GEORGETOWN – Axed West Indies middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan said on Friday that he has been getting mixed signals about his non-selection for the tour to Sri Lanka next month and this has prompted him to focus his energies on assisting the development of Guyana’s cricket.
He pointed out that ever since he learnt of the selectors’ decision not to include him in the team for Sri Lanka, no concrete explanation has been given to him.
“One time it is my attitude, the next time it’s my fitness. I am getting mixed signals. I have been working on my fitness, so I don’t know what they (the selectors) are using, and I have always been committed to West Indies and Guyana’s cricket,” Sarwan emphasised.
The veteran player reflected on his work with the national and Demerara teams and indicated that he has been working hard and many people could attest to this.
“You have to be fit to play Twenty20 cricket,” he said, adding that he has been working to improve his fitness after his injury during the South African tour to the Caribbean earlier this year.
The disappointed Sarwan, who averages over 40 in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs), said that for the public to know the exact reason(s) for the WICB’s action, they would have to be get them from the selectors and chief executive officer Ernest Hilaire.
The stylish right-handed batsman reiterated that he was disappointed with being overlooked for selection but somehow he was not surprised.
Sarwan’s problems started when he was overlooked for the WICB’s central retainer contract in September and were compounded when he was not selected for the three Test matches and five ODI’s in next month’s tour.
The 29-year-old also stated that as a sportsman it was highly likely one could pick up an injury at any time.
Sarwan pointed out that this period of his career would give him an opportunity to further develop his cricket and work with young cricketers who need assistance.
He added that he still has a lot of cricket in him and therefore he could make a sound contribution to Guyana’s cricket despite his disappointment.
He related that he has no intentions of retiring but was adamant that after this episode “everything will fall back into its right place”.
“My goal at this time is to commit myself to cricket in Guyana.
“There is the four-day competition and other competitions in Guyana and I will be meeting with members of the Guyana Cricket Board to discuss strategies on the way forward for cricket in Guyana,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarwan said that he wishes the newly-appointed captain of the team Darren Sammy success in Sri Lanka. He said that it will not be easy but he believes that Sammy is a good leader. (Stabroek News)
