ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL): “All bases covered in GAW squad” – Johnson

Several new faces will don the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) jersey in three weeks’ time when the second edition of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20 bowls off.
The 15-member squad was unveiled on Friday last during the 2025 tournament’s launch and has already created a buzz based on its composition.
As such, Team Manager Leon Johnson discussed the squad’s composition with media operatives expressing confidence that they have all their bases covered.

Johnson told Journalists on the side of the GSL launch, “You see the team was unveiled today: we have a couple of seasoned Warriors players, you see Imran returning as Captain. I think it’s a squad where all bases are covered – fast bowling, spin bowling; now we have the likes of Motie, Imran and Akeal Hosein in our team, so I think we have all bases covered.”
“Yeah, that’s just because of availability. Players like Shai Hope, you would see, is in the Test team, Tanzim Shakib is part of Bangladesh’s team who has to play Sri Lanka. As you know now, the international window, it leaves little time for players, so we had to make those changes,” Johnson further enlightened on some missing faces from the team.

With the likes of Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the squad, Johnson delved into the topic of the Amazon Warriors’ opening combo (which was chopped and changed regularly last season), highlighting that those players are versatile if needed.
“I think, when we arrive at that bridge, we’ll cross it. Obviously, Gurbaz would be a starter, because he’s the only specialist keeper in our squad while Johno, as well, keeps part time. But I mean, the three openers, they’re three quality players, so if one of them has to bat at number 3 or somewhere in the middle, you know, I’m sure they’ll be willing to do that for the team,” he explained.
With the ExxonMobil Guyana GSL scheduled for July this year, the former championship-winning Guyanese Captain believes the timing is ideal.
The Manager admitted, “It would be nice going into CPL [Caribbean Premier League] actually, because sometimes you find a lot of guys who go into CPL or come into CPL are short of cricket. So, it’s nice to have a tournament leading into CPL.”
Johnson later shared his thoughts on what the GSL does for Guyana, stating, “It does a lot for Guyana, cricket-wise, tourism-wise. I mean, you basically cover the globe when you have teams from Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Dubai coming to Guyana. There’ll be a lot of eyes on Guyana so, it does a lot for us not just cricket-wise but tourism-wise, as a developing country.”
The Guyana Amazon Warriors GSL T20 team read: Imran Tahir, Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer, Saud Shakeel, Romario Shepherd, Dwain Pretorius, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hossein, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mark Adair, Jewel Andrew, Shamar Springer, and Amir Jangoo.
The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League will run from July 10 to July 18, 2025. The Guyana Amazon Warriors will look to defend their home turf against the Hobart Hurricanes, Central Stags, Dubai Capitals and defending champions Rangpur Riders.