-Coach Seeram warns players ahead of B/dos encounter
By Marlon Munroe
Not satisfied with his team’s three-wicket win over the Leeward Islands in the opening game of the West Indies Cricket Board-sponsored President’s Cup limited overs tournament, national coach Rabindranauth Seeram has issued a stern warning to his charges as they prepare to take on Barbados in a second round encounter today.
The warning is to raise their standard of play.
Guyana will clash with Barbados this morning at the Albion Community Develop-ment Centre ground and according to Seeram while team spirit was high following the win against the Leeward Islands, some of the senior batsmen will have to put a higher price on their wickets while the bowlers will have to channel their focus towards containing the batsmen during the power-play.
Seeram noted that 88 runs came in the last 10 overs of the game against the Leeward Islands of which 44 runs came during the power-play overs 41-45.
Seeram feels Guyana should have won much easier than by seven wickets.
In fact Seeram is of the opinion that Guyana should have only lost the two early wickets of openers Sewnarine Chattergoon and Christopher Barnwell and that Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine, who had done all the hard work should have seen the team home.
While the opening positions are constantly being reviewed, Seeram said Barnwell and Chattergoon would continue.
The former national middle-order batsman stated that his team’s main focus was to deal with one opponent at a time and try and reach the final.
Joint leaders in Zone ‘B’, Barbados, is also going into the second round undefeated after they beat the West Indies Under-19 team at Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda in a hard fought game.
The Under-19s will play the Leeward Islands at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence Ground and both teams are in must-win situations.
The Leeward Islands will be led by Steve Liburd and the young WI team by by Andre Creary.
In Zone ‘A’ Champions League Twenty20 runners-up Trinidad & Tobago will continue the quest to retain its title against the Windward Islands who lost a cliffhanger against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) on Wednesday at the Everest Cricket Club ground.
Jamaica, which is also in a must-win situation, will take on the CCC team at the GCC ground, Bourda.
Jamaica coach Junior Bennett told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the team will be looking to reverse the result of their opening round loss to Trinidad.
Bennett said that he was a bit disappointed with the batting and he hopes that his players put that defeat behind them and go out today to play decent aggressive all-round cricket.
While it is unclear whether regular skipper Chris Gayle, who has influenza, and Jerome Taylor, who picked up a slight shoulder injury, will be fully recovered for today’s game, fast bowler Daren Powell told Stabroek Sport yesterday that some of the batsmen will have to pull their weight.
He expressed disappointment with the woeful batting display that caused his team to lose by 90 runs to the defending champions.
Guyana (from): Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Chris Barnwell, Davendra Bishoo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Esuan Crandon, Royston Crandon, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Deon Ferrier, Assad Fudadin, Trevon Garraway, Delbert Hicks and Veerasammy Permaul.
Barbados (from): Ryan Hinds (captain), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Rashidi Boucher, Jonathan Carter, Nikolai Charles, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Alcindo Holder, Carlo Morris, Martin Nurse, Kemar Roach, Dwayne Smith and Kevin Stoute.
