President of the Guyana Cricket Board Chetram Singh says former West Indies leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo was never banned by the Guyana Cricket Board.

This statement contradicts that of the chairman of the national selectors former West Indies batsman Joe Solomon who says that his panel had slapped a two-match ban on Lennox Cush and Mahendra Nagamootoo after a fracas during Guyana's third round Carib Beer match against the Windward Islands in Dominica.

Nagamootoo was selected to represent Guyana in the sixth round Carib Beer regional first class cricket match against West Indies `B' which Guyana won by an innings and four runs yesterday with Nagamotoo bagging the man-of-the-match award.

Nagamootoo, the then vice-captain of the team which lost all of their `away' matches, was dropped after taking eight wickets for 344 runs at an average of 43.1. He scored 119 runs from six innings and was way below his usual high standard.

The Berbician, only behind Clyde Butts (270) and Ranji Nanan (254) with 247 regional first-class wickets, was involved in a fist fight with batsman Cush at the match venue on the penultimate day of third round match in Dominica.

Nagamootoo and Cush, who also had a poor season with the bat, managing just 39 runs (ave. 6.5) from the three `away' matches, were dropped, along with opener Azeemul Haniff and Andre Percival when the team returned home.

The 73-year-old Solomon told Stabroek Sports during the Guyana, Leeward Islands mach that Nagamootoo and Cush were dropped due to their poor performance and that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) had not directed the selectors in any way not to select the two players for disciplinary reasons.

Vice President of the GCB Malcom Peters confirmed that the GCB had, up to that point, taken no action against the two players since a written report from the manager Carl Moore on the fist fight in Dominica was to be submitted to the GCB.

The written report was submitted by Moore after the team for the fourth round game was picked and Nagamootoo and Cush were left out.

The GCB informed that they would launch an investigation based on Moore's report before taking an action against the players if they deemed it necessary. The two players were fined half of their match fee in Dominica.

While the public waited on a press release from the GCB concerning the outcome of the investigation, the Solomon led selection panel imposed a two-match ban on the two players.

A member of the disciplinary committee of the GCB said there have been no meeting held to discuss the issue.

According to informed sources, the manager's report was first looked at by the GCB at a meeting Friday night.

Solomon said on Wednesday that his panel had looked at the report submitted by Moore (although the report was never handed to the GCB before the fourth round match at Enmore) and decided to suspend the players for two matches.

He also said his panel had the right to ban players for disciplinary reasons although the GCB has a committee which deals with discipline and which never recommended a ban for the players.

Solomon is not on the disciplinary committee of the GCB.

Singh said Wednesday afternoon that the GCB felt that the players were fined in Dominica and should not be punished twice for the same act.

But Solomon says the players were on a two-match ban adding that Cush was not considered for selection for the sixth round game due to his poor performance.

But if Nagamootoo and Cush were both dropped due to poor performance in the first place then one wonders why was Nagamootoo recalled after playing no cricket since he was dropped, especially since Guyana won their last game against Trinidad without him.

Cush had seven wickets for 194 runs at an average of 27, which was a lot better than Nagamootoo's performance with the ball while Nagamootoo's showing with the bat was better than Cush's. According to reports Cush was not informed that he was serving a two-match ban.

The public eagerly awaits the outcome of the GCB's investigation into what transpired in Dominica.

They also need to clear the air of the two-match ban imposed on the players and also issue a statement whether Cush will be eligible for selection for Guyana's final round game against Kenya which starts Thursday at Bourda.