…as Jaguars begin title defence against Scorpions today
Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions will open their campaign in the 2017/2018 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel 4-day tournament at the National Stadium, Providence today with a battle which is set to be extremely intriguing giving the focus will placed on the youth in both squads.
Jaguars have won the last six contests against the Scorpions in the CWI League era (2014-15 onwards) which should increase their level of confidence entering their opening match, but they may have to temper this excitement.
The hosts are without six players that have played key roles in their championship sweep over the last three seasons.
Taganarine Chanderpaul and Rajendra Chandrika are expected to partner at the top of the innings for Guyana
Ageless, veteran former West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul misses the first game due to personal commitments; leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, left-handed opener Shimron Hetymer and left-arm, all-rounder Raymond Reifer are part of the Windies Test side in Zimbabwe; and left-hander Vishaul Singh and fast bowler Keon Joseph are on duty with Windies “A” against Sri Lanka.
Akshaya Persaud is the only uncapped player named in the Leon Johnson-led, 13-member squad, gaining the nod approval following his prolific scoring in the recently-concluded Jaguars Franchise League for West Demerara.
Coach Robert Samuels conducts slip catching with Captain Paul Palmer (left) and Trevon Griffith
Other youthful prospects such as Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Bhaskar Yadram, Romario Shepherd will be required to rise to the occasion.
Johnson, Rajindra Chandrika and wicketkeeper/batsman Anthony Bramble are expected to be at the heart of the batting, vice-captain Veerasammy Permaul and fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie will be the main bowling weapons.
On the opening match, Johnson said: “It’s good to start the season playing the Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium, where we have had a good record over the last three seasons. It’s a new season and we have a number of inexperienced players, so we are not looking to get ahead of ourselves.”
On missing key players, he said: “The players in the squad with the experience will have to step up and do well, not only in this game, but throughout the competition, but I am looking at it in a positive way – this is an opportunity for the inexperienced players.
On the four-peat, Johnson said: “I can’t say. I can’t say. We would love it to be four out of four. Every team has zero points entering the competition and it depends on how well you play in the competition. Ask me that question again at the halfway stage.
Like their opponents, the Scorpions have been set back with the absence of a number of couple of regular players which will also be a chance to test the depth of their talent.
Sherfane Rutherford watches the ball closely during Wednesday’s net session
The biggest blow is the loss to injury of veteran left-arm spinner and last season’s captain, Nikita Miller. He was the leading bowler overall in the Championship for the last two seasons and his wicket-taking ability, especially in tough or tight situations will be missed.
Big-hitting wicketkeeper/batsman Chadwick Walton recently departed for the Bangladesh Premier League, while left-hander John Campbell, fellow batsman Andre McCarthy, as well as fast bowler rookie fast bowlers Reynard Leveridge and Oshane Thomas are part of Windies “A”. The Scorpions hope however, that Guyana-born left-hander Assad Fudadin, a familiar face to the Jaguars, will help to add some backbone to their batting, and others like fellow Guyana-born opener Trevon Griffith, captain Paul Palmer and Brandon King can elevate their game to give more punch.
According to Palmer the mood in the camp is still great and they are confident they can execute their plans effectively.
The skipper also stated, “The team is in transition, we have to look to rebuild, since the likes of tammy [Tamar Lambert] have left and we now have to rebuild and become as strong as there were and maintain that consistency”.
Regarding the addition of Fudadin, Palmer sees him as a great asset since he will bringing a wealth of experience to the team and can play a mentoring role for the younger players as well.
However, the bowling lacks experience with Jason Dawes the only recognisable face, but others like Derval Green and Dennis Bulli have had some regional exposure in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, with respect to the pitch, both camps expressed an unknowingness with regarding how the surface will play given that it is a re-laid pitch. The general consensus was that it should be conducive for batting with spin becoming a major factor as the match progresses.
Jaguars Squad: (from) – Leon Johnson (captain), Anthony Adams, Anthony Bramble, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rajendra Chandrika, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Akshaya Persaud, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Bashkar Yadram
Scorpions Squad (from) – Paul Palmer (captain), Fabian Allen, Dennis Bulli, Jason Dawes, Assad Fudadin, Garth Garvey, Derval Green, Trevon Griffith, Paul Harrison, Brandon King, Romaine Morris, Damani Sewell, Keno Wallace.
Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Danesh Ramdhanie (Trinidad & Tobago); Match Referee – Colin Stuart; Reserve Umpire – Nandkumar Shivsankar.
Match time is 09:30 hrs. Admission is free.
