World Cup bound

– Guyanese quintet optimistic of under-19 title defence

By Akeem Greene

Five National youth players, Bhaskar Yadram, Raymond Perez, Ashmead Nedd, Ronaldo Alimohamed and Joshua Persaud left Guyana on Sunday en-rounte to St Kitts and Nevis for a West Indies Under 19 preparatory camp ahead of the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup which will be played in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3.

The camp which runs from today until November 19 is expected to have the selectees in a various fitness drills and simulation matches as they fine tune their preparations of what is expected to be a momentous title defence.
Guyana Times Sport spoke to the five players prior to departure and they expressed confidence of doing well when the world cup bowls off but noted that this camp will be crucial to solidify plans and build team unity.
Yadram, who is arguably one of the most experienced players given his exposure at the First-Class level and being a part of the squad since it commenced its yearlong preparations is ready to play the nurturing role for the new-comers.
“I will basically help them focus on the right stuff when they go out to play and ensure they play positive cricket,” the top-order batsman noted.
Given his knowledge for a youth cricketer, Yadram feels no pressure to perform, adding that he has “full confidence of scoring runs once he occupies the crease for as long as possible.”
Two areas, the 18 year-old feels the team needs to improve on, is their fielding and reducing the amount of extras given away.
Likewise, Persaud, another player who has been a part of the training squad since its inception, is eager to “continue working on key areas which were advised to him at the previous camp. With regards to the world cup, he stated “When I get the opportunity, I want to bat the first ten overs to make sure the team gets a good start and score big runs.”
He added, “with respect to my wicket keeping, I will continue working hard at it since I have seen vast improvements and I will be ready to do the job if called upon in New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, stylish opening batsman Perez says he has no pressure on his shoulders to preform despite being the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the regional under-19 tournament held in St Kitts where he complied 348 runs from six innings finishing unbeaten on three occasions which meant he averaged a staggering 116 and had a highest score of 77 against the Windward Islands.
“There is no pressure on me, I will continue to do the basics as I did in the tournament and hopefully come out with the same or more runs.”
Assessing areas of focus on the camp, the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) batsman noted he will be seeking to rotate the strike better, adding that that “the pitches in New Zealand are expected to produce high scoring matches so better strike rotation will help the team post more challenging totals.”
Fellow club mate and left-arm spinner Nedd was another MVP of the regional tournament and plans on continue with his consistency.
“I will be sticking to the basics, bowl a good line and length and try to keep a high percentage of dot balls and also look to get some runs down the order.”
The 16 year-old, who had stint in New Zealand playing for Trinidad and Tobago’s Tony Hartford U-17 Academy in January 2015 feels the experience was of great value.
“Playing before in New Zealand helped me to better understand how to play. The batsmen usually try to sweep so I know I have to take some of the pace off of the ball, and constantly regulate my pace.”
With the support base of his father Garvin Nedd, who is a former National off-spinner and a current Youth coach, Need feels the encouragement and advice has been one of the main reasons he has reaped tremendous rewards on the field.
Last but certainly not the least is dashing all-rounder Alimohamed, who was not initially in the world cup grooming squad but after he attended a camp in Grenada in October where he was outstanding enough to impressed the team’s management and selectors he was drafted.
Alimohamed captained Guyana to the ‘double’ this year and had his own success with both bat and ball, a trend he is seeking to continue.
“I am mentally prepared for the camp and I hope we jell well as a team so we can be successful at the world cup. I will be seeking to improve on all areas of my game so I can be a real asset to the team come next year.”
The players are expected to return on December 20 for a break after which they leave the Caribbean on December 28 for a one week-camp in New Zealand prior to the start of the world cup.
The defending champions are installed in Group of A alongside Kenya, South Africa and the hosts.
Full Squad:  Emmanuel Stewart – Captain (Windward Islands- Grenada), Kirstan Kallicharan – Vice Captain (Trinidad & Tobago), Ronaldo Alimohamed- (Guyana), Alick Athanaze- (Windward Islands- Dominica), Cephas Cooper- (Trinidad & Tobago), Jarion Hoyte- (Barbados), Kimani Melius- (Windward Islands- St. Lucia), Ashmead Nedd- (Guyana), Kian Pemberton- (Leeward Islands- St.Kitts & Nevis), Raymond Perez- (Guyana), Joshua Persaud- (Guyana), Jeavor Royal- (Jamaica), Keagan Simmons- (Trinidad & Tobago), Bhaskar Yadram- (Guyana) and Nyeem Young- (Barbados).
Management Team: Graeme West- (Head Coach), Dwain Gill- (Team Operations Manager), Corey Collymore- (Assistant Coach), Khevyn Williams- (Physiotherapist), Zephyrinus Nicholas- (Strength & Conditioning Coach) and Dinesh Mahabir- (Analyst).