Rutherford determined to make opportunities count

By Akeem Greene

Talent all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford is ready to take all his chances with both hands whenever given another chance to play for the Guyana Jaguars in the upcoming 2017/2018 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-day season.
On Monday, Rutherford was named in the Jaguars’ 13-man squad for their opening clash against Jamaica Scorpions from Thursday at the National Stadium, Providence and the player has locked his sights on adding significantly to his lone First-Class match to date.

“Whenever I get the opportunity I just want to make it count, there are a lot of persons out there who will be watching me, some like the scouts from the CPL [Caribbean Premier League]. So there is always an opportunity to make a name for myself but most importantly to contribute to the team’s success,” the 19 year-old told Guyana Times Sport in a recent interview.
For those who have not gotten to see the robust built player ply his trade, what will immediately greet the eye is his undoubted ability to unleash powerful hits both square of the wicket and straight.
With ball in hand, he has a menacing short-ball and can be very unsettling for any batsman on a surface with some life.
Though when he made his First-Class debut against Windward Island Volcanoes at Providence last season, he only made 11 and took one for 14 in his team’s victory, his youthful exuberance was not at its peak, he still showed signs of his immense ability.
Against the likes of Fidel Edwards, Rayad Emrit, Javon Searles, in the charity T20 match on Sunday at Providence he laced eight fours in his 49-ball 51. That milestone followed his returns in TriT20 series involving Guyana, Jamaica and host Antigua where he made an even fifty at the top of the order and had some economical spells with the white ball.
“Performance wise in Antigua it was a good outing, I scored a half century, bowled some good overs. It was really good playing with experienced players on the big stage.”
In the recently concluded Jaguars 3-day league, playing for East Bank, he scored a notable majestic 108 against Essequibo before picking up the ball against Georgetown to snare a match haul of 12 – 56 that inspired his side to tense come-from –behind victory.
Though, impressed by his results, the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) player knows the importance of improving his fitness.
“Fitness is one thing I have to improve. I have been working on it, putting in some extra work and it has been coming along very well that I could stand to play any format,” the left-handed batsman said.
The former national youth cricket added “I always want to play for my country. If given the chance I want to make it count and help my team win more titles.”