Sarwan refuses vice-captaincy of Guyana

Ramnaresh Sarwan believes that it would be unfair to take the vice-captaincy © Getty Images

Ramnaresh Sarwan, the former vice-captain of West Indies, has refused to accept vice-captaincy of the Guyana squad for the ongoing Carib Beer regional competition, with a view of giving younger players a chance to lead the side and gain valuable experience.

Speaking to Cricinfo before the start of the round 6 four-day match against Trinidad and Tobago, Sarwan said, "I won't be around for long due to international commitments. It won't be right on my part to take up the position and leave half-way. It would be a good opportunity for a younger player to take up the vice-captaincy and [he] can be groomed in the team."

In place of Sarwan, the Guyana board appointed the 23-year-old Damodar Daesrath as the vice-captain and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the captain. Daesrath had led the side in the absence of Chanderpaul with mixed results: one win, one loss, two draws and a no-result in the away matches.

Sarwan was also replaced by Chanderpaul as the vice-captain of the West Indies side in the recently-concluded VB Series. Sarwan, who was identified as the future captain, was appointed as Brian Lara's deputy in 2003, during Lara's second stint as captain. Sarwan enjoyed his best year in Test cricket in 2004, when he crossed 1000 runs with an average above 50. Though the selectors did not offer any explanations for replacing Sarwan, it is reliably known that they wanted him to concentrate on his batting.