Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 20, 2014 Sports
Passport issues delays his departure to S/Africa
By Sean Devers
Guyanese Assad Fudadin was recalled to the West Indies squad for the three Test tour to South Africa when Darren Bravo pulled out, while Grenadian Devon Smith was selected to replace the injured Chris Gayle.
Narsingh Deonarine is the latest replacement player to be called up on short notice. He replaces fellow Guyanese Fudadin, who broke his finger during a fielding drill before Wednesday’s opening Test in South Africa.
Deonarine, with 18 Tests to his name, was likely to make his re-entry to International cricket during the One-Day version of the South Africa series but got an unexpected call-up for Test series.
Deonarine said he got the news of his selection on Wednesday but unfortunately for Deonarine, who along with Smith, are the only batsmen with over 300 runs from the first four matches in WICB Four-Day Franchise First-Class tournament, he applied for his United Kingdom and South Africa Visas on Tuesday and his Passport, along with the relevant documents were sent by FEDEX to be processed.
“If I had my Passport, I could have travelled through the US since I am a green card holder I was told that I would get back my Passport in 15 working days and that there was nothing that could be done to fast track my UK Visa application,” Deonarine, who also has nine wickets including a five-wicket haul this season, disclosed.
The elegant Berbician, who in 2008 became the first player to score 1,000 First-Class runs in a West Indies Regional cricket tournament, says he was not surprised since he was likely to be picked for the One-Day team due to back-to-back centuries and wickets in the first phase of the Franchise tournament which resumes on January 15 with the NAGICO Super50 competition in Trinidad & Tobago.
Deonarine, who surprisingly has a ‘B’ class contract for the Jaguars, feels he is mentally ready for the South Africa series since he has been following the tour on Television and has been able to analyze the bowlers, the bounce of the pitches and the conditions from his home in Guyana where is presently involved in practice matches with the Guyana Jaguars in preparation for next month’s Regional 50-over tournament.
“I was also in South Africa for t20 World Cup and with the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2010 Champions Trophy t20 competition so I have fair knowledge of what to expect over there in terms of the thinner air and other conditions,” Deonarine added.
Deonarine said even if he gets there too late to play in the Test series, the extra time spent in Africa would enable him to be better acclimatized to the conditions in time for the limited overs series which will be played just before the World Cup commences next February.
Meanwhile, Chairman of selectors Rayon Griffith informed that today will be the last practice match for the year and will be played at the same venue before three more practice games will be held next month after which the squad to travel to Trinidad will be picked.
The players break camp this afternoon and will return on January 2 when a fitness test will be conducted. Fudadin could be out of action for six weeks which could be a big blow to the Jaguars batting the Super50 tournament which starts on January 15 in T&T.
“If both Leon (Johnson) and Narsingh (Deonarine) are picked for the limited overs series and Shemron Hetmyer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul make the West Indies under-19 team, our (Jaguars) batting could be left with a hole in the middle order. But we have no control over those sorts of things and working hard to be to that we can be when we take the field,” Griffith said.
Guyana has not won a Regional 50-over title since 2005 when they beat Barbados at Bourda.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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