There’s need for a Cricket Academy in Guyana

Dear Editor,
I totally agree with Neaaz Subhan that there is need for a Cricket Academy in Guyana and a follow-up by John Mair, a Brit who lived for a number of years in Georgetown.
Guyana has produced 59 international cricketers starting with Maurice Fernandes in 1928 when Test cricket was introduced. Our country boasts of producing several world class players including Shivnarine Chanderpaul who played the most test matches and scored the most runs 8969, and 8648 in one-day internationals, Clive Lloyd who was the most successful captain led the West Indies on 74 occasions. Six other Guyanese served as Windies’ captain.
Lance Gibbs was at one time the leading wicket taker in test matches and Rohan Kanhai, a former captain and coach, was also rated as a world class player. Unfortunately the calibre of our current players is not as yesteryear when we dominated international cricket.
There are several reasons for this, including poor administration due to power struggle with the Guyana Cricket Board, and its affiliates in Berbice, Essequibo, and Linden.
The newly introduced Cricket Administration Act is not being adhered to and it seems as if the Ministry responsible for Sports is not paying much attention to cricket. This is very unfortunate since Guyanese seem to be more interested in cricket more than nationals of the Caribbean islands including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and the Windward and Leeward Islands.
If the West Indies is to bounce back to be one of the leading cricketing nations of the world, much more attention will have to be paid to the pitches because they are far too slow and it is a disadvantage to both batsmen and bowlers, and the governments in the region have to be more involved in the game since cricket is part of the Caribbean culture.
In fact some time ago I had advocated that cricket should be in the school curriculum. Our youths should know more about their stars and the game as a whole hence the reason why the Academy is needed as well as a Hall of Fame for cricketers.
The Berbice Cricket Board where I served as Secretary in the 1960s took the lead and now has a Hall of Fame for outstanding cricketers and administrators.
The tiny island of Nevis which produced test cricketers Equimello Willett, Keith Arthurton, Carl Tuckett, Runako Mortom and Kieran Powell boats of a Hall of Fame.
The Guyana Cricket Board, its affiliates, the Ministry of Sport should seek the assistance of former test cricketers, and administrators should take the initiative and seek financial assistance from large business houses and set up the Academy.
Mortimer George, former secretary of the Berbice Board who wrote two books on the history of Berbice Cricket, is willing to assist and I as a cricket writer, who covered international cricket in the region, would be only too pleased to throw in my two bits.
Hand-in-Hand and Professor Clem Seecharran are producing a three-volume history of British Guiana/Guyana on cricket. The first volume was launched recently in Georgetown.

Sincerely,
Oscar Ramjeet