Milton Robert Pydanna was born on January 27, 1950, in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Guyana, and passed away in Brooklyn, NY, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. The former Guyana national and West Indies cricketer was renowned for his wicketkeeper-batsman skills. He represented Guyana in first-class cricket from 1971 to 1988 and was a key player for the Berbice team in Guyana, which he captained successfully in domestic competitions.
Pydanna’s international career with the West Indies included three One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1980 and 1983. He debuted against Pakistan in Karachi on November 21, 1980, serving as the understudy to then-Windies keeper David Murray. During that match, he made an immediate impact by catching and stumping Javed Miandad. He scored the winning runs in his second ODI—the only time he batted in an international fixture. His final ODI appearance was against India in Guwahati on December 17, 1983, where he played as the backup to Windies keeper Jeff Dujon.
Over his first-class career, Pydana played 85 matches, amassing 2,223 runs at an average of 20.02, including two centuries and nine fifties. Defensively, he was exceptional, recording 152 catches and 36 stumpings. In List A cricket, he appeared in 27 matches, scoring 220 runs and achieving 21 catches and 11 stumpings.
After retiring from cricket in the Caribbean, Pydanna moved to Brooklyn, New York, in February 1989. He remained active in the cricketing community, coaching at a Level 2 certification and contributing to the development of the sport in the United States. In 2014, he was appointed an assistant coach for the USA men’s national cricket team.
Pydanna’s contributions to cricket were formally recognized in 2012 when he was inducted into the Berbice Cricket Board Hall of Fame in his native Guyana. He was recognized and honored for his outstanding service to the sport in that region of Guyana.
Beyond cricket, his daughter, Rochelle Pydanna, has made a name for herself with the Pydanna Collection, a well-known haircare company, keeping the family name prominent in public spheres.
Another daughter, Marcia, represented Guyana at the Caricom Basketball Championships in Trinidad and Tobago in 1986 and in Guyana in 1988. She also toured Barbados in 1985.
Until his death this week, Milton Pydanna was involved in cricket in the New York area. He fielded a team—Melbourne Cricket Club—with his son Clive Pydanna in the New York National Cricket League.
Milton Robert Pydanna will be sorely missed by many within the USA and the Caribbean cricket communities.
