A Boyhood Dream

By Avenash Ramzan

Long-serving national cycling coach, Hassan Mohamed, has always responded to my question “What keeps you going?” by saying, “Once you mix with the young, you will always remain young.”
West Indies leg-spinner, Devendra Bishoo may be tempted to give you his own version: “Once you mix with cricketers, you will play cricket.”

As Guyana Times Sunday Magazine traces the career of the 26-year-old, it becomes evident that it’s not just Bishoo’s love for the game that has brought him international acclaim, but more so that he started rubbing shoulders with some local cricket giants from a very young age.

The making of a cricket champ
Born Nov. 6, 1985 to Cousila and the late Mohanlall Bishoo, and growing up in the sugarcane village of Albion, East Berbice – an area called Doctor Bush to be exact – Bishoo developed an inclination for the game very early.
This was not surprising since he was served with “willow against leather” bellowing in his ears from the nearby Albion Community Centre ground.
A former student of Cropper Primary School and Lower Corentyne Secondary, Bishoo decided to try his hand at competitive cricket by joining the Albion Sports Club at age 11. His first opportunity would come two years later when he was selected as a leg-spinner and lower-order batsman in the club’s Under-15 team.
Impressive performances at the club level caught the eyes of the Berbice Cricket Board selectors, and he was drafted into the county team where he emerged as the leading bowler in 2000. A call-up to the national Under-15 team that same year saw him on the standby list, bizarrely, because of being “small statured”.
The following year, he made his national Under-15 debut, snaring 2-28 from 10 overs against the Leeward Islands to kick-start a three-year stint at the youth level for Guyana. During that time, he was dominant at the Inter-County competition, which is primarily used to select the national team.
At the Under-17 level in 2003, he captured a record 23 wickets from a mere two games, including an astonishing 9-44 against Essequibo at the Everest Cricket Club ground.
As a young member of the Albion Sports Club, it was mandatory that Bishoo and young cricketers his age do certain errands whenever First-Class cricket is hosted at the venue. Bishoo was assigned the duties of room attendant for the senior Guyana team, affording him the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, whom he would later play Test cricket with, and the phenomenal spin-twins, Mahendra Nagamootoo and Neil McGarrell, whom himself and club-mate, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, would replace on the senior Guyana team.
“It was a real great experience being among those players, especially Shiv [Chanderpaul] and Sars [Sarwan]. Just being around them was like a learning curve for me, as I always wanted to be like them – you know – play at the highest level,” Bishoo related.

The support base
Growing up in a single-parent family; his father having died a few years after Bishoo’s birth, was tough for Bishoo, but with help from his uncle Munniram Lalbeharry, who gave him his first cricket bat, inspiration from watching the Guyana players in action, and support and motivation from his mother, he was able to graduate to the Under-19 level, then to the First-Class arena in the 2007/08 First-Class season against the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the National Stadium, Providence during the Carib Beer Four-Day Series.
“It was tough because it was my mother alone, and all we used to survive on was NIS and Old Age Pension. Whenever I had to travel to play in Georgetown, the club, my uncle and grandmother and my first coach, Vemen [Walter] used to take out money from their pocket and help me,” Bishoo revealed.
He is thankful for the support he received from everyone, and particularly grateful for the role Walter has played in his career.
“You know Vemen is like a father, friend, coach, big brother…a real inspiration in my life. He spotted my talent early, and I think he is the one that I should really thank for all that I’ve achieved in cricket so far,” he said appreciatively.
Walter said of Bishoo, “He always was a disciplined player, up to this day. When he first joined the club, he was a diminutive guy, but you could see he was tough. He used to run a lot and he was very enthusiastic and I was impressed with his attitude.”

