National selectors nominated Chanderpaul
Guyana Chronicle
September 24, 2003
THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has been prompted to respond to statements published in yesterday’s edition of the Stabroek News under the headline “GBC selection shocker - Chanderpaul gets nod over Sarwan”.
The Board is particularly concerned about insinuations about its overruling of a proposal from the panel of selectors. The writer states “sources close to the GCB indicated yesterday that the national selectors recommended Sarwan as captain but the executive did not ratify the decision.”
The statement is as inaccurate as it is mischievous. We have checked with the national selectors and have confirmed that the decision to nominate Shivnarine Chanderpaul as captain was unanimous.
There is indeed the process (similar to the WICB and other Boards), which requires the selectors to discuss among themselves their choice of captain and then make the nomination to the GCB for ratification. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was nominated by the selectors, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul was ratified as captain by the Board.
Mr. Devers’s information from “sources close to the GCB” is simply just not true. It is a not-too-thinly veiled suggestion that there is a pro-Chanderpaul or worse yet an anti-Sarwan lobby within the Board. It is mischievous.
In the article Mr Devers considered it necessary to make the point that Mahendra Nagamootoo who led Guyana last year and Neil McGarrell who captained the side in 2000 were both bypassed.
All who follow Guyana’s cricket would appreciate that in recent years as long as the country’s international players were available, Carl Hooper captained the national side. Chanderpaul was his vice-captain and has captained the team in his absence.
With Hooper unavailable for the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl Tournament, it would seem reasonably logical for the Board to take advantage of Chanderpaul’s considerable experience and the support and respect he has received from the players.
The selectors and the Board did recognise the need to further develop Ramnaresh Sarwan and to prepare him for leadership, and appointed him vice-captain.
Why would a journalist and commentator, demanding respect, distort the facts?
We can understand and appreciate any campaign for a player to be appointed captain. What we cannot understand and appreciate, though, is the mischievous distortion of facts in support of that campaign.
The campaign of mischief does nothing for Mr Sarwan, but possibly creates unnecessary friction among members of the team and could possibly damage cricket in Guyana.
