Mission accomplished: super Shepherd has 37 wickets

2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

– Confident of playing international cricket in near future

By Brandon Corlette

In an article written in Guyana Times Sport on January 17, 2019, Guyana Jaguars premier fast bowler of the season, Romario Shepherd, told this reporter that he has his sights set on capturing “30+ wickets” at the end of the season. At the end of Shepherd’s successful season, he finished with 37 wickets in the 10 matches he played.

Throughout this season, the Berbician bowled lethal spells and picked up wickets regularly for the Jaguars. After his “player of the match” performance in the tenth and final round of the Jaguars’ campaign, he reflected on his dream season.
“Firstly, I must thank God for keeping me healthy. Playing 10 games is not easy, and bowling the amount of overs I did and putting up such performance, I am really thankful”, Shepherd explained. The well-built Berbician hailed Jaguars’ physiotherapist/physical trainer Neil Barry Jr. for the intense training that kept him fit all season.

“Game after game he has been working with us. The gym work also kept me going,” the 24-year-old Shepherd revealed.
In addition to Shepherd’s 37 wickets this season, he scored 315 runs with the bat down the order, recording two half-centuries, with a high score of 72. This season, Shepherd bowled 257.3 overs with a strike rate of 41.7, picking up his career best figures of 5-24. He had a match haul of 8-76 bowling with a solid average of 20.13.
“This season my role has been picking up wickets, getting the early breakthrough, and being that dependable guy in the lower order to score runs with the bat”, Shepherd disclosed.
He added that this season has been one of the toughest in terms of bowling with great effort and returning with the bat to save Jaguars from precarious situations.
“It was a mental challenge for me as a player, but overcoming these situations makes you a stronger individual in life,”
Shepherd said.
Having been involved in West Indies ‘A’ duties in the past, Shepherd said this inspirational performance has boosted his confidence to take his cricketing career to further heights.
It has been a tough season for the Jaguars, since they required consistency after suffering back-to-back defeats. Shepherd said the players maintained self-belief and stuck together in critical moments this season.
Shepherd, who represents Tucber Park Cricket Club in New Amsterdam, has 21 first-class matches beneath his belt, with 67 wickets to his name. In his first-class curriculum vitae, the lethal fast bowler has two five-wicket hauls at a respectable bowling average of 23.50. This clean striker of the cricket ball has 526 runs in his blooming career, averaging 21.04 batting in the lower-order. He has recorded three half-centuries in his career thus far.
With Shepherd’s all-round performance this season, he doubtlessly deserves being considered “player of the season” for the Guyana Jaguars.