Big league
In his First-Class debut, Bishoo made an instant impact, bagging 5-29 from 18 overs and 2-18 from 12 overs in a drawn encounter against the CCC-a match in which Chanderpaul made a brilliant 207 not out.
That proved to be the start of a sustained run in the national team, as he and Permaul formed a solid partnership, becoming the backbone of Guyana’s bowling after the sudden axing of Nagamootoo and McGarrell.
His attacking style of bowling had a major impact in the 2010 Caribbean T20 where he finished with ten wickets in four games at the mean average of 8.20, conceding just 5.12 runs an over.
His ‘Man-of-the-Series’ award in that tournament tipped him as one of the players to watch out for in the Champions League Twenty20, where he immediately impressed with the prize scalp of Indian master batsman, Sachin Tendulkar.
His boyhood dream and his father’s dying wish that his son play for the West Indies, came one step closer to realization when the pint-sized player, who had by then captured 86 wickets from 21 First-Class matches and 29 from 13 regional One-day games, was named in the provisional 30-man squad for the February-April 2011 World Cup in Asia.
Though he didn’t make the final 15, Bishoo’s day in the maroon was always imminent since he was one of the few genuinely attacking and wicket-taking spinners in this part of the hemisphere.
As destiny would have it, the effervescent all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was injured early in the West Indies’ World Cup campaign and Marlon Samuels refused the offer to return to international cricket; Bishoo was drafted into the squad, albeit with much debate from some cricketing circles.
He arrived in the sub-continent with the burden of expectation and the weight of the critics on his shoulders. Here it is, the humble young man from East Berbice being entrusted with the biggest task of his fledging career on the most colossal of events- the Cricket World Cup.
Bishoo ‘warmed the benches’ for the clash against Ireland, but was called into action against England in Chennai, India, March 17. He responded immediately with two wickets in eight miserly overs on the trot, and another in his final two overs for fantastic figures of 3-34.
His maiden international wicket was that of Jonathon Trott, followed by Eion Morgan and Luke Wright- all frontline batsmen.
Next up was tournament favourites and eventual champions, India. With a powerhouse batting line-up, Bishoo bowled with precision and ended with 1-48 from 10 overs, including the wicket of the skipper.
In the ill-fated quarter-final against Pakistan, he conceded 24 runs from his five overs as the Asian side romped to a 10-wicket victory.
“Obviously, I was nervous when the skipper handed me the ball against England,” he confessed. “But Sars, Shiv and Chris [Gayle] were helping me along, and once I found my line and length, it became easier.”
He added, “The experience was good; I enjoyed every moment of it. The atmosphere was electrifying.”
Bishoo, who became the 167th West Indian to play ODIs, noted that the Indian batsmen were the toughest to bowl to, taking into consideration their proficiency against spin bowling.
Less than two months later he was handed a Test debut against Pakistan in the first Digicel Test match, capturing 4-68 from 25 overs in the first innings to play a part in the 40-run victory for the West Indies.
“While getting Sachin’s wicket was a great feeling, I think the greatest moment was actually playing for the West Indies at the very highest level- the World Cup,” he reflected. “Getting those three key wickets in my first game against England gave me a lot of confidence, and also the motivation to keep working hard to stay on top of my game.”
Work hard he did, and the extra effort and dedication did not go unnoticed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as he was voted Emerging Player-of-the-Year 2011 at the ICC Annual Awards ceremony in London last September.
Bishoo had played five Tests in the voting period – August 11, 2010 to August 3, 2011 – and took 21 wickets at an average of 35.42. He also picked up 19 wickets at 21.57 each in 11 ODIs.
“I could not believe it when I was nominated for the ICC Emerging Player-of-the-Year; but to win it feels great,” he said upon winning the accolade. “I would like to dedicate the award to my father. He played a great role in my life and encouraged me to play cricket. After he died I made a promise to always give my best and reach for the top.
“I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me along the way and also a special ‘thank you’ to the fans who have supported me. I hope I can continue to represent the West Indies with pride and improve my bowling and keep taking as many international wickets as I can. I’d like to thank the support staff and my team-mates of the West Indies and Guyana for all the support and guidance.”

Tough times
But a year after making his international debut and competing on the world stage, Bishoo has been put through his toughest battle yet dropped from the West Indies team after a few poor performances, compounded by the presence of the Trinidad and Tobago’s mystery spinner Sunil Narine and the ever-improving Dominican off-spinner Shane Shillingford.
While he is deflated, he is not despondent. He said he is confident of making it back to the top, and what better place to start that journey than the Albion Sports Club where the sound advice of Walter and the love and support of relatives, friends and fans are in abundance.
At the time of writing, Bishoo had bagged 40 wickets at an average of 39.55 with career-best figures of 5-90, while in the ODI arena he has captured 20 wickets from 13 games at an average of 23.80 and career-best of 3-34. In 36 First-Class outings, he has collected 150 wickets at 29.24 apiece.