Former Guyana and West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has been reappointed as the chairman of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) selection committee, the local governing body for the game, it was announced on Saturday (19).
The former veteran batsman quit the West Indies senior and junior selectors in January 2022, while Sarwan also resigned from the CWI posts in May 2022 citing personal reasons.
After that, the GCB appointed former Guyana first-class batsman Ravindranath Seeram as the new chairman of the selectors in March 2022.
The former West Indies player has a wealth of experience and has scored 5804 runs in ODIs with 5 centuries and 38 fifties at an average of 42.67. Apart from that, he has scored 5842 runs in 87 Test matches with 15 centuries and 31 fifties.
During his Test career, only Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle scored more Test runs for the West Indies. But, unlike some of the names he shared on the field, Sarwan’s playing career was one of unfulfilled potential and controversy that followed him into his later playing days.
In the 114 Tests they played during Sarwan’s Test career, the West Indies managed just 17 wins and fell to 63 losses. So, two years after becoming the world’s 11th-best Test batsman, the 31-year-old Sarwan quit the West Indies.
He can be counted as one of the many controversial figures in the game. In between, shouting at Glenn McGrath, partying at the stadium after the West Indies were bowled out for 47 runs, and successfully suing the own Cricket Board.
01. Screaming with Glenn McGrath
In 2003, Australia traveled to the West Indies for a four-match Test series. On the fourth day of the final in Antigua, McGrath and Sarwan got into a heated argument on the field and the umpires had to intervene as the brawl escalated.
Reports suggested McGrath was the instigator of the incident but that Sarwan had done little to calm the situation, making comments about McGrath’s wife who was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time. Both men later apologized to each other, with McGrath saying after the match,
“It’s not something that just happens and then that’s finished. It’s something that I do go on thinking about. I have worried about it quite a bit over the last few days.”
However, in this match, West Indies chased a world record 418 runs in the fourth innings, of which Sarwan scored 105 runs.
02. Partying at the stadium after West Indies were bowled out for 47 runs.
Almost a year after the first incident, along with England, the West Indies were humiliated by Steve Harrison in Jamaica, bowled out for just 47 runs. To add to the disastrous Test match for the team, four of their players were seen partying at a disco in Sabina Park.
Vice-captain Sarwan was one of these players who apologized to his fans for the players’ behavior to the consternation of the fans and the team management.
03. Sponsor’s Dispute
In 2005, Sarwan was one of several players dropped by the South African Cricket Board due to a contract dispute. The dispute was between team sponsor Digicel and his sole sponsor Cable & Wireless.
Since both companies were mobile phone businesses, it was not acceptable for Sarwan to advocate for the other. The conflict was finally resolved when he canceled the cable and wireless sponsorship.
04. Argument with the coach
Two years after his previous controversy, Sarwan made headlines again when he labeled former West Indies coach Bennett King as “one of the worst coaches” for verbally and physically abusing players during his tenure.
05. Successful prosecution of the Cricket Board is key.
Following the coach’s incident, the West Indies Players’ Association also had to deny allegations that Sarwan was involved in a match-fixing probe in 2011.
But in the end, the primary reason for his withdrawal from the West Indies Test team was fitness issues. That was the reason given by then West Indies coach Otis Gibson when he was denied a central contract in 2011.
Sarwan complained of “unfairly questioning in public his fitness and attitude” and sought compensation of $161,000 from the West Indies.
He returned to the Test field in 2011 when Pakistan and India toured the Caribbean. That was the last time he was seen in Test cricket, and he played in the domestic and franchise leagues till 2016. His last professional game was for Trinbago Knight Riders of the Caribbean Premier League.
If he felt he had escaped the limelight by retiring, then his former teammate and friend Chris Gayle thrust him back into it when he launched a rant following his release from the Jamaica Tallawahs in 2020, blaming Sarwan for the decision. Gayle said,
“Sarwan, you are worse than the Coronavirus right now.”
“Sarwan, you are a snake. You are so vindictive. You are so immature. You still stabbing people in the back. You’re still carrying news. When are you planning to change.?”
However, Sarwan himself denied the allegation. (From Wisden Magazine.)
Nasty article from Wisden. They have some issue with Sarwan? What about all the other incidents with players in WI cricket? When Shiv was attacked? When Jimmy was injured when a player was going to attack the record holder? This is an ants nest that Wisden has woken up and I pray that Sarwan retaliate and spill the real beans!!