I WAS in Trinidad and Tobago last weekend to conduct an ongoing tracking poll for NACTA on the Tobago House of Assembly elections.

Everywhere I went, 20/20 cricket was being discussed including by people from other islands living in or visiting the two islands. And everyone has only positive comments about Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
He is described as the best batsman in the region, currently, and is widely respected for his achievements and batting skills.
In Tobago, many said Guyana was the favourite to win the tournament because of the all-round ability of our players and their performance in the first two games. But I find Trinis are also very good, if not better, all-round players than Guyanese. And they seem to have better spinners than us in restricting run scoring in the shorter format of the game and harder hitters than any other team. Their hitters can take apart any bowling.
With Guyana being routed by Trinidad on Saturday evening, the Trinis are now the favourites to win especially that they defeated Barbados and are now top of the table.

Nevertheless, Tobagonians and Trinis love our Guyanese stars Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul though they expressed disappointment over the performance of the former. They feel Sarwan should be back in the test squad but his performance in the 20/20 was disappointing and he needs to come through in the remaining three games. If Sarwan does
not shine again soon, although he did well in county cricket in England, he will be by-passed by selectors again. But Trinis and Tobagonians want him back in the team.

Chanders is a superstar among every West Indian. Everyone says he is a great player. He is cheered everywhere. I was in Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua recently and they showered lavish praises on the Guyanese cricket icon. And so too did Tobagonians and Trinis last week. He is the leading Guyanese run scorer with 114 runs till now.

Everyone, everywhere I travelled, have seen him as the most reliable, dependable and consistent batsman in the team. He is the most famous Guyanese sportsman in the region and probably the greatest batsman of all time. Chanders is not cocky or arrogant. He is seen as a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable thirst for runs. He is driven to score runs and not afraid to face the best bowlers.
He is admired not only for his performance but also for his friendliness and down to earth demeanour. He was recently in New York where he is also given rock star status, unparalleled position as a Guyanese. He has his own unique way of batting. He is not flashy but he is diligent and disciplined in his batting. He does not possess the charisma, flamboyance and charm of a Kanhai or Kalicharran or Lloyd or Lara or Richards. But he is very composed and not intimidated or distracted. And unlike some of the youngsters, he is dedicated to the game and to make records and be viewed as a great player. He is not driven by money like the youngsters.
Because of Chanders’s dependability, Guyana did extremely well in the first two games of the tournament. And he was the only one who shone in the third match against Trinidad. If Guyana is to secure a spot in the semis and even go on to the finals Chanders will have to continue to play the anchor innings. And Sarwan has to perform well and be ably supported by the others.
Guyana is third on the table and needs to win its last match having been defeated by Jamaica and trumping the Leewards. Guyana also needs to maintain a healthy run rate to clinch a playoff spot on Saturday.
It is hoped Chanders will continue his performance and take apart bowlers to secure Guyana another win. West Indians recognise his value to the Guyana and West Indies teams.