GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):
GUYANA HARPY Eagles players Veerasammy Permaul and Kevlon Anderson have filed an application in the High Court of Guyana challenging the ball-tampering charges that were laid against them earlier this month.
The application, which was laid in the Guyana High Court by attorney at law Arudranauth Gossai, seeks to clear their name after they were hit with Level 2 breaches of CWI’s Code of Conduct in Guyana’s final-round contest against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the recently concluded West Indies Championship.
Courtesy of @kevlonanderson
Kevlon Anderson
Anderson was fined 90 per cent of his match fee while Permaul was fined 75 per cent after they both pleaded guilty to the charges laid by on-field umpires Christopher Taylor and Kashif Sandy and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Michael Ragoonath.
However, Permaul and Anderson have claimed that they were pressured into accepting a guilty plea by Ragoonath after being given the options to either plead guilty and accept a fine or insist on a hearing and be fined 100 per cent of their match fee and receive a ban.
Both Permaul and Anderson have received the full support of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), which, in a release, described the actions of the umpires and match referee as unacceptable.
“Faced with this representation from the referee, the two players formed the opinion that they had no choice but to plead guilty to the charge despite previously submitting written denials to the referee, and in the case of Permaul, maintaining his innocence at the hearing. Anderson was not afforded a hearing,” the GCB said in a statement.
“This lack of due process and the absence of a fair and transparent hearing is deeply troubling. The GCB considers the actions of the match officials (which include the on-field umpires) to be unprofessional, unethical, and a serious breach of procedural fairness.
“The Guyana Cricket Board is profoundly disappointed by the handling of this matter in Trinidad and expected a much higher standard of governance, particularly in CWI’s premier domestic tournaments.
“In light of these events, both players have taken the bold and commendable step of seeking justice through the High Court, aiming to restore their reputations and ensure such incidents do not recur.
“The GCB stands firmly in support of justice, fair play, and the rights of its players, and will continue to advocate for good governance, transparency, and accountability at all levels of the sport,” the statement further added.
The GCB maintained that the charges had “cast a cloud over what should have been a celebration of West Indies cricket at its highest domestic level”.