Harpy Eagles’ exit from CG United Super50 tournament: “We could have bowled better”

-says captain Leon Johnson

By Brandon Corlette

Guyana’s wait for a CG United Super50 championship continues, with the latest heartbreak for the Guyanese public coming in the Harpy Eagles’ match against the Jamaica Scorpions, played on Thursday evening in North Sound, Antigua.
Guyana suffered a three-wicket defeat against the Scorpions in failing to defend 319 runs, the highest of the 2022 CG United Super50 season, and will have to wait for another year and another day in hope that Favour would favour the team.
After the match, Guyana Harpy Eagles captain Leon Johnson said the Eagles should have bowled better and taken the important chances in the field. “We did not execute our plans and our skills well when we bowled. 318 runs was enough, it is well above par on this ground. I think Jamaica came out in the powerplay, and we expected that; but I think we could have bowled a bit better,” Johnson explained.
He added: “Jamaica is a quality side with some quality batters, and they showed that this evening. Catches win matches, and we let one slip there, and it was very crucial. They bat deep, but if we had gotten him (Rovman) out at that stage, a bit of scoreboard pressure could have gone our way; but it was not meant to be this season,” Johnson noted.

Standouts
Guyana had a rollercoaster season, having failed to bat 50 overs for the most part. However, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd were standouts.
Imlach was the leading run-scorer with 268 runs at an average of 44.66. He scored two half-centuries with a high-score of 75. Motie, leading wicket-taker in the 2021 Super50 tourney, followed up his exploits with 14 wickets at an average of 19.2. He finished with an economy rate of 4.4 and a strike-rate of 26.1. Shepherd, who scored 171 runs in the season with a strike rate of 134, also claimed 10 wickets at 26.4 and an economy rate of 5.12.

Johnson has expressed how impressed he was with Imlach and Motie especially. “I think we had a decent tournament. Trinidad, we were a bit up and down, especially in the batting. Motie has done pretty well in this tournament. Imlach, young player, played pretty well in this tournament; and they are positives to take away,” Johnson has said.

Inconsistencies
The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Leon Johnson, Veerasammy Permaul, Kevin Sinclair and Anthony Bramble did not deliver as consistently as had been hoped. Hetmyer scored 176 runs in six innings at an average of 29.3; he waited until the semi-final to deliver in scoring 86.
Rutherford also delivered in the semi-final with a half-century, but he scored 184 runs in the season at 26.2.
It was simply a poor season for Johnson with the bat, as he scored only 113 runs at 16.14. Bramble, who was also the form batsman like Johnson heading into the tournament, made 174 runs at 24.8.
Sinclair, who is known for his off-spin, claimed six wickets at an average of 42.16 and an economy rate of 4.68 in six innings. He also showed improvements with the bat, having scored 153 runs at an average of 30.6.
Permaul’s effectiveness seems to have faded, as the usual dominant regional spinner claimed only four wickets in the season at a bowling average of 75.5. His economy rate of 4.94 was good, but he was not a threatening force.
The likes of Kemol Savory, Clinton Pestano and Nial Smith pitched in when they got their opportunities, but they did not take the world by storm this season. Quentin Sampson, who received his maiden call-up, did not feature in a single match this season.
Administration
While the players failed to execute consistently, the administrative side of cricket in Guyana continues to affect the on-field efforts of the teams.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is yet to come clean with the public in regard to Esuan Crandon being replaced days before the start of the Super50 season. Crandon is the Head Coach who had guided Guyana to five regional first-class championships in as many seasons.
The Guyanese team, which had last won a Super50 tournament in 2005, will have to come good at the next Super50 tournament. Keemo Paul’s all-round skill was certainly missed this season.