Sarwan’s advice to Captain Johnson and Jaguars: Bat positive

By Brandon Corlette

Former Guyana and West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, like many patriotic Guyanese, is hoping that Guyana Jaguars can succeed in the upcoming CG Insurance Regional Super50 tournament that is set for February 7-27 in Antigua.
Sarwan recently proffered advice to Captain Leon Johnson and his men ahead of the all-important Super50 tournament.

He said that over the years, collectively, the Guyana Jaguars have done well, but the problem would arise when the team failed to put things together in the semi-finals and final. Sarwan believes that one of the biggest concerns for the Jaguars has been the batting.
“The bowling tend to play its part. But for Leon personally, he just has to believe in his ability. We know he has a lot of talent and he also works very hard on his game. In terms of his fitness, he is right up there with guys in the Caribbean. It is just a matter of him expressing himself and I think he has probably been afraid to do so, but I always encourage him to express himself and be positive,” Sarwan disclosed in a Sean Devers Sports Watch radio programme.
Sarwan is aware of Johnson’s supreme leadership qualities, which he has shown over the years, especially in the Regional 4-Day tournaments, where he wore the captain’s armband and clinched five successive championships.
“Hopefully, Guyana can do really well and go to the final and win. I just need him to ensure that he leads from the front with his batting and stay positive while continuing to believe,” Sarwan said.
The year that Guyana won the Super50 Cup back in 2005, Sarwan was the leading run-scorer for the side, hitting 462 runs, including three hundreds and two fifties, in six innings. Sarwan’s aggregate remains the highest for a Guyanese batsman since that championship win. The man who landed Guyana the title in 2005 – Sewnarine Chattergoon – scored 325 runs in the season. Mahendra Nagamootoo claimed 12 wickets in the tournament while Neil McGarrell had 11 victims.
Meanwhile, in the 2019 season, Jaguars suffered four defeats and recorded four wins. Christopher Barnwell was Mr Consistent, scoring 351 runs with the bat while a returning Jonathan Foo made 334 runs. Veerasammy Permaul (11); Raymon Reifer and Ramaal Lewis (10) were among the wickets for the Jaguars.
With the addition of West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer and a returning Assad Fudadin among familiar and new faces in the 15-man squad, if they can click collectively, and the bowlers continue their usual reliable performances, that title dream may become a reality for the Jaguars next month in Antigua.
The Jaguars will open their Super50 campaign on Monday, February 8 against Barbados Pride from 13:30h.
Guyana Jaguars 2021 squad reads: Leon Johnson (Captain); Shimron Hetmyer (Vice Captain); Assad Fudadin; Chandrapaul Hemraj; Kemol Savory; Christopher Barnwell; Keon Joseph; Romario Shepherd; Kevin Sinclair; Ramaal Lewis; Nial Smith; Gudakesh Motie; Anthony Bramble; Akshaya Persaud and Tevin Imlach.