Guyana Harpy Eagles to play two practice matches before Regional 4-Day restart

By Brandon Corlette

The Cricket West Indies Championships (Regional Four-Day) are set to resume on May 18, with the remaining three rounds set to be played in Trinidad and Tobago.

Having suffered an innings- and-57-runs’ defeat against Leeward Islands, and recording a one-wicket win against Windward Islands, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will be eager to have a good showing in the remaining rounds.
Before the Harpy Eagles wing out to play Barbados Pride at Queen’s Park Oval from May 18, the local players would feature in two practice matches. The first of those matches would commence from Monday May 2 at Everest Cricket Club.
Since the break, the Harpy Eagles have been training as a team, and according to Assistant Coach Ryan Hercules, the players had a recovery session on Thursday, and the yo-yo test will be followed on Friday (today, April 29) at Leonora.

“We had a recovery session today. We had an intense training at Everest, where we had 2K run, 20-metre shuttle and we had a net session. It was very lengthy, and the guys would have needed recovery, because we are going have a yo-yo test at Leonora. We gave them today to recover, so they can be fresh to recover for the yoyo,” Hercules told this daily publication.
Hercules added: “next week we have a four-day game set for Monday at Everest, and then the following week we have a next four-day game. So, we are going to have two practice games in between recovery, and probably some gym slight sessions going into the last week going to Trinidad.”
When asked about the area of focus, the Assistant Coach said: “We are looking at the batters and bowlers, to get a combination going, mental toughness. The fitness, we are looking at that very close, but we have been seeing improvements with a lot of guys so far, so we are hoping for a better outing for the next leg of the Four-Day.”
While unofficial word has been circulating around the cricket fraternity that a host of changes are expected for the Harpy Eagles in the remaining three rounds, Hercules did not delve deeply into the selection of the team, but he noted that to some extent, the practice matches will be used as a yardstick for selection.
“Definitely it is going to be something that we are looking at. We know the players we need to look at, basically we will have a word with them and let them know to take this opportunity. There might be other players who may need the opportunity as well, but it is up to the selectors to decide what we are going to go with, and what we are looking for, after the second game,”, the Essequibian Hercules explained.
The Guyana Harpy Eagles’ batting has been ordinary after two rounds. Vishaul Singh is their leading batsman with 143 runs. He has a high-score of 93, and averages 35.75. Anthony Bramble has 129 runs, and Chandrapaul Hemraj has 124 runs. Veerasammy Permaul has taken eight wickets.
Permaul, the most consistent regional bowler, went wicketless in the second match against Leewards. Harpy Eagles will play Barbados, followed by Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The Harpy Eagles are in fourth position with 21.4 points.