In search of ending their two-match losing streak, the Guyana Jaguars team will meet the Jamaica Scorpions in their seventh-round clash, at the National Stadium, Providence, Guyana.
Jaguars, who are currently the table leaders with 92 points, will play the fifth- placed Jamaica Scorpions.
Speaking on the eve of the seventh-round clash, Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Rayon Griffith stated that the Jaguars team are in a positive mind-set despite their losses.
Griffith, who was appointed Head Coach after Esuan Crandon departed to take up Windies Assistant Coach duties, lamented the chances dropped by the Jaguars in
Rayon Griffith
both of their losses.
“We drop some critical catches and we paid the price, the players that were dropped got big scores” were some of the sentiments Griffith shared. The Head Coach also called for the batsmen to correct their errors, bat in partnerships and score healthy first innings totals to set up the game.
Jaguars will be without their second leading fast bowler. Keemo Paul has departed for Windies Test duties. Griffith added that Paul would be missed, but the bench was capable enough to provide for the team. The likes of returning fast bowler Keon Joseph may be called to deliver the goods. The 13-man Jaguars squad are capable of finding their feet on winning. The Head Coach is backing the players to regain control this season. The right-arm fast bowler Joseph, who has 40 First-Class matches, will be looking for two more wickets to complete his 100- wicket milestone.
With the Jaguars Captain, Leon Johnson not scoring so far, Griffith is confident that he will come to the party with significant scores in the upcoming matches. The Jaguars respect the Scorpions team which includes former Jaguars middle-order batsman Assad Fuddadin. Jamaica will be led by Peter Palmer, but the international players in Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton, Jermaine Blackwood and Jerome Taylor will be heavily relied on to impact the game.
Fuddadin will be aiming to prove his worth as a player, having returning home to play for another nation. This season, the left-handed batsman, who hails from the cricket-loving town of Rose Hall Town, has played four matches, scoring 249 runs at an average of 35 with a high score of 81.
Guyana Amazon Warriors player Walton is the leading run scorer for Jamaica this
Raymon Reifer
season; he has 406 runs with a highest score of 125, averaging 40. Walton will be aiming to capitalise on the familiar conditions at Providence where he plays T20 cricket for the Amazon Warriors.
The dangerous Blackwood, who scored a half-century in Jamaica’s last-round one-wicket win against Hurricanes, will be a batsman that has the ability to counter-attack. The likes of Rovman Powell and Brandon King, who has two half-centuries thus far, will also be in search of some runs. In Jamaica’s last-round match against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, the player of the match was Jerome Taylor, who is fresh from a nine-wicket match haul, including 5-28.
Guyana Jaguars have never been in the position of suffering two defeats in as many matches and the match starting today will be a cracking encounter. First ball will be bowled from 09:30h Eastern Caribbean time.
The Guyana Jaguars full squad reads: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Raymon Reifer, Leon Johnson, Vishaul Singh, Anthony Bramble, Christopher Barnwell, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Keon Joseph, Sherfane Rutherford, and Clinton Pestano.
