Demerara senior inter-county coach Rabindranauth Seeram yesterday echoed the sentiments of captain Leon Johnson when asked about his expectations of the team in the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) El Dorado-sponsored 50-overs-a-side competition.
“We have a well rounded team with Johnson (Leon) back from England, former national under-19 and West Indies vice captain Steven Jacobs along with Dion Ferrier and Orin Forde who are all talented players,” he said.
Seeram, a former national middle-order batsman who had the opportunity to play for the West Indies `B’ team, took the time out from his team’s training session at the Everest Cricket Club ground on Tuesday to speak with Stabroek Sport.
“There are also some young and emerging players in the
calibre of openers Shemroy Barrington and Rajendra Chandrika, Kellon Carmichael and Ravi Sarwan, with the latter coming into the team on the back of a century in the first round of matches of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Pepsi sponsored limited overs competition,” Seeram said.
“Such talent speaks volumes of any team and all we need to do is perform on the day and we can come out victorious in our matches. Our bowling is definitely of some concern, but with national all rounder Christopher Barnwell, who can be as destructive with the ball as he is with the bat, Zaheer Mohammed and Sauid Drepaul, I think we can repeat as champions again.
“Most of the guys in the fast bowling department did not play a high standard of cricket with only Barnwell representing Guyana at the first class level. But on the other side, Carmichael played at the junior level and can come into his own on his day with both the bat and the ball, whilst Dion Carew was impressive in the trials.
“But that is all there is to it and even though we may be exposed in the fast bowling department, we will be banking on our spinners led by Mohammed, Dion Ferrier, Jacobs, and the left arm orthodox of Drepaul,” Seeram added.
“We have a well-rounded team with the guys partaking in their association’s first division competitions with success and hopefully, the experienced guys can pull the inexperienced ones through.”
Demerara take on Essequibo in the first game at Camp Road tomorrow and like Johnson before him. Seeram is not taking the Cinderella county team too lightly in this encounter as they are known for springing surprises on their opponents.
“We will be taking on Essequibo in our first game and will not be taking them lightly too. I expect players such as Johnson, Jacobs, and Barrington, who have been coming to the fore in the past two years, Chandrika and Sarwan to step up.
“Orin Forde, who was a member of the inaugural victorious Guyana/Stanford 20/20 team and Ferrier can also chip in with the bat and ball which means we would definitely be going out there looking for a resounding victory in our opening game.”
While lamenting that the net sessions was not great due to the preparation of the wickets, the 47-year-old Seeram, who played 41 first class matches and scored 1,997 runs at an average of 35.03 with a highest score of 119, stated that the players adjusted well to the conditions.
Meanwhile in an invited comment, Carmichael also told Stabroek Sport that he was elated at being called to trials and selected.
“I am excited over my selection. I have worked hard at my game all round especially after being placed on the standby list last year and being selected now, is proof that hard work does pay off. I do intend to continue working hard as my aim is to one day represent the West Indies.”
