Scorpions to capitalize on Jaguars’ ‘inexperience’ – Griffith

By Akeem Greene

Jamaica Scorpions batsman Trevon Griffith is optimistic that his team can add pressure onthe inexperienced members of the Guyana Jaguars when they open the 2017/2018 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel 4-Day tournament at the National Stadium, Providence on Thursday.
Seasoned and proven campaigners Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Devendra Bishoo, Raymon Reifer, Keon Joseph and Shimron Hetmyer are absent for the three-time defending champions due to prior commitments.
“Most of the experienced guys for the Jaguars are missing due to other duties and I think we can cash in on that. There are a couple of inexperienced guys for the Guyana team right now and it gives us a big opportunity to put them under pressure,” the former Guyana player stated.

Other than Veerasammy Permaul (93), Captain Leon Johnson (89), Rajendra Chandrika (56) and Anthony Bramble (38), no other player in the current Jaguars’ 13-man squad has played more than 20 First-Class matches.
The visiting Scorpions themselves are faced with a similar dilemma since several of their senior players are absent for this opening round and possibly the next which leaves the shoulder of responsibility on another Guyanese player, Assad Fudadin.
“We are looking forward to the start of the season, coming to Guyana and playing our first match for which we have a decent squad. Fudadin will be leading the batting as the most experienced player and we also have Brandon King, Paul Palmer and myself. We are really looking forward to the challenge.”
Further commenting on the impact, Fudadin, a Test batsman with over 4,000 First-Class runs will have with the team, he explained, “He has been through this cricket year after year and it is a privilege to play with him on this team since we go way back playing for Guyana. He has a large appetite for scoring a lot of runs which is a big plus for the team.”
A typically pugnacious batsman who shot to the lime light during the 2010 Youth World Cup, the player has admittedly not lived up to his potential, something he is seeking to change this season.
“Runs is the name of the game and I have been doing that recently. In Antigua against Guyana I got some runs [69 in T20 match]. I’m Just looking forward to the start of the season. Just looking to be consistent, score big and keep it simple.”
Since Jamaican won the 4-day title during the 2012-2013 season, they have struggled to play with the same venom, with their batting particularly, being the weak output.
“Looking back at the last couple of seasons, the batting has let us down, bowling always [did] well with the likes of Nikita Miller, [Damion] Jacobs, they are missing now but can still do well. We are looking to place more focus on the batting that and score a lot of runs.”
After their arrival on Monday, the Scorpions meet a rainy Providence which hampered their preparation on Tuesday. The unit is hopeful for clearer skies today to get some practice sessions ahead of Thursday’s opening.
Nikita Miller is expected to miss the match after the veteran left-arm spinner underwent a medical procedure recently and has not recovered in time.
However, he has been included in the squad and named captain even though he will miss the first two matches. In his absence, Paul Palmer has been named the interim captain.
Scorpions Squad: Nikita Miller (Captain), Paul Palmer (Interim Captain), Trevon Griffith, Garth Garvey, Brandon King, Assad Fuddadin, Fabian Allen, Romaine Morris, Jason Dawes, Derval Green, Paul Harrison, Damani Sewell, Dennis Bulli and Keno Wallace.