot on, more so after he has passed up a future role as West Indies skipper.

Not many know Sars is a Guyanese patriot, and he dug deep In Barbados and Trinidad to prove it to the world.

With the Airtel Champions League in its crosshairs now, the Guyana team needs special preparation which requires the GCB to go even further than the extra mile to ensure success in South Africa.

Sarwan knows the score and if he is interpreted as calling out the GCB, in highlighting the team’s needs, then so be it.

For one thing, the team needs a specialist physiotherapist as they played without any in the just concluded championship. It was embarrassing seeing reserve player Stephen Jacobs having to rush out with the magic spray when Narsingh Deonarine hurt his shoulder while batting against Barbados.

When one looks at the other big name teams in that T20 series , they were all better equipped than Guyana with support staff. In addition to two coaches and Desmond Haynes as manager, Barbados had Jackie King as its physio. Trinidad had Ronald Rogers, the ex Windies team specialist while Jamaica’s equivalent was Dave Bernard.

Guyana would do well to seek out New Jersey-based Basil Butcher Jr, who the Board knows well from the frequent voluntary seminars he conducts for aspiring physios and players in Guyana. Apart from being excellent in his field, he is an astute student of the game and a great team person.

We all know money is scare for the GCB but even if it has to borrow, and there are surely many willing lenders, the money has to be found to give Guyana its best shot.

In addition to the mandatory team camp and practice games, the team also needs a physical trainer and time to acclimatize to the unfamiliar conditions in South Africa. In is winter there now so it will be bitterly cold for most of the players next month. Not to mention the thin air due to the country’s high altitude.

It will be money well invested by the GCB as it will not be far-fetched to figure Guyana having an outside chance, or being close to carting off the competition’s $US 11 million first prize. Even the basic appearance fee should easily cover any loan for preparation and support staff.

This series is chance of a lifetime for Guyana’s cricket, not to mention its sport in general. Never before will a team representing the country be exposed to as huge a world television audience that the Champions League will offer. No professional boxer or Olympics team has ever had such an opportunity to advertise Guyana to the world.

Trinidad set the bar sky high with its splendid second place finish last year.

Guyana cannot afford to fall any lower.