By Avenash Ramzan
Guyanese left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul has been included in the West Indies 30-man squad for that tour to England, which is still tentative as discussions on its viability are still ongoing between the two boards.
Though the squad has not been officially announced, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chairman of Selectors, Roger Harper, hinted about Permaul’s inclusion during an exclusive interview with News Room on Sunday.
“Veerasammy Permaul being included in the squad is an indication that his consistent performance has been noted and that he is in the consideration of the selection panel,” Harper said.
“He has consistently been one of the leading spinners in the region and has to be in contention.”
Permaul, 30, was the leading wicket-taker in the truncated 2019-2020 West Indies Regional Four-Day Championship, claiming 50 wickets in eight games at an astonishing average of 12.98. During the championship, he achieved the significant milestone of 500 First-Class wickets.
It was the third occasion in the six-year history of the Championship that he took 50 or more wickets and since the inception of the franchise-based format in 2014, he has been the leading wicket-taker on three occasions (2014-15, 2017-18 and 2019-20), while he finished second in 2018-19, third in 2016-17 and fifth in 2015-16.
During that period, which spanned 55 games, the Albion spinner has plucked 290 wickets at an average of 16.90 with 18 five-wicket hauls and seven 10-wicket match hauls.
Speaking to News Room in April, at the end of the 2019-2020 season, Permaul expressed his frustration at being consistently overlooked by the West Indies selectors, despite claiming wickets almost at will.
The last of his six Test matches was in June 2015 against Australia at Sabina Park, Jamaica.
“After all these years doing so well in Regional Cricket and never getting a fair opportunity in West Indies Cricket I was frustrated, but then it came a time that I stopped thinking about it and just started to enjoy my game. I said to myself, if it’s meant to be, it will happen; God knows what is best for me,” Permaul told News Room back in April.
“The love for the game keeps me going. When I was a small kid growing up, I always loved playing cricket, and playing cricket was always my ambitions. I grow up with it in me to become a cricketer and play for the West Indies.”
“I always say to myself ‘I will get back when God wants me there; God is my only hope,” he reckoned.
It is understood two other Guyanese- batsman Shimron Hetmyer and all-rounder Keemo Paul- are part of the 30-man squad.
On Friday last, CWI said it will make a formal announcement of the West Indies squad at a later date, once the tour has been confirmed.
Currently, CWI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are continuing discussions surrounding the details of the series. In a statement, CWI said “there has been positive ongoing dialogue between CWI and the ECB.”
CWI added: “There has been positive ongoing dialogue between CWI and the ECB – discussions are wide-ranging around the revised schedules, the day-to-day execution, cricket operations and COVID-19 medical and biosecurity planning to reach an outcome of when international cricket could potentially return whilst ensuring player and staff safety. This is a long and detailed process.”
