WEST Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and female fast bowler Subrina Munroe on Wednesday night received top awards after being named the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) male and female Cricketers-of-the-Year, at the Board’s Awards ceremony which was held at Umana Yana.
The 26-year-old Bishoo made his debut for the West Indies during the International Cricket Council World Cup that was held in India earlier this year and impressed during the said tournament, earning himself a place in the Test squad for the home series against India and Pakistan later on.
To date, he has played 10 one-day internationals for the Regional side, taking 20 wickets at an average of 23.80, with his best being 3 for 34 against England on his debut, while he has played 10 Test matches, scored 118 runs at an average of 10.72 with a highest score of 26 against India in Jamaica.
In the bowling department, Bishoo who plays for Albion Community Centre Cricket Club has snared 39 wickets in his 10 Test matches so far at an average of 36.23 with his best figures being the 5 for 90 against Bangladesh in Dhaka early last month.
When quizzed on his feelings after receiving his award, the soft-spoken player said “It is always an honour when you are being recognised by your governing body of the sport you play, whether it is cricket, football, table tennis or even volleyball and I must say thanks to those who expressed their confidence in me, which enabled me to play for Guyana and now the West Indies.”
He called on young cricketers to stay focused amidst all the ills of society, while urging them to work hard towards their goals, since everything starts with a dream that later on becomes a reality and reminded them to stay away from drugs.
On the distaff side, while the 26-year-old Munroe has not played many one-day internationals for the West Indies, she was a member of the team which won their ICC World Cup qualifying matches by convincing margins.
To date, she has played four one-day internationals for the West Indies where she has taken one wicket for 68 runs.
Recently appointed T20 skipper Christopher Barnwell was named the Most Improved Player and received the Lance Gibbs trophy, while his club Demerara Cricket Club won the President’s Trophy after being declared the Club-of-the-Year.
West Indies Under-19 leg-spinner Amir Khan, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Ronsford Beaton and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were named Junior, Senior Domestic, Senior Regional, Emerging and Regional Under-15 Cricketer-of-the-Year respectively.
Barnwell, his DCC teammate Derwin Christian and June Ogle-Thomas received Special Awards in recognition of their selection to the West Indies team, while Nigel Duguid also received a Special Award in recognition to his elevation to the International Panel of ICC Umpires.
Orin Bailey, Adrian Amsterdam, Carl Moore, Wasim Habib and Dharanidranauth Somwaru received Individual Awards ranging from Outstanding Services rendered beyond the call of duty to Services rendered as an umpire from the GCB.
Kaieteur News’ Sean Devers and Colin Benjamin of Stabroek News were named Cricket Journalist and Emerging Journalist respectively by the GCB, who also took the time to honour their list of sponsors, namely Digicel, Ansa McAl, GTM and Demerara Distillers Limited for their contribution towards the development of cricket through sponsorship.
The night’s event culminated with the TCL Guyana Incorporated Regional Under-19 Awards which were handed over to Khan (Best Bowler), Chandrapaul Hemraj (Best Batsman) and Joemal La Fleur (Most Valuable Player).
Noble House Seafoods also honoured their commitment made to Guyana’s Amazon Conquerors prior to the start of the WICB Regional Super50 tournament last October, by handing over an undisclosed sum to David Black, manager of the team which reached the semifinals of the said tournament.