The 2025 West Indies 4-Day Championship is set to bowl off at venues around the Caribbean on Wednesday, January 29. As such, defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) are working assiduously to ensure they are prepared for their title retention.
Harpy Eagles hopefuls recently wrapped up the first of two practice matches at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence where Kemol Savory’s XI came out on top of Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s side in the three-day encounter.
Harpy Eagles Head Coach Ryan Hercules, during the practice match, expressed his excitement for the 4- Day season ahead.
“Pretty excited. Some good cricketers around the set-up for quite some time and two titles basically, we won back-to-back, it makes the work even harder, but it’s challenging and I really enjoy the challenge. So, for me, it’s all excitement, I want the guys to know that we’re going to work hard, there’s a lot to be done over the next few weeks while we’re in the tournament, even when we have the breaks as well,” Hercules expressed in an invited comment.
“So, we look forward to the challenge and at the back of it, if we get that success, it’s a good feeling,” he added.
The first GHE practice match at the Guyana National Stadium
After a year’s absence, 4-Day action will return to Guyana’s premier cricket venue at Providence, East Bank Demerara for four of the tournament’s seven rounds, much to Hercules’ content.
The Harpy Eagles Head Coach shared, “Obviously good to be home. It’s important that we get an early start in terms of points table with the first three games here, we go to Jamaica and we come back for the fifth one. So, if we could set the percentage from early in terms of how we getting some points from up front. This is our conditions, our surface, we know how the pitch plays, we get lots of success at home.
“It can go both ways as well. I don’t want the guys to get too complacent, thinking that we’re playing at home means we’re definitely going to win. Also, you have to go out there and play good cricket at the end of the day. I think it’s a great thing for us starting at home, haven’t played a lot of games in Guyana for quite some time, but, nevertheless, still thankful for the first three games, looking to make the best of those games,” Hercules went on to speak.
This season Cricket West Indies (CWI) has lined up several pink-ball matches for the 4-Day tournament, of which Guyana will play two; a welcomed initiative for the coach.
“I think it’s a good initiative getting it back in. We had it a few years ago, most of the guys probably haven’t played a pink ball match, so, it was good having this practice game so they could actually see what the pink ball does under the lights and in different conditions. Obviously, if it’s a format being played in international cricket then we need to get it in the regional level. So, I must commend CWI for getting pink-ball cricket back into first- lass cricket,” the Coach divulged.
As the Harpy Eagles head into another practice match on Wednesday, Hercules divulged some key areas of focus during these games.
The Coach related to this publication, “Like mentioned, we had two practice games at Lusignan Ground and we’re into our first game here at the stadium. Obviously, we’ve been working on guys getting back into red-ball cricket for the season. Defending the title is going to be a lot of hard work, not to come with the same plans. From a batting perspective, getting guys to spend more time in the middle, the senior and junior guys; bowlers need to be more challenging when they’re out there, be more consistent taking wickets and obviously in the field, guys being there, being aggressive, wanting the ball to come to them and you know, all together look to see where we start off from today.”
The Harpy Eagles will take on the Barbados Pride in the opening round of the West Indies Championship.
