Jaguars seeking to switch fortunes in Volcanoes clash

2020 CWI PCL 4-Day championships…

ꟷ Yadram joins Volcanoes squad

By Brandon Corlette

It has been a mixed season for Guyana Jaguars, having registered two wins and suffered two defeats in the four matches played in the 2020 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-Day championships.
Jaguars will be eyeing a rebound win when they meet Windward Islands Volcanoes from today Thursday, February 13 at the Grenada National Stadium, St George’s, Grenada.

With Shimron Hetmyer included in the 13-man squad, he will be the centre of attention but the seven-run defeat against Jamaica Scorpions will still be fresh in the memory. Promising Guyana Jaguars all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, who has shown great potential in the three matches he played thus far this season, stated that Jaguars still had a long way to go in the tournament.
“I just don’t think we should take that (the defeat against Scorpions) hard, still a long way to go in the tournament. We just need to put that behind us and keep doing what we do best and at the end of the tournament, to come out successful – champions again,” the 20-year-old Sinclair added.

Meanwhile, the legendary West Indies batsman, now Jaguars Assistant Coach and Manager, Shivnarine Chanderpaul shared that Jaguars had team goals and that as a unit, the team would have to adjust quickly in the match against Volcanoes. Without a doubt, Jaguars will be aiming to improve in the batting department. After four rounds, a triple-figure individual score by a Jaguars batsman has been out of reach.

The Jaguars batsmen have 10 half-centuries collectively. Chanderpaul stated that it was still early in the tournament and the batsmen would be aiming to hit the straps. The man in-form has been Christopher Barnwell; he has been enjoying success at the regional level for an extended period. The pugnacious right-hander, who continues to play positive cricket, leads the batting charts with 265 runs at 37.85 with two half-centuries under his belt.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul (264) is one run behind Barnwell. The left-hander has three half-centuries as an average of 44 with a strike rate of 26.85. Chandrapaul Hemraj has been getting the starts, and has an aggregate of 247 runs at 35.28 with two half-centuries alongside his name. The struggling batsmen this season have been Leon Johnson, who has 136 runs; Anthony Bramble and Vishaul Singh. Johnson is certainly equipped with the necessities required for a classy batsman and will be eyeing a significant score.

Despite Bramble being the only man to come close to the triple figure score, the wicketkeeper/ batsman has only 153 runs in a mixed season. Singh has 173 runs and the returning Raymon Reifer has 144 runs in his three matches.
The bowling, however, has been up there for the Jaguars; milestone man Veerasammy Permaul has 26 wickets, the most by any bowler in the season thus far. Nial Smith with 18 wickets, the second biggest return by a fast bowler this season thus far, has provided that hostility for the Jaguars’ bowling armoury. An experienced Keon Joseph has 11 wickets while Reifer has seven. Barnwell and Sinclair have four wickets each.
The five-time defending champions have tasted great success against this Volcanoes team. In their last five matches, Jaguars won four and one resulted in a tie. Volcanoes will rely on their experience, with the likes of Devon Smith, Andre Fletcher, and Shane Shillingford in the line-up.
Volcanoes have also recalled Guyana-born Bhaskar Yadram to the squad. Yadram had played two First-Class matches for Guyana Jaguars, but has featured in Volcanoes colours in the Regional Super50 Cup. Jaguars are in second position on the table with 49 points while Volcanoes are in fourth position with 40.4 points.
VOLCANOES squad: Kavem Hodge (Captain); Alick Athanaze; Roland Cato; Keron Cottoy; Andre Fletcher; Ray Jordan; Shermon Lewis; Desron Maloney; Preston McSween; Shane Shillingford; Devon Smith; Emmanuel Stewart and Bhaskar Yadram.
IN – Yadram; OUT –Josh Thomas
JAGUARS squad: Leon Johnson (Captain); Christopher Barnwell; Devendra Bishoo; Anthony Bramble; Tagenarine Chanderpaul; Chandrapaul Hemraj; Shimron Hetmyer; Keon Joseph; Veerasammy Permaul; Raymon Reifer; Kevin Sinclair; Vishaul Singh and Nial Smith.