Shiv replaces Persaud for St. Kitts game

Nov 06, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...d-for-st-kitts-game/

Chairman of Selectors backs his return

By Sean Devers in St Lucia
In association with Regal Stationary
& Vnet Communications

The Guyana Jaguars have made one change to the squad which beat the Windwards Volcanoes by seven wickets in three days here on Saturday for their next match which starts on Thursday in St Kitts.
West Demerara Franchise Captain Akshaya Persaud was selected on the bank of scoring the most runs in the GCB three-day Franchise League but was not selected for Guyana’s first two games this season.
The experienced Shiv Chanderpaul, a veteran of 164 Tests, is now available and the 43 year-old replaces the 19-year-old Persaud in the squad which will leave for St Kitts today where the oppose second placed Leewards Hurricane at the small Warner Park ground.
The 38-year-old Rayon Griffith, the Chairman of the National selection panel is the Manager and Assistant Coach of the Jaguars and backs Chanderpaul’s return.
“Shiv’s presence has always been something great around this Jaguars team for the past four years since I have been around the squad. I think his presence both on and off the field has always been important.
The younger players learn a lot from Shiv especially looking at this team at the present moment it has a lot young players that have been participating in the first two matches,” said the former Guyana pacer.
Griffith is of the view that with Chanderpaul, who scored three centuries in the last English County season and 91 and 119 in his two matches in the GCB’s Franchise League, back in the squad, the young players who have been batting in the lower order and getting fifties could now get hundreds.
Chanderpaul is like good wine, getting better as its ages and he could be the glue which holds the batting together.
Many feel that Rajendra Chandrika should have been the player dropped for Chanderpaul since the 28-year-old has a Test Average of 14.00 from his five Tests in which he scored a double duck on debut in Australia and a couple of singles in his last Test against India. In 58 First-Class games the right-hander has just a single century.
Elegant, but woefully out of form, Chandrika fell cheaply here in both innings to terrible shots to short balls after failing at Providence against Jamaica last week following ordinary performance in Guyana’s Franchise League.
Griffith hinted that Chandrika might have been lucky to be going to St Kitts when he said he informed that the ticket for Persaud was confirmed before Chandrika threw his wicket away in the second innings.
Griffith said he was pleased with the Jaguars first innings total in which they collected four of five maximum batting points and highlighted the 173-run partnership between Vishaul Singh (119) and Anthony Bramble (90).
Griffith also praised Sherfane Rutherford’s performance with bat and ball throughout the game and Veerasammy Permaul’s second innings bowling.
But the Jaguars Manager added that he wanted to see improvement in some key areas.

“We have to improve in the slip catching, while the bowlers have to show more patients when bowling, especially to the lower order and we need to get a better foundation from the top order,” Griffith said.
Griffith feels that the pitch had little to do with the failure of the top order in both innings.
“The pitch in St Lucia has always been a good one. I think it was a good pitch for the batsmen and bowlers. The bounce has always been even and always consistent because of the grass and St Lucia has good soil,” said Griffith.
“As a selector I always want to see the players do well. The players…they come first… and I always want to see performances from my players them, not just any performance, but top performances… big performances… big runs. I want the bowlers coming out and getting wickets and bowling economically as they go along,” Griffith, the selector explained.
Continuing as a selector Griffith pointed out that Singh has shown that he was out of the West Indies team and he is coming back and seems very focused.
“Things like that I am looking forward to seeing as a selector…to see players showing fight, bring back something, show that you want to go back to the top and not just be satisfied with playing for Guyana alone. I would like to see players moving to West Indies direction …to play for West Indies,” said Griffith.
“While Vishaul is showing fight Permaul is also showing he wants to get back in the West Indies team and the younger players including Kemo (Paul) and Rutherford are trying their best and if they continue to perform they could also soon be knocking on the West Indies team’s door.” Griffith concluded.

Topics