Milton Pydanna’s funeral set for tomorrow

FORMER Berbice, Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper Milton Robert Pydanna’s funeral in Guyana will be held tomorrow at the Central Assembly of God Church on Church and East Streets. Viewing will be from 13.00hrs to 14.00hrs.

The funeral service will be from 2 pm. Pydanna was born on January 27, 1950 and played in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the West Indies.

The Berbician who  played locally for the GDF and Police Clubs, died in New

York at the age of 75.

He leaves to mourn his wife Kamla, his family and the West Indian cricket fraternity.

Pydanna, who hailed from Smithfield, Greater New Amsterdam and attended Vryman’s Ervin school, played 85 first-class matches and represented Guyana for 17 seasons from 1970

to 1988.

Pydanna, first played for the Fort Canje Hospital CC and captained Berbice at the inter-county level. One of his two first-class centuries was made in the 1978 inter-county Jones Cup

final against Demerara.

His other first-class ton came the same year in the Shell Shield competition. Pydanna has nine fifties at this level, holding 152 catches and effecting 36 stumpings.

In List ‘A’ cricket, he has 32 dismissals, including 11 stumpings.

He made 27 in a crucial half-century stand with Derek Kallicharran (67) in the 1983 Geddes Grant Harrison Line Limited-overs final against Jamaica when Guyana achieved the first Regional ‘double’ after winning the Shell Shield.

Pydanna’s first ODI came on the tour of Pakistan in 1980, when he replaced David Murray. He had Javed Miandad caught off Colin Croft and had a stumping off Viv Richards.

His next chance came three years later on the tour of India when he replaced Dujon in the fifth and final ODI, in Guwahati. Pydanna took a catch but did not get to bat as the West Indies top order chased down 183 in a shortened game.

After playing his last series in the 1988 Red Stripe Cup, Pydanna migrated to NY in 1989. In 2014, he was named one of the two assistant coaches of the USA national side(Sean Devers).