There’s nothing to panic about, says Chris Green

…CPL teams looking forward to Queen’s Park contest this week

By Jemima Holmes

Those fans who have watched T20 games over the years know better than to blindly trust “what appears to the eye”, and not to make a declaration based on the first few games.

Being a game of reputedly glorious uncertainties, cricket serves up polarised vicissitudes that can contort the emotions into a pretzel with more twists than a winding path. With two wins and two losses in the bag, Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Captain Chris Green, in a press conference on Monday morning, shared that there is nothing for the team or fans to panic about at such an early time in the tournament.
“We’re third on the (points) table now, we’re two from four, I don’t think there’s any need to panic. We’ve just got to stay positive, stick together as a unit, and continue to learn and grow through each game,” he asserted after the Warriors had missed out on a win against the St. Lucia Zouks on Sunday.
In spite of lurking questions and looming doubts, Green seemed confident about the fortunes of the Warriors for the remainder of the Hero CPL tournament. Attributing some of the lacklustre batting to the cricket drought that the players had faced over the past 5 months, Green noted that they just needed a little time to pick up their usual tempo.

“I think there’s always pressure on every team to win games. So, this year, with the different nature of the tournament and the different nature of the playoffs, it’s crucial to make the top four. So, we’re well aware of what we need to do: we’re continuing to build and play our better cricket at the back end of the tournament, and we’re on the right path,” he asserted.
Green was not unduly concerned about the batting exploits of the opening pair of Brandon King and Chandrapaul Hemraj, who have only once been able to build a partnership since the tournament started.
“Because of the nature of this game, I don’t have any concerns over anyone’s form at this moment. Some guys miss out, some guys get runs. You look at King’s unbelievable run last year, it’s always going to be a lot of pressure on him to match that. Hemraj has shown glimpses of it through different stages so far; and I back these guys, I don’t think they’re far away from a big score,” Green posited.

The new Guyanese franchise captain who had a brief stint in the position in 2018, shared that the local team is hungry for a title win. Their focus, he explained, is now on winning as many games as possible in order to finish the preliminary round in the top four. Green posited that they will get better as they continue contesting the tournament.
“We want to win as many games as possible, but our prime focus now is on that Jamaican game tomorrow (today). We’ve got some improvement to do with the bat after our last two outings, and you know that’s outstanding with the bowling and in the field. We want to continue to head along that path, and continue to pick up our game now,” the GAW captain explained.
However, what the Warriors are missing is their loyal home crowd fans, according to Green. The captain shared that the absence of fans has really shifted the atmosphere of the game for the Guyanese team, but the bonds forged and time spent between the players are proving to fill that gap. He shared, “We obviously don’t have fans to help (us) get that buzz and energy. As a Guyanese team and playing at Providence Stadium, it’s one of the profound things of the tournament;

you absolutely love the energy and excitement that we get from playing in front of our home crowd. We’re confined to the hotel, but we’ve got a really good family vibe in this team, and I think that really helps us through.”
Following a rest day on Monday, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will get back in action on Tuesday (today) at 5:30pm, when they take on the Jamaica Tallawahs for a second time.

Queen’s Park contest
For the teams in the Hero Caribbean Premier League, there has been a mixture of fortunes since the start of the 2020 season. As such, each of the other captains has a different focus in mind in order to get their team over the line. Every captain shared their thoughts during their virtual press engagement on Monday.

The St. Lucia Zouks on Sunday secured their third successive win in the Hero CPL for the first time since 2016, and are currently at number two on the leaderboard.
CPL action will resume today at the Queen’s Park Oval, and it’s safe to say that many teams are looking forward to this week’s games at the Oval in Port of Spain.

According to Zouks Captain Darren Sammy, he has a clear game plan that they are working to execute. He also shared that he is looking forward to taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders and giving them a good challenge.
“We’ve had that approach to just take it one game at a time. You know, we’ve started well. We’ve looked at the teams, and if you notice, we’ve picked guys for the different matchups. Yes, we’re in a good position early up in the tournament, which kind of eases off the pressure, but it doesn’t change the mindset in terms of our preparation and how we execute our plans,” Sammy posited.
Jason Holder, captain of the Barbados Tridents, expressed similar sentiments to Sammy’s, noting that his team is looking to take the tournament one day at a time and improving on their start to the tournament.

Holder said, “I think all the matches from here on in are really important. You know, it’s a very compact tournament, and the guys have to take it game by game and just secure their points. But at the end of the day, I think it’s more important for us to just be consistent, just stay calm and make sure we’re executing our plans,”
For other teams that have not done so well, moving to Queen’s Park is an opportunity to restart and take advantage of what they anticipate to be better batting conditions.
In the case of Rayad Emrit of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who is yet to win a game as captain of that franchise, playing at the Oval is a chance for his batting line-up to find their confidence.
“I think most of the batters in our lineup are talking about moving to the Queen’s Park Oval, where they expect a batter-friendly wicket. Bowlers are definitely going to be under a lot of pressure, because the bounce at the Oval is a lot more than (what obtains at the) Brian Lara (Academy). So, they’re looking forward to that, and as a leader of a team that has been struggling with the bat, I’m looking forward to that as well. So, hopefully, our batters can get some confidence going into the remainder of the tournament,” Emrit disclosed.
After sharing that his team isn’t too keen to lead the table, but rather just qualify for the semis, Rovman Powell of the Jamaica Tallawahs was happy about this week’s games in Port of Spain, as he hopes to capitalise on the conditions there.
“I’m expecting things to be just a little better as it regards the surface. Hopefully, it can be a more batter-friendly wicket. That is what we sit down and (are) hoping,” he revealed.
The Trinbago Knight Riders will technically be the home team throughout the tournament, and it might be a chance to change their fortunes from 2019. Speaking on the team’s slip and the absence of Narine and Bravo in 2019, Captain Kieron Pollard is fixated on putting their best foot forward in every game, in order to get their desired results.
“If you look back at it, last year it was the same: we won our first four games. But again, for us it’s about playing and doing what’s in front of us, and trying to play our best cricket every time we get our best opportunity. And the results have taken care of (themselves) for us, but we have done the work in terms of the process, and hopefully we can continue,” Pollard shared.