Hooper will play in Busta Cup - Former WI player confirms availability for Guyana By Donald Duff Stabroek News December 11, 1999 Retired West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper will represent Guyana in the 2000 Busta Cup regional first-class cricket tournament. According to a release from the Guyana Cricket Board, Hooper, 32, "has confirmed that he is available to represent Guyana in the forthcoming tournament." The stylish Hooper announced his retirement from first-class cricket in April this year during Australia's tour of the West Indies but subsequently stated his intention of playing one-year of cricket in the region as a form of repayment to his fans. "The way I finished was abrupt. I'd like to go back and have a farewell season, and thank the people of Guyana and the people of the West Indies for their support over 12 years, Hooper said in a recent interview in Melbourne, Australia where he now resides with his wife Connie and young son, Carl Jr. Hooper is scheduled to arrive in Guyana on January 3. Four days later Guyana will open their campaign against Barbados at Kensington Oval. Hooper, who made his debut against India in 1987 at age 21, played 80 Test matches accumulating 4153 runs, average 33.76, including a highest score of 178 not out against Pakistan. He captured 93 wickets at an average of 47.01 with 5-26 his best figures. The release also stated that former Nortel player Lalchand Persaud, has been added to the squad of 32 players called to practice with a view to selection on the national team. And a four-day trial match has been scheduled for the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground from December 14-17. The umpires will be Eddie Nichols and Colin Alfred. Two squads minus Shiv Chanderpaul, Reon King, on duty with the West Indies senior team currently in New Zealand and Sewnarine Chattergoon and Roopnarine Ramgobin, who will be involved in a camp in Trinidad from December 13-19 with the West Indies under-19 team for the Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka in January. The players are: Team `A' (from) Azeemul Haniff, Dinesh Joseph, Ricardo Mohamed, Keith Semple, Homchand Pooran, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Vishal Nagamootoo, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Garvin Nedd, Colin Stuart, Roderick Lovell, Ian Katchy, and Kevin Bazil. Team `B' (from) Nicholas de Groot, Paul Persaud, Andrew Gonsalves, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Travis Dowlin, Zaheer Haniff, Neil Mc Garrell, Sean Thompson, Asib Ally Haniff, Orvin Mangru, Andre Percival, Kevin Darlington, Reon Griffith and Jermaine Neblette. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples