By Calvin Roberts (Guyana Chronicle)

… Singh looking to capitalise on opportunity

DISCARDED leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, Christopher Barnwell and Georgetown Cricket Club’s left-handed batsman Vishal Singh were given a recall by the Selection Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board, to replace Veerasammy Permaul, Assad Fudadin and Chanderpaul Hemraj in the Guyana team for the final round of the Regional Four-Day Competition against Trinidad and Tobago starting tomorrow.

Permaul and Hemraj have contracted chicken pox and would not get better by the start of the match, while Fudadin picked up an injury of unknown origin, hence the recall of Barnwell, Bishoo and Singh, who were axed from the team at the end of the third and fifth round of matches respectively.
The team reads: Leon Johnson (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Amir Khan, Trevon Griffith, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Zaheer Mohamed, Ronsford Beaton, Anthony Bramble, Devendra Bishoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Raun Johnson, Keon Joseph and Vishal Singh. The coach is Esaun Crandon and the manager is Alvin Johnson.

The 25-year-old Singh who accumulated 111 runs in the three matches he played this year with a top score of 73 in Guyana’s second innings against Jamaica in the first round, making him one of three Guyanese to have done so this year, said he felt great to be given the recall.
“Being called to represent Guyana is always a good feeling and with only one game to go, my goal has not changed from the first game I played for Guyana at the senior level against Barbados five years ago, which is to get my maiden first-class ton and more importantly, be a permanent fixture in the team.”
So far this year, only skipper Leon Johnson who scored 110 against the Leeward Islands in the last round, has managed to reach triple figures for Guyana even though Assad Fudadin, Anthony Bramble, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Singh all got half-centuries.
While Singh, Fudadin and Chattergoon recorded their half-centuries within the first three rounds, it was Singh and Chattergoon who were given the axe after Guyana played to a draw with the Windward Islands.
Fudadin has also struggled to find his form, even though he is Guyana’s leading run-scorer with his 285 runs scored from 10 innings thus far, with a topscore of 82 in the first innings against the Windward Islands at the Guyana National Stadium in the third round.
Despite the hiccups, Singh is looking forward to tomorrow’s game, as he has a point to prove to the selectors.
“I need to be a permanent fixture in the Guyana team, as my aim is not only to score runs and do so heavily, but also inspire the team to win titles in coming tournaments. I have been playing in Trinidad and Tobago since I got dropped to keep my fitness level and confidence going, so certainly persons will be seeing a different Vishal Singh on tomorrow,” said Singh.