Guyana Harpy Eagles left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul reached the milestone of 500 wickets for Guyana in regional first-class cricket. Also being the first bowler from his country to achieve this is a special case.
Permaul’s moment of wonder came when he took the wicket of Barbados Pride player Keon Harding on the third day of the 2023 West Indies four-day series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The left-arm spinner dedicated the performance to his parents, who he said sacrificed a lot to help him develop and progress in the game.
He made his debut as a 17-year-old in January 2007 against the Windward Islands in the Caribbean Beer Series at the Tanteen Recreation Ground. He took four wickets in 34 marathon overs. Permaul commented on his start,
“I remember that first match against the Windwards and how excited I was to play for Guyana. It was more than a dream come true, it was everything to me, to represent my country in ‘big man’ cricket.”
“To now reach 500 wickets.. was not really a goal but I’m happy to reach it. I remember my first wicket, Devon Smith with the second ball of my career and obviously, the 500th was Harding so I’m looking to add more to my tally.”
Overall, Permaul is playing in his 130th first-class match. He has taken 574 wickets and on Saturday he finished with 2-28 with six wickets in the match.
“I love four-day cricket it is a test for all aspects of the game. We always stress in our meetings that the most important part of the game is patience, whether you’re a batsman or a bowler.”
“The goal is to see Guyana retain the four-day title. I started when we were being beaten a lot. Then we won five years straight and that was a great feeling.”
He also emphasized that he loved playing with leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who played with him, and how they both grew up together.
“I always enjoyed bowling with Bishoo and we enjoyed playing together. We started at the Albion playing club cricket together and eventually, we played for Guyana together. We grew up together and it was a privilege to play with him. I contained one end and he attacked at the other end, and we formed a fantastic partnership.”