“Keep believing in God!” Permaul declares after maiden Test five-for

What a day it was for Guyana’s spin ace Veersammy Permaul, being given the golden opportunity in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka to wreak havoc among those batsmen, as he caused his opponents all sorts of difficulties in trying to read him while he returned top figures of 5-35 after a hard-fought day one, when he went wicketless.

Speaking with Cricket West Indies Media at the end of play, Permaul described how it felt to bag his maiden Test five-for, “First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity. I am very overwhelmed with getting my first Test five-wicket haul. I think over the years I have been working very hard to get back into the team; and, you know, it really paid off.”
In terms of the key to his success, Permaul noted that he tried to adjust his bowling to what pace was good for the conditions they were playing in. And besides adjusting his pace and length, he aimed to control the ball and spin it as hard as possible; and in the end, the strategy brought him success.
Jomel Warrican was also a standout, as he picked up 4-50, which when added with Permaul’s figures accounted for 9 wickets for a mere 85 runs at an economy rate of 2.71 runs per over.
Permaul has complimented Warrican, as he believes that Warrican’s role was instrumental in being able to control the batsmen, which in turn aided Permaul in attacking the batsmen at the other end, consummating an excellent bowling partnership.
“Moving forward, I think it is important that we stay very consistent as a bowling unit and be patient; and not to look for wickets, but try to create opportunities rather than going out and look for wickets by experimenting,” Permaul has posited.
The Guyanese spinner disclosed that while he was out of the squad for a lengthy period, what has always kept him motivated was his belief in God.
“I always believed in God. I knew at some time I would have gotten the opportunity back. I didn’t know when, but I always believed in God and knew at some point in life and a stage in my career that I would get back the opportunity,” Permaul has said.
To the youngsters who are working hard and aiming to get into the West Indies setup, Permaul’s advice is: “Keep believing in God; and once you believe, anything is possible.”
This was Permaul’s first Test match since June 2015, even though he has continuously proven himself year after year in regional tournaments. Regionally, he has played 121 matches and bagged a whopping 456 wickets. Before his five-for, he had played in six Test matches and bagged 18 wickets.