Georgetown (Guyana) - West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has dismissed as “crap” the reasons given by the Guyana Cricket Board for not selecting him for next month’s Caribbean Twenty20 Championship.
The 31-year-old right-hander was left out of a Guyana 14-man squad announced Monday for the January 9-23 tournament, scheduled for Antigua and Barbados.
“I was made to understand via a media release by the GCB dated the 6th December, 2011, that my non-selection for the upcoming T20 tournament was based on my injury that I have had over the past four months and they (selectors) are not sure about my injury status,” Sarwan said.
“First of all, I would like to make it crystal clear that I have recovered from my injury and I am working on my match fitness. In regards to the board being unsure about my recent injury, I say that is total crap."
“I had spoken to the president of the board (Ramsey Ali) and informed him about the status of my injury, I had also spoken to the chairman of selectors, Mr Reyon Griffith, and so from that point of view they were well informed."
He added: “I also mentioned to Mr Griffith I was going to Canada for one week to sort out my personal business and I will arrive in Guyana on the 12th December 2011."
Only recently, Sarwan was in line for selection to the West Indies squad for the tour of Bangladesh but was ruled out because of injury.
He had not played competitive cricket in nearly five months.
In a statement explaining Sarwan’s non-selection, the GCB said they were “unsure about the injury issues” surrounding the player and also said that Sarwan had not played in the domestic T20 tournament that was used to pick the CT20 squad.
But Sarwan, who is currently in Canada, accused the GCB of inconsistency, noting that they had departed from a precedent that had been set for the Super50 one-day series back in October.
“I just want to refresh their memory. It was my word they took when I withdrew from the 50-over tournament,” Sarwan contended.
"The (GCB) president said to me via a phone conversation that they couldn’t take my word on the update on my injury, well I wonder whose word they took when I withdrew from the team. It was my word they took because I had my team at heart and I was being honest."
Sarwan said after he was told by the GCB they could not take his word on his recent injury situation, he subsequently forwarded an update from his medical personnel to the board.
He challenged the board to release the contents of that report, noting he was disappointed by the vindictiveness aimed at him.
Today : Sunday - May 27, 2012, 12:36pm (GMT+5.5)
