He bats left handed, is from Guyana originally, and since the age of 5 has been watching Shiv Chanderpaul bat so its no surprise 18 year old Amarnauth Persaud is often compared to the West Indies batting maestro, whom he saw make the 4th fastest Test century ever in 2003 at Bourda. 

 

Amarnauth also said he learnt all of his cricket at the Bourda Cricket Ground in Georgetown – a ground where Chanderpaul, from the age of 13, learned and played his cricket, whilst staying at 126 Regent Rd.

 

The demographic shift of people in Guyana is revealed in the fact that Amarnauth’s family lived in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital city whereas Chanderpaul and other Indo-Guyanese cricketers before like Kanhai, Kallicharran, Baichan, & others were from the villages, and came to Georgetown to develop their cricket (usually staying with the Jodah family). 

 

This season in the NYC Public School Athletic League Cricket Amarnauth topped the batting averages with a Bradmanesque 102 average ! He smashed 2 centuries and 6 fifties (including a 90*) in compiling 716 runs. Only a mammoth score of 194 by Troy Mars, which took Mars to 739 runs,stopped Amarnauth from having the most runs.

 

Amarnauth also took 20 wickets with his fast and spin bowling,including a best of 3 wickets for 0 run. This has been his 4th year of high school cricket – NYC providing the first opportunity American boys with a cricket background have had to stay in the game. His consistent performance played a huge role in Martin Van Buren High School making the Playoffs, and, we believe earned him the title of regular season MVP !

 

Last year Persaud toured with the USA Under 19 team to Ireland for the ICC World Cup (U 19) Qualifiers. The team did not qualify, and Amarnauth said, “It was my first tour for the USA, and a wonderful learning experience under Coach Robin Singh “.

 

When asked what his school mates thought of him playing for the USA he responded “They didn’t know“.

 

A bizarre reflection of the fact that the game’s administrators conduct it as if cricketers were in the witness protection program – and in direct contrast to the higher profile American College Cricket has gotten for the game in the past 3 and half years.

 

What does Amarnauth do to stay fit in the off season ? “I play basketball and do calisthenics“. Your favorite cricketer, other than Chanderpaul ? “Dale Steyn“.

 

When asked what college he would be attending, and what he would be studying….Amarnauth said, “I don’t know“.

 

Unfortunately, for cricketers from the West Indies, university has not been a priority as it should be, and we hope that, as a high school senior, Amarnauth focuses on this. I know there are many American College Cricket teams that would love to have him !  

 

For PSAL cricket, progress from the second year to now has not been exciting from a media, developmental or parental involvement standpoint. There never appears to be parents supporting, even for the playoffs – a shame !  The PSAL too could make the Semis and definitely the Finals an Event – where other teams are motivated, even transported, to come watch ! Perhaps the Finals could be played in Yankee Stadium !

 

Budget limitations have affected the expansion of the number of teams, though many more schools want to play. Except for the first year, local TV stations have strangely ignored the kids playing and even MSG, which covers some other PSAL sports, has not reported on cricket.

 

However Amarnauth said he has seen American College Cricket webstream, then televise cricket in the USA & Canada,and, “I think its really good and will help the growth of cricket in the USA more than anything else”.

 

Amarnauth’s Martin Van Buren High School lost to the strong FDR High (last year’s Champion) in the Quarter Finals, confirming Persaud’s comment that the League has “a lot of strong teams, we just have to go out and play hard”.

 

“I feel very fortunate that I live in a city that gives me the opportunity to play high school cricket, thanks to the PSAL“. Amarnauth concluded.

 

We echo that statement, as whilst many delude themselves with talk of spreading the game to what they euphemistically call “mainstream Americans”….. without NYC (PSAL) high school cricket, more generations of young players would be lost to the game in America, and nothing is more important for the game’s development than stopping that bleeding.

 

by Lloyd Jodah