Regional U-19 female tournament set for April 15 in T&T
─ 5 members in senior squad eligible to participate
An Under-19 T20 Female tournament which will feature all of the six teams in the Caribbean is scheduled to commence from April 15, 2019 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Five of the players who featured in the Guyana Senior Team are eligible to participate in this U-19 tournament, which will be played over a one-week period. These players are: Shabika Gajnabi, the player expected to lead the team; opening batter and off-spinner Mandy Mangru; fast-bowling all-rounder Cherry Ann Fraser; Lafona Gilgeous and Afruica Gentle.
Mandy Mangru
Gajnabi has had a fair tournament as a senior player. She was one of only two players to score in excess of 100 runs in the Super50 Cup for Guyana. She accumulated 136 runs at an average of 27.2, and had a high score of 78 from 78 balls against the Leeward Islands. She also displayed an impressive ability in the field, taking masterful catches and effecting super run-outs. Her bowling has not been up to standard, but she should be effective in the U-19 tournament.
Mandy Mangru, a talented player, gifted opener and off-spinner, looked good at the top of the order playing textbook cricket shots during the opportunity she had in the Super50 tournament. She had a high score of 35 in the Super50 Cup, and a best bowling figure of 4-22 in the senior tournament. A naturally defensive player, she played in the T2O Blaze as specialist off-spinner, where she bowled with extreme control and picked up wickets.
Captain Shabika
Cherry Ann Fraser, who has been around the senior regional setup, will play Regional U-19 cricket for one last year. Fraser has had more opportunities with the bat than she has had with the ball, and in the just concluded Regional tournaments, she played some useful cameos for her team. Like Mangru and Gajnabi, Fraser is expected to dominate the U-19 level.
Lafona Gilgeous and Afruica Gentle have had limited opportunities in the senior team, playing only one match each. They will be seen as senior members in the 14-member squad selected for the T20 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. The likes of Ashmini Munisar, Ashley Ramnauth, Casey Charles, Sarah Amin, Omadevi Matadin and Lisa Charles, among others, are in the squad selected.
The Guyana Under-19 Female Team had earlier been encamped simultaneously with the Guyana Women’s Senior Team during the recently concluded Women’s tournaments.
