Possible Windies selection in 2019 for more Guyana Jaguars players

By Brandon Corlette

As the 2019 international season looms, the West Indies are scheduled to play 25 matches between January to July 2019. Those 25 international matches scheduled for this year include the England tour to the West Indies, where the two teams will play a full tour. West Indies will play three test matches, five One-Day Internationals (ODI), and three T20 Internationals against a strong England team.
The Caribbean team will then play a tri-nation series in Ireland from May 5, 2019, followed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) 50-over Cricket World Cup. West Indies final preliminary match of the auspicious tournament will be against Afghanistan at Leeds on July 4, 2019. After the cricket World Cup, the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship, West Indies will play India in two test matches.
It seems a hectic 2019 for the maroon boys; after a poor 2018 in all three formats, the team will be looking to redeem themselves under newly appointed head-coach Richard Pybus. The test team may be a new-look in 2019, with five test matches confirmed; top performers in the ongoing CWI Regional 4-Day tournament will be seeking selection.
The likes of Guyana’s Chanderpaul Hemraj, who had been a consistent performer at the regional level, will be aiming to become a regular member in the Windies squads during the 2019 season. A pugnacious Guyanese left-handed opening batsman, Hemraj, may be giving the regular Windies opener Kieran Powell a run for his money. Powell, who had been getting starts for West Indies, has failed to convert those contributions into significant scores.
Fast-bowling Guyana Jaguars all-rounder Clinton Pestano who announced himself in the 2018-2019 Regional Super 50 Tournament snaring a hat-trick, will be seeking to break into the West Indies squads at some point in 2019. Pestano continued to impress at the regional level in a short span; showing his capability with both bat and ball in his player of the match performance in the first round of the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament.
Another Jaguar’s fast-bowling all-rounder, Romario Shepherd, who is a regular member of the West Indies A team, may have an edge over his team mates to play at the highest level in 2019. Shepherd, who is a brisk fast bowler, has a First-Class bowling average of 25 in 13 matches with 38 wickets. Sherfane Rutherford who is a bright limited over prospect has already featured in the T20 International squad and in 2019, he will be adding more to his game to gain selection in the ODI format or even the Test format. Raymond Reifer who has been more effective with bat in hand was called to the Windies squads in 2018 but the Guyana Jaguars player has not obtained a consistent run.
The game of cricket is filled with surprises; recently, Australia’s Peter Siddle made a return to the national team. Guyana Jaguars duo – number three batsman and captain, Leon Johnson; and veteran batsman, Vishaul Singh may see themselves in a Windies squad in 2019. Singh in particular has shown more promise, having being a regular member of the West Indies A team. The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Devandra Bishoo and Keemo Paul are established Windies players who will be aiming not only to make the Windies squads but to dominate international cricket in 2019.
With all these international matches scheduled, Guyana Jaguars players will be making the most of their regional matches to have the Windies selectors’ attention. Will the selectors once more surprise the Caribbean or will the top regional performers from the Guyana Jaguars team earn selection in 2019?