ASHMEAD NEDD: Eager to contribute to the fortunes of the Guyana Amazon Warriors

By Jemima Holmes

The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) have always been ambassadors for developing and exposing young local talents at “the biggest party in sport”, the Hero Caribbean Premiere League (CPL).

Over the years, opportunities have been given to such local superstars as Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd; and those players have all gone on to make the most of those chances.
In 2020, the Warriors franchise handed a similar opening to two youngsters, Kevin Sinclair and Ashmead Nedd.
Nedd is no stranger to the local squad, having enjoyed a local stint with the Warriors last year. In 2020, his dream of officially being part of the local franchise was realised when he was drafted into the team. Over the past 12 months, the 19- year-old has been making a name for himself, playing for the Championship-winning West Indies Emerging Players team in the Regional Super 50, picking up 11 wickets in 6 games during the Under-19 World Cup, and being drafted by the Leeward Islands Hurricanes for the Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional 4-Day tournament.

Being selected by the Warriors thus far represents the zenith of this left-arm orthodox spinner’s cricketing career. In sharing his emotions about being drafted, Nedd said, “It’s a great feeling looking at the draft and hearing my name for the first time in such a big tournament! I feel proud of myself. Over the past year, I’ve been performing really well, so I had confidence in making one of the sides.”
Speaking about how the past couple of months have been for him, Ashmead Nedd, son of National Youth Coach Garvin Nedd, shared how participation in the U19 World Cup has prepared him for such a huge tournament as the CPL.
“It just taught me to be consistent. The hard work I’ve been doing in the nets when we have training sessions, always looking back (and) reflecting on past games, and there was an analyst there. So, it’s just the small things,” he said.

In 2019, Nedd and some other U19 players were given the opportunity to tag along with the GAW team in Guyana. Reflecting on this experience, the youngster explained that it has taught him a lot.

“Well, I’ve learnt a lot: looking at the way they prepare before games, the way they break down their innings bowling. In the field, I’ve learnt a lot, memorised it, and kept it with me.”
Being young and impressionable, Need is eager to learn from his teammates, especially outstanding ones like Imran Tahir and Chris Green. In this regard, he noted, “Well, looking at them, they’re very brave bowlers. You know, going into T20 tournaments, you have to be very brave. Just being under them, be willing to learn from them, take in as much information that you can.”

Expectedly, the 19-year-old is enthusiastic about being named in the playing XI. In the event this materialises, he wants nothing more than to contribute positively to the team’s performance.
“If given the opportunity, my role is just to keep things quiet, as it’s T20 cricket you’re playing. But at the same time, you still have to be disciplined and give the team something to work with,” he revealed.
Like any other aspiring cricketing talent, the young Ashmead Nedd is pumped and ready to officially be part of the CPL. Well, who wouldn’t be?

“I’m very excited heading into one of the biggest T20 tournaments in the world,” Nedd enthusiastically stated.