Jaguars, Hurricanes clash in second round on Thursday

– unchanged Jaguars squad for second round

By Brandon Corlette

Having secured a 125-run victory over the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the opening round of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day tournament, the Guyana Jaguars – this tournament’s four-time defending champions — will be aiming to continue their winning ways against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
The two teams clash in a match that is scheduled to be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua from December 13 at 10:00h Eastern Caribbean Time. Guyana Jaguars will be playing this match with an unchanged squad and on a pitch that is expected to suit fast bowlers.
The Jaguars’ Keon Joseph, three away from snaring 100 first class wickets, will be looking to complete the milestone. A lively fast bowler, Joseph has played 39 first class matches, and his best bowling figures are 7-53.
Clinton Pestano, who starred with bat and ball in the match against the Volcanoes, is expected to produce wickets with the ball, as the Antigua pitch should suit his style of bowling.
The expressive Romario Shepherd, tallest of the Jaguars bowlers, will be aiming to extract prodigious bounce on one of the fastest wickets in the Caribbean — the Antigua pitch.
Among the wickets in the opening round, Christopher Barnwell will complete the four-man Jaguars’ pace attack.
The batting of the Guyana Jaguars improved as the match against the Volcanoes progressed, and their top-order batsmen will be hungry to score centuries against the Hurricanes. Anthony Bramble, who scored an epic century against the same Leeward Islands Hurricanes last season, will be eager to repeat his performance. He failed with the bat in the first innings of the match against the Volcanoes, but has scored 196 runs* and taken six dismissals in one innings of a match against the Hurricanes. That match has been most unforgettable for the Berbician.
Trevon Griffith, the other specialist batsman who failed to score runs, will be eager to convert his starts into meaningful contributions. Griffith, who previously played for the Jamaica Scorpions, has been scoring runs in Guyana, and he was one of two batsmen to score centuries in the two 3-day practice matches.
It must be emphasised that the Leeward Islands Hurricanes are not to be underestimated; they rolled over the favourites, Barbados Pride, by 34 runs in their opening round. It will be a well-anticipated match, especially for newly-recruited Hurricanes batsman Rajendra Chandrika. This axed Guyanese batsman, Chandrika, failed to impress with the bat for the Hurricanes, making scores of four and zero. However, his aim will be to score runs against his countrymen.
The Hurricanes will rely on West Indies fast bowlers Sheldon Cottrell and Alzari Joseph, along with ‘Windies B’ speedster Jermiah Louis. Hurricanes’ spin department will be covered by 33-year- old leg-spinner Damion Jacobs. First round centurion Keacy Carty will by aiming to carry on his form, while captain Devon Thomas will be hungry to lead his team to victory.
The Leon Johnson-led Guyana Jaguars will, however, once again start as overwhelming favourites in the clash against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.