As the Region prepares for its premier limited overs tournament, which will be played in Barbados and Antigua from January 24, Guyana Times Sport have decided to review some cricketers that were dominant at the youth level and were earmarked to progress to the senior division but have failed to do so or have not commanded a place in First Class cricket. Such talents have either washed away
Gajanand Singh
totally from cricket or have migrated thus ending their bid for higher cricket calling. Lost in the Mix takes you down memory lane with a look at Gajanand Singh, Shemroy Barrington and Amir Khan.
In this edition of Lost in the Mix all the players ascended to the senior level but for various reasons they have been absent from the national setup for an extended period thus playing for Guyana again seem impossible.
Leading this category is Gajanand Singh, who outperformed most of his colleagues at the youth levels. He often finished as one of the top batsmen at regional youth tournaments thus was afforded opportunities in West Indies youth camps and team. He was a member of the 2006 West Indies U-19 World Cup team. In 2007, his final year at the youth level, he was the leading run scorer in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) U-19 tournament. In 2008 his brief First Class and List A career started at the Regional level. To date he has played 10 First Class matches, scored 376 runs at an average of 25.06 while he have 30 runs from his two List A games, where he was dismissed once.
There are no doubts surrounding his ability but the reason why he is not even in the national set up remains anonymous. He travels often as a professional. Singh is in Trinidad at present as a guest member of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) T20 team that is participating in the University of the West Indies T20 Tournament. On Friday DCC managed to qualify for the final today after a superb unbeaten knock from Singh worth 88 runs. It was the left handed batsman fourth unbeaten half century from as many matches as he received his third man of the match award.
Singh is an asset most time he plays and it is an unfortunate situation he is not in the national set up. Subsequent to the 2006 youth World Cup, Jimmy Adams, who was one of the West Indies youth team’s official said Singh’s batting, especially his ability to manipulate the ball into the gaps, is mature beyond his age.
Like Gajanand Singh, it is unbelievable that Shemroy Barrington is not in any national programmes. The prolific right handed batsman whose talent is evident even in his defence at the crease is journeying along similar paths like Singh. They play for the same team in the USA T20 festival and they have one thing in common. They dominate! But for whatever reason Barrington is not getting his fair share. In 2011 he played the last of his seven First Class game from a career that started in 2009. Against a Pakistanis touring team in 2011, Barrington showed his class at the top of the innings with a solid half century (58) against Umar Gul, Wahab Rehaz, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Tanvir Ahmed. In the 2007 U-19 tournament, Barrington finished as the fourth top run scorer. At 28 Barrington is playing cricket in Trinidad, USA and Canada but is not even being considered for the national system. However, whenever he plays here he stands out like he did in the last national trial he participated in; a century after returning from Trinidad the previous night.
A talented leg spinner and a capable batsman, Amir Khan, played for the West Indies under 15 and 19 while simultaneously playing for Guyana at the youth level. His effort was constantly rewarded with selection and he improve overtime. He was 18 when he made his First class debut against Trinidad and Tobago and 21 when he played his last match. Ever since he has been plying his trade in Trinidad and elsewhere. He participated in the Jaguars three day league last year for the East Coast Franchise. Like Barrington and Singh he is not contracted by the local board.
