“Jaguars are in ascendancy to retain championship”- Arjune

By Ravi Madholall

At the completion of five rounds, Guyana Jaguars sit comfortably in second position in the 2016/2017 West Indies Cricket Board regional Professional Cricket League four-day tournament. They are bested by the Jamaica Scorpions.
And when the tournament resumes on Friday, the Guyana Jaguars and leaders Jamaica Scorpions would be clashing for the second time. The action is slated to be held at the renowned Sabina Park in Jamaica.
Former Guyana opening batsman Krishna Arjune is highly upbeat that Jaguars are capable of churning out more victories and ultimately lifting the coveted trophy for three consecutive years.
According to Arjune, who would have featured in 42 first-class matches, psychological advantage to retain the championship is certainly in favour of the South American lads. He is reckoning that the Jaguars are ‘roaring’ in every department, and is persuaded that they can retain the trophy.
The Jamaica Scorpions have recorded 67.6 points and the Guyana Jaguars 64.6 points.
The competition is being played on a round-robin format (10 matches), although it has had a break to facilitate the Regional Super50 tournament. Guyana Jaguars are touted to have the enthusiasm and determination to reap more successes in this regional tournament.
“I [am] definitely confident the Guyana Jaguars team can be dominant and win the championship again,” Arjune declared. “They are performing well in all departments, and I see the trophy (going to) them again,” the 37-year-old Arjune related.

Arjune stressed the importance of consistency, and said it was exactly what had featured in the first five matches prior to the intermission. He says that once the execution is applied again for the second half, Guyana Jaguars are potent enough to dominate proceedings.
“Yes, what we have seen in the first matches (is that) Guyana Jaguars played committed and persevering cricket to at least end at second position, and that really showed that team (members) gave a good account of themselves. Once we continue to compete well, the championship is certainly assured,” Arjune commented.
So far in this edition, Guyana emerged with two outright wins, two drawn encounters, and a surprise defeat to Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Warner Park Stadium in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Guyana Jaguars beat Jamaica Scorpions in the tournament’s opener at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, and concluded the halfway stage with another convincing victory over Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago.
“They beat two good teams, and despite the shocking loss to Leeward Islands Hurricanes, it doesn’t mean we have to lose hope. But with some senior players still making an impact, we have got the right attitude to win the tournament again,” Arjune mentioned in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sports from Toronto, where he is playing professionally in Canada’s annual cricket limited-over tournaments.
Jaguars are in charge of the ongoing match against Jamaica Scorpions. They will be looking to maintain good form heading across to Trinidad and Tobago, and then Barbados, before returning home for the penultimate and final-round matches against Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Windward Islands Volcanoes respectively.
Arjune, whose first-class career spanned the period 2001-2009, said he has witnessed some really fascinating performances, and is expecting same degree repeat in this regard. He mentioned that the Jaguars’ most accomplished batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, continues to flay the bowling, having accumulated 448 runs from his five outings, inclusive of two centuries.