“We want to be peaking at the back end of this tournament,” says GAW Captain Chris Green

— Hetmyer impresses Paul

By Brandon Corlette

The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) have had an unfamiliar start to their campaign in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 tournament. After two matches, the Warriors have recorded one defeat and one win.

Captain Chris Green is, however, happy with the way things have turned out. He says his team is focused on peaking in the latter part of the tournament.
“There is no sense peaking in games one and two; we want to be peaking at the back end of the tournament, and that’s what our aim is: peaking in game 12 and doing something that we (have) never done,” Green said, while signalling that his intention is to win a maiden CPL title.
The five-time CPL finalists were pleased with the form shown in both matches by the currently red-hot Shimron Hetmyer, the talented left-hander having stroked two half-centuries and appeared to be a more controlled player.
In the second match, Keemo Paul “came to the party” and returned impressive bowling figures of 4 for 19.

Captain Chris Green has said he is impressed with the local duo, who looked determined. He says he is looking to give Paul the opportunity to be the man. Batting at number three is a difficult task in T20 cricket, but Green strongly believes that Hetmyer has the ability to set the blueprint for the other batsmen to follow.
The Warriors lost wickets “in bundles” in a low and tricky run chase in match two, and Green says the aim is to improve on performance, instead of “losing wickets in clusters” moving ahead in this tournament.
Green says the team is aiming to improve its performance in every game, and work on the positives. In the first game, the bowling was rusty, and Green disclosed that the management spoke about this, and improvements were shown in the second match.

Meanwhile, the declared ‘man of the match’ in the second game, Keemo Paul, has said he is happy to have returned figures of 4-19, but is disappointed with producing a golden duck in his batting. The all-rounder says it is important for him to contribute in all areas of the game, and he is aiming to maintain that all-round standard.
Speaking about Hetmyer’s performance, Paul has described Hetmyer as a fantastic player. “He is a very dedicated worker. He is always up for the challenge, and then he just blasts the bowlers. He is a top-class player. I think he has a really long career (ahead of him), and I am super proud of him. I think there is a lot more to come from him,” Paul said, while displaying brotherly love for Hetmyer.
New Zealand international player Ross Taylor had said before the second match that he is aiming to anchor the innings and lend some knowledge to the younger players in the GAW team.
The Warriors will now focus on their next match: against the fresh Jamaica Tallawahs on Saturday, August 22, at 14:15 hours.