Saurashtra’s maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019-20 season saw brilliant performances from the likes of Sheldon Jackson and Jayadev Unadkat. But come next domestic season, Sheldon Jackson will be seen playing for Puducherry.
Sheldon Jackson, who has played for Saurashtra since his debut in 2011, said that the decision to part was not easy but felt it was apposite for him to play as a professional player.
Jackson mentioned in a release issued by Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) that “This has been one of the hardest decisions that I had to make and it’s not been easy for me but I feel its the right time for me to move on and play as a professional in some other team or state. All my life I will treasure playing for Saurashtra and I’m proud to be associated with Saurashtra Cricket.”
The Saurashtra right-handed middle-order batsman had scored 809 runs in 18 innings of 10 matches at an average of over 50 in the 2019-20 season.Â
Jackson has been prolific at the domestic circuit scoring 5634 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 49.42, including 19 hundreds and 27 half-centuries.
Securing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from SCA to play domestic cricket from other associations Sheldon Jackson said, “the journey so far has been fantastic and I am thankful to everyone at Saurashtra Cricket Association for standing by my side in my good and bad times,”
“I am very thankful to Mr Niranjan Shah (SCA Secretary) and Mr Jaydev Shah (SCA President) who have been father figures to me on and off the field and have been my constant support in my times of darkness and when I was low in my performances,”
the 33 year-old added.
Sheldon Jackson is a great batter
With the Jackson signing up for Puducherry have finalised all the three guest players for the upcoming 2020-21 season, with Pankaj Singh and Paras Dogra being the other two.
“Yes, we have signed contracts with the above three to be our ‘professional players’ this season.
Our selectors unanimously decided to have them as our guest players.
All three have established themselves as top performers for a long period of time in Ranji Trophy,” the secretary of the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) V Chandran.
Former Test bowler Pankaj Singh is set to return to Puducherry after missing the last season because of injury while Paras Dogra, another prolific scorer in the domestic cricket, has been retained as 3rd guest player by Puducherry.
With Sheldon Jackson, Pars Dogra and Pankaj Singh among its ranks CAP secretary appeared confident about a better performance from his team in the upcoming domestic season.
“Sheldon is a great batter who won the Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra on his own last season and was one of the top batsmen in domestic cricket. Both Sheldon and Dogra score close to 1000 runs every season in the Ranji Trophy and Pankaj Singh gets around 45 wickets every year on an average. Puducherry have enough resources this season to do well and qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals and take it forward from there,”
Chandran said.
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