Since the Hero Caribbean Premiere League’s (CPL) inception in 2013, the Guyana Amazon Warriors franchise has been known to assemble and utilize a fairly young team with just the right amount of experience. This tactic has proved to be successful for the Warriors, which remains one of the most consistent teams in the CPL.
For the 2019 edition of the “biggest party in sport”, however, the spotlight will be placed on the younger crop of players, especially those who hail from Guyana, in order to ready them for the big stage.
According to GAW Operations Manager Omar Khan, the plan will remain the same for the Warriors, with the addition of more responsibility given to players in order to improve their performance and accountability.
“More importantly, I want to make the point that for Guyanese young players, it’s a great opportunity; and we have provided the greatest opportunity for their development as young cricketers,” Khan stated, as he addressed the inclusion of young Guyanese players in the squad.
Khan went on to cite the CPL and the Amazon Warriors team as stepping stones towards international level cricket.
“When we can see young Sherfane Rutherford signing a deal with Mumbai Indians, the IPL Champions in India, as one of their marquee players, that’s a significant intent by the international cricket levels that our young Guyanese are making it big,” he explained. “And they would not have been able to do that without being exposed during the CPL games here.”
For this reason, Khan disclosed, the team’s management has intentionally sought to grab the majority of young Guyanese talents, in order to nurture and better their game.
“This year, Guyana is the only franchise that has eight national players in their lineup; the only Caribbean franchise. And we have deliberately done that because we want to ensure that young Guyanese players in particular get the opportunity to make a name for themselves,” Khan revealed.
Earlier this year, three Guyana Amazon Warriors’ players, namely: Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Keemo Paul, were selected for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals, respective IPL teams. Their selection was a testimony to the groundwork that is being laid in the GAW setup, given that the last Guyanese player to be selected for the IPL was Christopher Barnwell in 2013.
Furthermore, two Under-19 cricketers will have the opportunity that was handed to the Guyanese trio some years ago, which was the beginning of their stellar careers.
“We are also including 2 young Under-19 players. The Guyana Cricket Board is still working out the details for those players to join the squad for the training camp,” the Operations Manager disclosed to media operatives. “We have done that since 2013; that’s how Keemo Paul started, Hetmyer started, Sherfane started. All those players were given opportunities at the Under-19 level to be part of the training squad, and be exposed to international players coming here, to see how they operate as professionals,” he went on to explain.
Hetmyer’s Appointment
Returning to the idea of giving players in the Warriors’ outfit more responsibilities, Khan had one more revelation to make. Racking up some 440 runs during the 2018 CPL Season, Hetmyer was the most electric batsman for the Warriors, recording his first CPL century. For these reasons the 22-year-old will be appointed the team’s ‘Batting Director’.
“Shimron Hetmyer will be appointed the Director of Batting. Let him take responsibility in the squad, we’re setting it up as a business unit,” Khan shared.
It is expected that Hetmyer would have an input in batting practice sessions, and in formulating batting strategies.
