Guyana Amazon Warriors yesterday started their eight-day camp at the Guyana National Stadium Providence ahead of the 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) T20 tournament which bowls off July 11.
Trevon Griffith, Robin Bacchus, Steven Jacobs, Veerasammy Permaul, Navin Stewart (Trinidad and Tobago) and Ronsford Beaton are the senior players along with the under-19 cricketers that have encamped.
Stabroek Sports caught up with head coach Roger Harper at the stadium where the players were preparing to undergo a series of cardiovascular fitness regimes along with their beep test. Harper said the camp will be used to “Get the guys in the best possible shape physically, technically, tactically and mentally” for the CPL.
Giving an outline of the plan for the next few days, he said that while other venues may be used for training the stadium is renowned for its excellent drainage system as such it will be the primary site for the Warriors training camp. Regarding target areas for training, the coach said the plan is to zoom in on individual players’ needs.
“With individual players they will be arears we will naturally look to zoom in on but generally we [want to equip] the players for T20 cricket,” he said.
The Warriors have retained 90 per cent of their players from last year’s tournament so bonding has not been an issue; which Harper acknowledges makes his job easier.
“I know what to expect and what we have to look for from certain players, since last year everyone gelled well and showed good team spirit so we are expecting a good transition this year,” he said.
Harper also indicated his uncertainty about New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson who is the Warriors’ international star player. He explained that management will soon release a statement on Anderson’s participation or probable replacement.
Captain Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons, Krishmar Santokie and Sunil Narine and all-rounder Christopher Barnwell will meet with up the Warriors at the conclusion of the West Indies/New Zealand T20 series, which is set for on July 5 and 6.
The camp will run until July 7 and the Warriors will depart on July 8 for Grenada where they will face the Antigua Hawksbill in the opening match of the tournament, followed by home games on July 17 against Trinidad and Tobago’s Red Steel from 7.30pm; on July 19 against the St Lucia Zouks at 4pm; and July 20 against the Jamaica Tallawahs at 4pm.
Sale of tickets for the Guyana leg of the tournament opened yesterday.
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Lendl Simmons, Martin Guptill, Krishmar Santokie, Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Ronsford Beaton, Navin Stewart, Steven Jacobs, Leon Johnson, Robin Bacchus, Corey Anderson and Trevon Griffith.
Under-19 players: Shimron Hetmyer, Akshaya Persaud, Kevin Paul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Daniel Basdeo and Kemo Paul.
