Adams grateful being able to play competitive cricket again

– optimistic of team’s chances of lifting Speaker’s Cup title

By Timothy Jaikarran

The year 2020 is one which no cricketer would like to remember, but cannot forget. It is a time that would forever haunt the cricketing fraternity in Guyana, as the ‘big man’ himself, “MR COVID-19”, came on the scene and brought all sporting disciplines to a standstill, including the beloved game of cricket.

Despite it all, Everest Cricket Team captain Dwayne Adams has grown and learned things during these perilous times. While the pandemic may not be gone, the Georgetown Cricket Association resumed their season over the weekend. One highlight of that weekend was Everest CC duking it out with the UG Trojans.
The Everest side won the encounter by an innings and 73 runs, and both teams got the opportunity to somewhat shake off their rust and compete in an entertaining and quality matchup. Adams also played his part in the team’s win by bagging figures of 3-20.
In an interview, with this publication, he was asked what the feeling was like to be back on the field, and he said “It’s pretty exciting to get back on the cricket field. The guys have been training on their own, and are happy to be competing after more than a year away.

“If anything, the pandemic has taught me to be more patient, since we had to change our lifestyle in an instant. It’s helped me put a higher value on my wicket and not to be too hasty with my players if they make an error in the field. The pandemic has also made me appreciate the group and the effort they put in for the club and team.”The Everest captain shared what was next for his squad, noting that there is a lot of cricket to be played, so the team is training in an effort to get back into the groove, and they are hoping to win some tournaments.
Adams also related that leading up to the highly anticipated Speakers Cup, which is set to commence on April 3rd, the team has to remain focused, train hard, and have self-belief in order to go all the way.
In terms of his confidence in the team making it all the way in the Speaker’s Cup, Adams said, “We have a pretty good group of players for the Speaker’s Cup. There’s a good mix of experience and youth in the team, and I see them performing extremely well. We’re pretty confident of walking away the winners of the inaugural tournament.”

For the inaugural Speaker’s Cup, the championship offers teams the opportunity to vie for Gy$1M worth of prizes in attaining the championship title, and there is ‘something special’ for the team with the player to be awarded the most valuable player of the tournament.
Apart from the main prize attractions, teams have the opportunity to win other consolation prizes, inclusive of a valuable $500,000 2nd place prize, $200,000 3rd place prize, and $ 100,000 4th place prize, among other prizes.