Permaul, Anderson approach High Court over ball-tampering issue

…GCB voices full support of duo

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) revealed on Saturday that it has decided to challenge the recent charges made against Guyanese duo Veerasammy Permaul and Kevlon Anderson in regard to the recent ball tampering fiasco during the final round of the West Indies Championships.
A missive from the GCB detailed that either player has denied the allegations, thus providing additional insight into the situation that had obtained in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago two weeks ago and resulted in the pair being fined percentages of their match fees.
Permaul and Anderson have, as such, approached the High Court to have their names cleared of the staining accusation, and the GCB has expressed its full support of the Guyanese players.

The GCB missive read, “The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) wishes to publicly express its full support for players Veerasammy Permaul and Kevlon Anderson, who have approached the High Court of Guyana in a bid to clear their names following a controversial incident during the recent Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day Tournament fixture between Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago played at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad.
The match, which effectively served as the tournament final, was of great significance, with the championship title at stake. However, events on and off the field have cast a cloud over what should have been a celebration of West Indies cricket at its highest domestic level.

Both Permaul and Anderson were charged under the CWI Code of Conduct and, based on the documents filed in the High Court, were allegedly pressured into accepting a guilty plea by the Trinidadian Match Referee, Mr. Michael Ragoonath. They were reportedly given two options:
1. Plead guilty and accept a fine.
2. Insist on a hearing/trial and the Referee will impose a fine of 100% of the match fee and a ban.
Faced with this representation from the Referee, the two players formed the opinion that they had no choice but to plead guilty to the charge, despite previously submitting written denials to the Referee, and in the case of Permaul, maintaining his innocence at the hearing. Anderson was not afforded a hearing.
This lack of due process and the absence of a fair and transparent hearing is deeply troubling.
The GCB considers the actions of the match officials (which include the on-field umpires) to be unprofessional, unethical, and a serious breach of procedural fairness.
The Guyana Cricket Board is profoundly disappointed by the handling of this matter in Trinidad, and expected a much higher standard of governance, particularly in CWI’s premier domestic tournaments.
In light of these events, both players have taken the bold and commendable step of seeking justice through the High Court, aiming to restore their reputations and ensure such incidents do not recur.
The GCB stands firmly in support of justice, fair play, and the rights of its players; and will continue to advocate for good governance, transparency and accountability at all levels of the sport.
This application was filed by Attorney-at-law Arudranauth Gossai.”