“Guyana Jaguars team striving for excellence” – Coach Crandon

By Ravi Madholall

Coach of the Guyana Jaguars team Esuan Crandon is brimming with high confidence that his players will continue with the winning momentum when action resumes on March 10 in the Regional Four-day Professional Cricket League.
He made this declaration yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club ground where the team was having their routine 9-12 practice outdoor session, but rain in the capital city forced the abandonment of Wednesday’s session.

However, he also expressed that would not be a hindrance since the players immediately proceeded to some necessary and customary gym work.
Guyana Jaguars are currently sitting second on the points table after the completion of the half-way stage (five rounds) and the former Guyana fast-bowler is counting heavily on the boys to reach back at the top and more prestigiously retaining the trophy for three consecutive years.
“I [am] very confident we can continue to do well; the door is still open for new players, but with the players that played in the first five rounds we saw good performances and I am sure all who would be selected for the next round or so should be able to do the same job,” Crandon related. The practice session started on Monday and Crandon is hoping to have a three-day simulation game before the team departs for Jamaica where they will compete with the hosts at the famous Sabina Park facility.
In addition to that, the squad is maximising their efforts by using the bowling machine that is located at Gandhi Youth Organisation ground on Woolford Avenue.
According to Crandon, who would have featured in 38 first-class matches, the batsmen are getting the benefit of handling very fast deliveries and the away movement with the ball. “Most of the overseas pitches are very quick and practicing on the concrete pitch at Gandhi helps our batsmen greatly so the guys are better equipped to play on those ‘bouncy wickets’; it just can be very good as part of our preparations,” the Berbician commented.
Guyana Jaguars began the 2016/2017 campaign in auspicious fashion defeating Jamaica Scorpions by a whopping 181-run margin at home before they suffered a shocking four-wicket loss to Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis. They moved across to the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia for the day/night third game against the Windward Islands Volcanoes where that encounter was drawn.
However, back at home there was better fortune for the Guyanese who came out with a drawn encounter against bitter-rival Barbados Pride, while they ended the half-way stage against hosts Trinidad and Tobago with a handsome 10-wicket victory at the Queen’s Park Oval. “I think we played well in the first half; we just can’t take any side lightly now; everybody wants to win so we have got to be prepared and ready to take on the challenges,” Crandon revealed.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the team’s most reliable and essential batsman was very phenomenal in the first round aggregating 447 runs so far and also registered two centuries (100 and 143).  Other batsmen like skipper Leon Johnson, Rajindra Chandrika, Vishaul Singh, Shimron Hetmyer, among others have also shown consistency, while Crandon is very optimistic the bowlers would be more dominant.  Some of those are spinners Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie and Steven Jacobs. Pacers Keon Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Raymond Reifer just to name a few can be equally penetrative as well.