JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, CMC – Virtually eliminated from semi-final contention, embattled Guyana will try to rescue their Champions League Twenty20 campaign when they face Highveld Lions of South Africa here today.
They enter the game at The Wanderers with losses to Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians behind them and will perhaps feel that the Lions present the chance for their first win in the competition.
The Lions have won and lost one of their two games and will also be motivated to win this encounter to give themselves an outside chance of joining group leaders South Australia Redbacks in the semi-finals.
Guyana, at the bottom of the Group B standings without a point, will need a miracle if they are to reach the final four.
Even if they win their last two matches, they will need to overhaul Mumbai, Highveld and Royal Challengers who already have better net run rates.
And with their final game on Tuesday against South Australia, Guyana look destined to be dumped from the tournament.
Let down by wretched batting so far, captain Ramnaresh Sarwan said yesterday the order could be changed in a search for improvement.
“We should make a few changes and we will have a serious look at out batting order since we have not been able to really get going in the first five overs and is an area of concern,” the West Indies batsman said.
It means that openers Travis Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon will come under the microscope as they have both struggled in the early overs.
With Dowlin scoring 17 runs from his two innings and Chattergoon, 19, Lennox Cush, Chris Barnwell or Derwin Christian could be asked to open.
Sarwan batted well in the last game and will need to again hold the innings together from the number three spot while the struggling Narsingh Deonarine could miss the game due to an ankle injury sustained yesterday. A decision on his fitness will be made before the start of the game.
Jonathon Foo, with a dismal two runs from two innings, could be pushed up the order to maximize his big-hitting talents.
Guyana’s bowling, meanwhile, has been hardly threatening and will need to also step up a notch for this encounter.
If both Cush and Paul Wintz play, they could share the new ball while leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo who took three wickets in the last game, could be the one tasked with being the strike bowler.
SQUADS:
GUYANA – Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Lennox Cush, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Travis Dowlin, Chris Barnwell, Jonathon Foo, Royston Crandon, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Paul Wintz, Davindra Bishoo, Steven Jacobs, Assad Fudadin, Richard Ramdeen, Narsingh Deonarine
HIGHVELD LIONS – Alviro Petersen (captain), Craig Alexander, Shane Burger, Richard Cameron, Werner Coetsee, Cliff Deacon, Zander de Bruyn, Robert Frylinck, Neil McKenzie, Ethan O, Aaron Phangiso, Jean Symes, Thami Tsolekile, Jonathan Vandiar, Vaughn van Jaarsveld