– Approaches high court of Guyana to clear their names

THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has publicly expressed its full support for players Veerasammy Permaul and Kevlon Anderson, who have approached the High Court of Guyana in a bid to clear their names following a controversial incident during the recent Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day Tournament fixture between Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago played at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad.

The match, which effectively served as the tournament final, was of great significance, with the championship title at stake.
However, events on and off the field have cast a cloud over what should have been a celebration of West Indies cricket at its highest domestic level.
Both Permaul and Anderson were charged under the CWI Code of Conduct and, based on the documents filed in the High Court, were allegedly pressured into accepting a guilty plea by the Trinidadian Match Referee, Mr. Michael Ragoonath.

They were reportedly given two options.
Plead guilty and accept a fine or Insist on a hearing / trial and the Referee will impose a fine of 100 per cent of the match fee and a ban.
Faced with this representation from the Referee, the two players formed the opinion that they had no choice but to plead guilty to the charge, despite previously submitting written denial to the Referee, and in the case of Permaul, maintaining his innocence at the hearing. Anderson was not afforded a hearing.

This lack of due process and the absence of a fair and transparent hearing is deeply troubling. The GCB considers the actions of the match officials (which includes the on-field umpires) to be unprofessional, unethical, and a serious breach of procedural fairness.

The Guyana Cricket Board is profoundly disappointed by the handling of this matter in Trinidad and expected a much higher standard of governance, particularly in CWI’s premier domestic tournaments.

In light of these events, both players have taken the bold and commendable step of seeking justice through the High Court, aiming to restore their reputations and ensure such incidents do not recur.

The GCB stands firmly in support of justice, fair play, and the rights of its players, and will continue to advocate for good governance, transparency and accountability at all levels of the sport.
This application was filed by Attorney-at-law Arudranauth Gossai.