Assad Fudadin and his 4 months holdup in Jamaica
The long wait for Guyanese Cricketer, Assad Fudadin who was stuck in Jamaica for almost 4 months since Guyana suspended all incoming flights due to the Novel coronavirus, has finally came to an end.
Desperately wanting to return home and reunite with his family, after months of sleepless nights, Fudadin arrived in Guyana on Tuesday afternoon aboard an Eastern Airlines flight safe and with a sense of relief; but had a short traumatic moment before even seeing his family after the aircraft which he arrived in ran off the runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport upon landing.
Fudadin began playing for the Jamaica Scorpions in 2017 and had traveled out of Guyana to live in the Caribbean as he was required to fulfill obligations to the contract he signed with the franchise, however; within the past three years he visited his family often but this recent experience trying to return to his family and couldn’t in an opportune time is one he wishes never occur again.
The 34 year old, left handed batsman, who has represented West Indies at the Under-15 and Under-19 levels and the West Indies “A” and senior teams, exhibited patience and confidence throughout his years playing the sport he loves the most.
In 2012, Fudadin made his Test debut against England after he was called up to play for the West Indies senior team. Subsequently, he was selected to play for the Guyana Amazon Warriors but was later dropped, playing his last T20 game in 2017.
In an interview with this publication, Fudadin said he is disappointed to not see his name on this year’s CPL draft, even though, his performances in the last Super 50 games were exceptional. Nevertheless, the Berbician star is optimistic about the future and will use his potentials and make every effort to represent his franchise in the best way possible.
When asked about the struggles to return home, Fudadin said it was a stressful period and all he wanted to do was to get back to his family; what he explained matters most to him. He noted that while stuck in Jamaica, he used the time to not stress but rather be involved in indoor activities to keep his mind at ease but eventually the period of waiting became unbearable and got the best of him but still, the young man never gave up and lose faith.
“I was told that I needed to do a test 48hrs before traveling, I did it and was able to get out of Jamaica. When I got to Miami, I endured another stressful period because I did a test and waited more than 2 days to get back the results and couldn’t get on a flight”
Finally, Fudadin noted that he was able to depart from Miami to New York where he stayed for sometime before reaching his homeland.
But the journey to reunite with his family was not an easy one as he described. He underwent a number of covid tests and was given false hopes on many occasions on when he would be able to get a flight and touch base with his wife, dad and his only son in Guyana.
“They kept telling me to check with them and Everytime I do, I get told that I have to do a different test and I won’t make it on the next flight that will be leaving for Guyana. Thankfully, I made it through that phase.”
“I’m just elated to be back home and be with my family. There’s nothing more than having your loved ones around you during this time. My goal now is to focus on my cricketing career and pave a way for me in next year’s Caribbean Premier League and fully into the West Indies Team.”
Fudadin made his Test debut in 2012, but has only played three matches, the last of which was also the same year. He was never picked again after returning home from an injury sustained during training on the West Indies tour to South Africa.
His Test average is 30.50 with a best of 55.
In 2010, his exceptional performances in the Regional First Class Tournament gained him a developmental contract with the West Indies Cricket Board. In domestic cricket, the top-order batsman averages 29.36 in 65 List A games, and his 110 First-class matches have yielded 5,208 runs at 29.42.
