“New kid on the block” Mootoo excited with maiden call-up
At the tender age of 16, left-arm spinner Daniel Mootoo has earned a maiden call-up to the Guyana Under-19 Team which has recently departed for St Vincent & the Grenadines to compete in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional U-19 tournament.
Daniel Mootoo collecting his ‘player of the match’ award achieved in the inter-county final
Before his departure, Mootoo spoke exclusively with Guyana Times Sport, revealing that he was very excited when he first got the news of his call-up.
The left-arm spinner of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) told this reporter he is deeply gratified to be learning from such players as Sachin Singh, Kevlon Anderson and Ashmead Nedd, among others.
He added that he would rate his inter-county performances as 4/5, since he had limited opportunities. “Out of five starts, I would rate myself with a four; because it was only the last two games I had a chance to complete ten overs”, Mootoo disclosed.
The talented spinner took two four-wicket hauls in as many matches in the one-day format of the Hand-in-Hand Inter-County tournament. One of those four-wicket hauls came in the final match against Berbice, played at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground at Bourda, where he was adjudged “player of the match” for his 4-32.
Previously overlooked for a Guyana Under-17 call-up, the youngster has performed well under pressure, playing against people way above his age group.
Mootoo explained that during the Guyana Under-19 team’s one-week training camp at the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence at La Bonne Intention, ECD, where 18 players were catered for, he benefited greatly from his presence at that activity.
“I learnt a lot, especially in (regard to) the social aspect of players who played Regional Under-19 previously, who produced insights”, Mootoo disclosed.
This humble youth was exposed to intense training sessions conducted by coaches Julian Moore and Andy Ramnarine. He said he has learnt from those training sessions, and has benefited from interacting with the senior players in the Guyana U-19 team.
Mootoo’s best bowling figures in his blooming career stands as 5-12 against the Gandhi Youth Organization (GYO). (Brandon Corlette)
