….GCB name travelling officials
YOUNG Warriors temperamental opening batsman Richard Ramdeen has been drafted in as the 15th player in the national squad which will contest the upcoming Airtel Champions League in South Africa next month.

The Ramnaresh Sarwan led Guyana team earned the right to compete in one of the prestigious Twenty20 tournaments, when they defeated Barbados by one wicket in a nail biting final of the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) regional T20 competition last month.

Ramdeen, who was unfortunate not to be selected in the final 14 after a successful Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) organised Digicel sponsored T20 tournament, has played for the West Indies as an Under-19 opening batsman back in 2006.

Competing in six T20 matches for his team Upper Corentyne Free Weekend who went on to win the tournament, Ramdeen scored 161 runs at an average of 32.20, with a top score of 54 made against New Amsterdam Free Credit, the team they defeated in the final.

His inclusion in the squad to South Africa, makes him the eight Berbician in the lineup, joining brothers Royston and Esaun Crandon, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Devendra Bishoo, Paul Wintz, Assad Fudadin and the tournament’s new find, Jonathan Foo.

His explosive batting at the top can serve the team well, but taking into consideration the winning combination that represented Guyana in the WICB T20 tournament, the only change that can occur to that final 11 would be through injury.

Meanwhile, the GCB has identified the executives who will be accompanying the team to South Africa for the tournament which has a first place prize of US$2.5m.

According to secretary of the GCB Anand Sanasie, president Chetram Singh, senior chairman of selectors Claude Raphael and himself will form the executives who are representing the GCB.

Added to that, Beverley Nelson (physiotherapist) and Orin Bailey (trainer) has been included on the management committee which already comprise of coach Ravindranauth Seeram, manager Carl Moore and video analyst Robin Singh.

Guyana, who won the inaugural Stanford T20 championships four years ago under the captaincy of Ramnaresh Sarwan, now seek to become the first team from the West Indies to win the Airtel Champions League when they journey to South Africa next month.

The team which leaves Guyana on September 5th and play their first match and the fifth of the tournament against the Anil Kumble led Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team that also includes Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn and Cameron White one week later.

They face the Mumbai Indians four days after their first match, and that line up includes the leading run scorer in test cricket and skipper Sachin Tendulkar, Trinidad and Tobago’s Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Jean Paul Duminy and Harbajan Singh.

Exactly one week after facing the RCB, Guyana opposes the Lions, a South African club side that includes Andre Nel and Zander de Bruyn, before they face South Australia two days later.

Three victories can guarantee the team from the Land of Many Waters a place in the final four, which can guarantee them US$500,000 and once they go further, they would assure themselves of at least US$1.3m as runners up or US$2.5m as champions.

As Sarwan said in an earlier interview with Chronicle Sport, ‘the team that plays the better cricket on the day can come out victorious’ and certainly the whole of Guyana both local and foreign, would be backing the guys to do so.

Waka, Waka. Its time for Guyana .

The travelling contingent inclusive of players and officials are as follows: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Travis Dowlin, Christopher Barnwell, Narsingh Deonarine, Derwin Christian, Steven Jacobs, Lennox Cush, Assad Fudadin, Jonathan Foo, Devendra Bishoo, Royston Crandon, Richard Ramdeen, Esaun Crandon and Paul Wintz (players). Carl Moore (Manager), Ravindranauth Seeram (Coach), Robin Singh (Video Analyst), Orin Bailey (Trainer), Beverley Nelson (Physiotherapist), Chetram Singh, Anand Sanasie and Claude Raphael (Executive