Things are looking up for local franchise Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) following their first win of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20 on Friday night.
The Amazon Warriors pulled off a roaring 66-run victory over New Zealand’s Central Stags to rebound from a heart-breaking 8-run loss the night prior to the tournament’s defending champions, the Rangpur Riders of Bangladesh.
Not only did his team pull off a victory, but Captain Imran Tahir was able to contribute heavily to the result with a 4-wicket haul. As such, the Amazon Warriors’ skipper was a beaming one following the conclusion of the match.
“You can see that I’m smiling, so it’s nice to have a smile on your face. But look, we wanted to play a game like that; we had a camp, and like I said to you yesterday, we worked very hard in the camp, and we were very disappointed to see the result. We knew that we had the game and somehow just let it go. That can happen anytime; that’s part of the game, but good thing that we came back and did what we had to do to win the game,” an ecstatic Tahir told local media operatives on Friday night.
The Guyana Amazon Warrior will be looking to replicate Friday night’s win
Quizzed about the 84-run partnership between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jewel Andrew, the captain identified it as one of the most crucial parts of their win.
Tahir explained, “That was the most important thing in this game, you know, the way they ran. There were a lot of 2s, which you wouldn’t see because we have power hitters on our team, and I think this is not the kind of pitch where you just go and start playing your shots, so I think the message to them was they had to bat the way they did, and they did really well; they listened to the message.”
“I’m very impressed with Andrew, the way he played; you know, he’s a youngster, he’s full of talent, and I’m a big fan of him,” he went on to add about the teenaged West Indian sensation.
Responding to enquiries of whether or not they have gotten everything right in Friday night’s game, Tahir answered in the negative, highlighting where there is still room for improvement.
The Amazon Warriors captain noted, “No, look, there is still room to improve. I think in the last five overs we only got 33 runs, and we lost 3 wickets. Like I said, this is not the easiest wicket; you come in and start playing your shots and stuff; you have to be there a long time. Obviously, our youngsters Gurbaz and Andrew did the job for us, so, obviously, the rest of the guys didn’t have much pressure, but I still want to see us run a ball at least. At least, we can get 40-50. We’ve seen all the results; the 10-15 runs can be very crucial in these games, especially playing at Providence.”
The Guyana Amazon Warrior will be looking to replicate Friday night’s win
Sharing his passion for the Guyana Amazon Warriors badge, Tahir shared his appreciation for the numerous GAW fans.
“What keeps me going is the shirt I’m wearing, representing Guyana. It’s an honour; I played cricket all my life with passion, and I don’t take things for granted. I always say that every opportunity for me is an absolute honour.”
“Again, I just want to be very grateful to the crowd and everybody who’s watching and supporting us from their homes. Thank you very much because without their support we won’t be able to do what we have been doing over the years,” Tahir stated.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors will be back in action tonight against the Dubai Capitals from 19:00 hrs; prior to that, the Hobart Hurricanes will take on the Rangpur Riders at 10:00 hrs today.
