Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 12, 2009 Sports
By Sean Devers
After four consecutive losses this year to follow up the three in a row at the start of last year’s season and without a First-Class title in seven years, the new Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) executive has pulled the plug on Albert Smith’s duties as national cricket coach.
Guyana heads into the sixth round of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day First-Class competition against Jamaica at Providence from tomorrow with a new coach. Carl Moore has kept his position as Manager.
Former Guyana middle order batsman Rabindranauth Seeram took over as the team’s Coach yesterday after former Test fast bowler Reon King, who served as Smith’s assistant during the last regional one-day tournament in Guyana was by-passed for the job. It is understood that the GCB could not afford the services of former Test off-spinner and West Indies coach Roger Harper.
Smith helped Guyana win its last regional First-class title in his first year as coach in 2002, while the team also won the regional one-day championship in 2003 and 2005 after losing to Trinidad and Tobago in the 2004 final. Guyana, with Smith as coach, won the inaugural Stanford Regional 20/20 title in 2006.
However, with the exodus of the senior players, Guyana has struggled badly at the regional level in recent times and the fact that Guyana failed to qualify last year for the semi-final of the regional one-day tournament for only the second time in the last decade and has had their worst ever start to the first Class season this year, prompted the GCB to sack Smith in the middle of the competition.
While the removal of Smith, Guyana most successful under-19 coach with an unprecedented six successive titles from 1992 was not unexpected, many felt that the 33-year-old King would have been given the job.
However, Chetram Singh, the GCB President since 1991, said yesterday that while King was considered for the position, being a former team-mate with many of the present players worked against him.
“I pushed for Seeram because we were not winning and wanted a change. King played with many of these guys and while he may be familiar with them I don’t think he will get the type of respect needed by a coach from players who might still view him as a player,” Singh opined.
He said that King, who took 58 wickets from 19 Tests and 293 First-Class wickets between 1996 and 2007, is a very good coach and has a bright future in this area.
“King is a very good coach and I think at this point he is well suited to coach our youth teams. Remember Clive Lloyd was appointed Manager not long after he finished playing and that did not work out too well,” Singh added.
Singh explained that the GCB has now begun a rebuilding process and with five home games to be played he expects Guyana, who has just four points from their first four games, to improve.
Singh said the 47-year-old Seeram, who averaged 35.3 with three centuries and 1,997 runs from 41 First-Class matches between 1983 and 1992, was a top class batsman as a player and feels that he might have a positive impact on the batsmen.
“We are without (Ramnaresh) Sarwan, (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul and (Sewnarine) Chattergoon and our batting has been letting us down in this series. The fact that Seeram is a batsman was also taken into consideration. Of all of the GCB paid coaches we feel he is the best for the job at this point,” Singh informed.
A classy right-handed batsmen who also played 12 regional One-Day games, Seeram is a very unassuming and ‘behind the scenes’ individual and Singh says that his work as coach will be assessed at the end of the regional First-Class tournament.
When asked by this newspaper about Seeram’s coaching qualifications, Singh said that the former West Indies youth player was a level 2 coach and fully capable of moving the team forward. A usually reliable source however disputed this, saying that Seeram only recently became a level 1 coach.
The GCB head said that Chattergoon who is presently in Canada seeking treatment for his injury should also be available for Guyana seventh round game. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who slit the webbing on his bowling hand during Guyana’s last match in Barbados, will also be available for Guyana’s seventh round game against Trinidad and Tobago. Singh stated that Sarwan and Chanderpaul should both be available for the seventh round of matches before leaving for the third Test in Barbados.
Singh said that Smith had served Guyana’s cricket well but after being in the position for a long time and with Guyana’s level of success declining, it was time for a change…a time for new ideas.
Singh feels that inexperience played a big role in Guyana’s poor showing, adding that although there is lots of talent the inconsistency and lack of mental aptitude seems to be the biggest problems for the team.
“The youngsters are just not coming along at the first-class level as we would like them to and this has nothing to do with talent.
We felt that with most of the players in this team under 22 years old, now is time to hand them a new coach who has fresh ideas. I was told that we had a few bad umpiring decisions this year but that is no excuse for our batsmen not carrying on from good starts and nobody getting a century,” Singh lamented.
Singh said that there can be no excuse now of lack of match practice since four games have been played and Guyana’s next four games will be played in familiar conditions.
The GCB Boss also informed that a meeting was held on Tuesday evening with the selectors, the Manager and the Captain Travis Dowlin and that everyone is hoping for an improved performance.
The Guyana 16-man squad will have their final practice session today from 09:00hrs at Providence before the final 13-man squad is named.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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