… Roberts to rival Solomon for wicket- keeping spot, no Ramalho or Roopnarine
THE Junior selection panel of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), headed by Michael Franco-Hyles, has shortlisted a 26-man squad to begin preparations for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)-organised, TCL-sponsored Regional Under-19 tournament, which is set for July/August this year at a venue to be named.
While no date has been set for any trial match due to the weather, the GCB is leaving no stone unturned as they seek to bring home a Regional Under-19 title, having not done so since Steven Jacobs led Guyana to victory in the 2007 tournament in St Kitts.
A surprise selection in the squad is national Under-15 wicketkeeper/batsman Prince Roberts, who is expected to rival former national Under-17 skipper and wicketkeeper/batsman Dexter Solomon for the wicket-keeping duties.
Solomon had the distinct opportunity of leading Demerara to the GCB/GTM Under-19 Inter-county three-day championships, but the final result is hanging in the balance as defending champions Berbice have lodged a protest with the GCB with regard to the outcome of their game against Essequibo.
Roberts returned from Trinidad and Tobago with the national Under-15 team this year and has been churning out some decent scores for his home club, Demerara Cricket Club, while his glove work suggests great news for Guyana in the future.
Among the 26 selected is former West Indies Under-15 right-arm leg-spinner Amir Khan, who, along with national Under-15 skipper Shawn Pereira, befuddled the batsmen with their leg-spin, while left-arm medium fast bowler Andre Stoll, who was a member of last year’s team that contested the championships in Jamaica and is also a useful customer with the bat, is included.
Pugnacious openers Quincy Ovid-Richardson and Shameer Fazal have been given a chance to prove their worth, but surprisingly, there is no room for either Alex Ramalho or Dayanand Roopnarine, two of the best young batsmen in Demerara.
Apart from Pereira, two other national Under-15 batsmen, Ricardo Adams and Brian Sattaur, possess the ability to hit the ball hard and far but whether they would make the final 14-man squad is left to be seen.
Like Stoll, Seon Daniels, Ronsford Beaton and national first class bowler Keon Joseph were members of the team last year and have been included in the squad while there are two new faces in the fast bowling cupboard – Raun Johnson and Daryl Ross.
Dominic Rikhi was the most consistent batsman in the Inter-county tournament, while Anthony Adams has been a rock in the middle order for Essequibo with the bat, before being asked to keep things quiet with the ball, using his left-arm orthodox spin to good effect.
The 26-man squad reads: Dexter Solomon, Shawn Pereira, Anthony Adams, Herell Greene, Quincy Ovid-Richardson, Shameer Fazal, Joemal La Fleur, Sherwin McPherson, Seon Daniels, Andre Stoll, Ronsford Beaton, Lloydel Lewis, Kwame Crosse, Prince Roberts, Amir Khan, Ricardo Adams, Brian Sattaur, Harrinarine Chattergoon, Dominic Rikhi, Arif Habib, Kevin Ramdeen, Daryl Ross, Raun Johnson, Keon Joseph, Vijay Surajpaul and Rafael Estriado.