Guyana Amazon Warriors Cricket

Tonight, the 13th season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T-20 Cricket tournament, sponsored by the Republic Bank, comes to an end with a bang and expected fireworks of sixes when our home team, Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW), faces off against the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR). We have come a long way since that inaugural season in 2013 when few thought the Caribbean could pull off a T-20 tournament to rank alongside India’s Indian Premier League (IPL), but we have done so with panache.
The slogan, “Sports – it’s not just a game”, summarises the realisation – at least in some quarters – that sports is an integral part of the national life of every society. Sports can develop the character of the individual as well as that of the community and the nation and, in fact, can be a feature of nation building. It is not by chance that countries such as Russia and China, which attempted to leapfrog economic development, all introduced strong national sports programmes. In Guyana, apart from being an enthusiastic cricket fan, President Ali and his Government have seen the potential of this wider role of cricket and have supported the CPL tournament in general and the GAW in particular as a nucleus for expanding our tourism potential in what has been branded as “Cricket Carnival”, held over a period of two weeks.
Speaking at the announcement in 2022 of Guyana hosting the finals for the next three years, President Irfaan Ali said, “Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana; it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. The hosting of the CPL final will be an energising force. We are building a product that will be spectator-focused and integrated with our regional partners for a global market. Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other global cricketing event.”
While the Government signed a one-year deal for the playoffs and the finals this year – Barbados will host next year’s – sans the other events, this seemed to have only whetted the appetite of loyal fans – domestic and from the diaspora – who thronged the National Stadium to enjoy the main event: cricket, glorious cricket, played Caribbean style.
As usual, the local hotels are fully booked, as were flights into Guyana, bringing visitors with all the well-known benefits of tourism: money pumped into the economy not only in hotels but also into food providers, transportation services, sightseeing sites, souvenir sellers, etc. But just as important was and will be the selling of Guyana itself as a tourist destination. The tourism product in the Caribbean took a beating in the last decade after Covid and the downturn in the traditional northern markets. But the Republic Bank CPL has opened up a whole new world, literally, to the local attractions. India has a middle class larger than the entire population of the United States (US) – and they are all “cricket mad” and tuning in to CPL’s games. We have a chance of attracting that audience both from India and from their very wealthy expatriate community in the US.
Tonight’s game between Trinidad and Guyana – and this is how it is seen by the fans – is highly anticipated since a healthy competition and fierce rivalry have developed between the teams of the two nations. They have faced each other fourteen times at Providence, with the GAW winning ten, including a one-over eliminator in 2014. It would seem that the Warriors have the advantage over the Knight Riders at Providence, where the influence of the gigantic “twelfth man” – the audience in the stands – cannot be overestimated. In 2018, playing the finals in Trinidad, TKR went away with bragging rights, but in 2023 at Providence, the GAW came through for their besotted fans. Both teams are aware of their history, and the players will be giving beyond their all to guarantee a momentous game.
Go Warriors!!