West Indies Championships 2023: Guyana to play Windward Islands from today in Grenada

By Brandon Corlette in Grenada

Fresh from a massive 183-run win against Barbados Pride in last weekend’s first round of the West Indies Championships in Antigua, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will now play hosts Windward Islands Volcanoes from today, February 8, at the Grenada National Stadium in round two of those championships.
Despite the win, Guyana captain Leon Johnson has highlighted some areas of improvement that are required for the Guyanese side, including better shot selection from batsmen.

“We need to be a bit better in our shot selection. It was an issue coming in, and there were a couple of uncalled-for shots during the game,” Johnson explained.
Guyana Harpy Eagles had indeed put down some chances in the first innings of their match against Barbados Pride, but showed improvement in the second innings. According to Johnson, catches win matches, and it is important for the fielders to grab those opportunities.
“We were better in the second innings in terms of fielding. We put down a couple of chances, but we were much better in the second innings. We still think there is room for improvement in the field. Catches win matches, and we were better in the second innings, and it showed in the way we bowled Barbados out,” Johnson has said.

Sharing his sentiments on the mood in the camp after the first-round match, wherein Guyana picked up 20 points, Johnson said: “Elated for the guys! Came out and worked hard for the four days, and in the two days leading up to the game as well. I was very pleased with the batting effort in the first innings, and the bowling effort throughout the game.”
Johnson has also been delighted with the efforts put in by debutants Matthew Nandu and Shamar Joseph. And the skipper has also credited Veerasammy Permaul for claiming six wickets in the match and going past 500 for Guyana. Nial Smith who claimed five wickets, and Ronsford Beaton, who had important wickets, have also been credited.
“Matthew Nandu’s debut hundred, anchoring in the first innings; Permaul’s landmark in getting 500 wickets for Guyana; Smith’s five-wicket haul in Guyana, and Beaton bowling a lengthy spell from the southern spell, against the breeze and putting in a lot of effort to get couple of wickets. He got a couple of big wickets, the two most experienced guys for Barbados. He got them out and set us up for the victory,” Johnson related.
In relation to the performance of Joseph, Johnson said: “he is very good. I think he bowled excellent. He got the new ball in the second innings and he broke through early. Every time we gave him the ball, he ran in and gave a good effort. He seems to be decent with the bat, he made 20 in the first innings. Very good, athletic, full of energy, good to see.”
Volcanoes drew their match against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force last week, but their batsmen have shown great promise. Kimani Melius had scored 192, and Sunil Ambris, Kaveem Hodge and Alick Athanaze have also been among the runs. In the bowling department, Volcanoes will be led by Ryan John, who is fresh off a five-wicket haul in round one.
First ball of the game today, Wednesday, February 8, against Windwards is set for 10:00h Eastern Caribbean Time. On the eve of the game, where Grenada celebrated their 49th Independence anniversary, showers continued, especially in the morning hours.
The Guyana Harpy Eagles squad comprises: Leon Johnson (Captain); Veerasammy Permaul (Vice Captain); Chandrapaul Hemraj; Matthew Nandu; Kemol Savory; Tevin Imlach; Anthony Bramble; Kevin Sinclair; Nial Smith; Ronsford Beaton; Akshaya Persaud; Ashmead Nedd and Shamar Joseph. The Manager is Albert Clements; the Head Coach is Ryan Hercules; the Assistant Coach is Garvin Nedd; the Cricket Analyst is Keshava Ramphal, and the Physiotherapist is Angelica Holder.
Windward Islands Volcanoes squad comprises: Alick Athanaze (Captain); Jerlani Robinson; Kavem Hodge; Keron Cottoy; Sunil Ambris; Justin Greaves; Tevyn Walcott; Kenneth Dember; Preston McSween; Teddy Bishop; Darius Martin; Kimani Melius and Ryan John. Shirley Clarke is the Head Coach.