Unbeaten Jaguars not taking peaking Hurricanes lightly – Crandon

By Clifton Ross

Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Esuan Crandon said the table leaders are looking to maintain their winning streak and break a psychological barrier when they face the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the 3rd round of the Cricket West Indies/Digicel Regional 4-day tournament from Thursday.

Guyana got off to a dream start this season, having beat Jamaica Scorpions and the Windward Islands Volcanoes convincingly in the opening two rounds but will now prepare to settle an old score with the Hurricanes who were the only team to beat them twice last season. While speaking exclusively with Guyana Times Sport on Tuesday, Crandon pointed out that while the Jags have their tails up going into round three, they will not be underestimating the Hurricanes.
“Leewards beat us twice last year, they have been improving over the years and they already have a good start this season because they’re second place. Apart from Guyana, Leewards is a difficult team to beat so we have to play and well on a consistent basis, it’s just about working hard and executing our plans and we can come out on top,” explained the Coach.
Sitting steady in the number one spot after their two wins, the defending champs went into battle without a few of their big players which meant the younger generation had no choice but to step up. Keemo Paul responded with his maiden First Class ton while Sherfane Rutherford showed his class in both departments, something Crandon said he’s proud of.
“It’s always good to see young players coming in and performing for us, these guys have worked hard over the years they went through the academy set up; only a few games under their belt and we have seen match-winning performances from both of them. It’s a good sign for the future of Guyana’s cricket and it’s about improving for both of them, I hope their hard work continues to pay off in the future,” Crandon stated.
Although the flawless start is what any coach would want from their team, the ex-Guyana pacer is nevertheless focused on ensuring his team hit their full strides as early as possible and admitted that more needs to be individually and as a unit. “It’s a good start for us, we got two wins in the first two games but we have not been our best or played to our full potential, but at the said time we have been able to win games.”
He continued, “Kudos to a good team effort, at the end of the day we have a bunch of guys who like to fight hard so regardless of what position we find ourselves in we are able to come out and get ourselves in a good position to win games. Areas of improvement are guys having starts and not being able to convert it, playing faulty shots and putting down some easy chances and we need to work on the fielding but these young guys been pulling their weight and hopefully everyone can come off at the right time.”
While the younger players have shown their hunger to perform well at this level, Crandon said he was in support of his two senior batsmen; skipper Leon Johnson and Rajindra Chandrika both of whom showed glimpses of form but have not found their feet fully. “It’s always important for the senior guys to score runs, the season is young yet, we have eight games to go and Johnno would have had the half-century in the first game but nothing in the last but it’s a long way to go still.”
With both batsmen having played Test cricket, the Coach believed the pair need to just focus in order to score the big runs. “It’s not about technique; it’s about holding a focus and executing their plans well. Shot selection has been a problem for both of them but I’m confident these guys will bounce back, they have been in these positions before and they know how to get out and our coaching staff will also continue to help them get better,” Crandon said.
Concluding his interview, the Coach opened up about wanting more competitiveness from the Jaguars as they move forward in the competition, with emphasis being placed on both individual and team improvements. He also added that the encounter against the Hurricanes will be important for Guyana as they will need to psychologically rid themselves of the last season’s two defeats at the hands of the Hurricanes.
The Jaguars and Hurricanes will lock horns from Thursday at the Warner Park Ground, St Kitts.