Guyana and West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul says he is fully fit now and ready to resume his international career, beginning, with the Red Stripe Bowl one-day series later this year. “I am okay now and ready to get on with my career,” the lefthanded batsman told Stabroek Sports after playing in the annual Sundar Memorial one-day game here on Sunday.

Chanderpaul broke a finger on his left hand while carving out a match-winning century for West Indies against Australia in the fourth and final Test in Antigua in May and has been ruled out of competition ever since, having to miss the seven-game one-day series against the world champions which followed the Tests.

“Yeah I will play,” the middle-order batsman said when asked about his availability for Guyana in the premier West Indies one-day competition. Chanderpaul, who slammed two centuries in the Test series including the third fastest in Test history in the first match, was evasive when asked to rate the eight Test tons he has scored so far.

“Its always good to get a hundred against Australia, you know against the best team in the world, one of the best bowling attacks in the world, you must be happy with yourself in the process, in doing that you help your team,” the left-hander declared.

As a result of his excellent batting, Chanderpaul, who played in three of the four Tests, was regarded as the missing element that could have given West Indies victory in the one-day series which they lost 4-3.

He, however, would not be drawn on the topic and was resigned about his fate of missing another of several competitions through injury in his seven year international career, “I was very disappointed but that’s life, I can’t do anything about it,” the left-hander stated. Chanderpaul, who has been recuperating in Orlando, Florida after surgery for the finger, is unsure about his immediate return to Guyana but said he will try to keep as active as possible. “I don’t know when but I’m gonna try and play as much and do a bit to keep myself in shape,” he said about the remainder of his time in the U.S. and on his activities.

Asked about his confidence in continuing his rich vein of recent form for West Indies on their upcoming tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa later this year, Chanderpaul was non-committal. “I really don’t know what the future holds, I can’t say at this time,” the man of few words declared.

In Sunday’s game Chanderpaul produced an entertaining cameo to help Guyana outplay the Rest of Caribbean in the game played at Whitestone Park in the Bronx.

He blasted five fours in a breezy 25 off 21 balls in an encounter which included fellow Test players Trinidad’s Darren Ganga and Leon Garrick of Jamaica, before a large and excited crowd by New York standards.

Batting first, Guyana rattled up 201 for nine wickets off their allotted 40 overs with fast bowler and former Demerara youth player Adrian Bevaun topscoring with 30 not out, batting at number 11. Steve Massiah made a useful 25 while Lennox Cush and Deryck McDonald contributed 20 each. Former Leeward Islands youth player Kester Sylvester took 2-21 while slow medium Carlton Adams bagged 3-31 including Chanderpaul’s wicket after the lefthander was caught trying to hit his sixth boundary.

In reply, Rest of the Caribbean were routed for 109 as Ganga and Garrick failed to impress on a pitch of unpredictable bounce. Ganga who hit back to back centuries off Australia in April was dismissed for one, attempting a wild swing, being trapped lbw off medium pacer Tim Persaud who went on to take 5-31. Garrick was also lbw to Persaud for four while Dave Wallace topscored with 28. GCC batsman Peter Persaud helped clean up the innings, taking 3-16 with his leg spin. Bevaun who bowled three overs for 15 runs was the Most Valuable Player of the match which has become the biggest game staged in New York.