Guyana Under-19 Manager David Black said his team was overconfident ahead of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Inter-county Limited Overs Competition and were intimidated by the more experienced teams at key intervals in the series.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport after his team lost all three of their games by large margins, Black said his team was over confident ahead of the tournament and that affected their personal performances. “I wouldn’t say they were unimpressive because they continue to play quality cricket. However, the experience of Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo affected the young players at key points of the game,” he said.
The U-19s downfall started against Berbice when the youngsters lost by 105 runs. Their worst defeat was handed down by Essequibo after the Cinderella County side won by 229 runs and Demerara hammered the nail into the coffin with a seven-wicket victory.
The manager blamed both the batting and bowling departments for falling short of expectations. “The batsmen who got starts should have carried on while the bowlers were not their usual selves,” he said. Black also suggested that nervousness could have been a factor though he was careful “not [to] make that an excuse.”
When questioned about the composition of the batting line up, Black said each player is batting where there inputs are needed; however, it is just a matter of focus and determination.
Yesterday all the Demerara based players went through drills with national senior team coach Esuan Crandon at the DCC ground while the players based outside the county are expected to train with their clubs. According to Black, the three coaches attached to the team will be working overtime to correct the results in the shorter version of the game as his team aims to cause an upset in the longer four-day.
The four-day version of the competition will bowl off on September 18. However, Black said his camp is trying to set up a practice match ahead of the tourney so that the U-19s will have sufficient time in the middle.
Whatever strategies the Guyana U-19 officials come up with needs to be asserted quickly so the team can adjust and put on a better performance during the longer format of the game.
