Regional 50 over debutant, Vishaul “Cheesy” Singh said yesterday that he was not out to prove that he is a One Day player but is rather content on scoring runs for the betterment of the Guyana Jaguars come the start of the 2015 NAGICO Super 50 competition.
The left-hander during his interview with Stabroek Sports yesterday, said: “My aim is not to prove that I’m a 50-over player. I just want to score runs for Guyana. All my career I was playing 50 over cricket but now it’s about playing it at the Regional level.”
Singh, who replaced Leon Johnson as four-day skipper, said that the opportunity to play for his country is golden, regardless of formats. “Representing your country in any format is a proud moment and I hope I can go out there and keep producing runs for Guyana.
The 25-year-old continued:” I wish I can keep playing competitively until four-day returns but I also always want to prove myself in the 50 over format.”
Singh said that with the absence of some the big players in the side, he intends to soak up some of the pressure if needed.
“Shiv will be there in the team but there are a lot of people that can hit the ball a long way so I want to take the opportunity to play any role given to me.”
The Jaguars, despite not having the best side available, has a pretty balanced team which has been exposed to the Regional environment and Singh believes that with proper application Guyana can be as lethal in the 50-over format as they were in the four-dayers.
“I think the team is very balanced. Going into the four-day we were missing players but we still managed to do very well and we hope that is the same thing for the one-day tournament. The only person without the experience is myself. The team is very balanced and we have a good new ball pair in Ronsford Beaton and Paul Wintz, two genuine spinners in Bishoo (Devendra) and Permaul (Veerasammy) and two genuine all-rounders in (Chris) Barnwell and (Raymon) Reifer. We also have depth in our batting so I think once we have all basis covered we can win.”
Singh, who cracked a majestic 145 in the fourth round match against Trinidad at the Queen Park Oval, helping his team to a commanding victory with his maiden first-class ton, said the transition from four-day cricket to One Day cricket is always challenging for a cricketer.
“The transition is always difficult, but 50 overs cricket is not T20. It’s not just come out and break loose. There is a lot of cricket and players still have to apply themselves, certain things still remain the same because you still have to build an innings and get partnerships,” Singh stated.
The Georgetown Cricket Club player reiterated that Guyana has all the right tools to win this tournament, stating that..“Once plans are executed the Guyana Jaguars can go a long way”.
Caption: Vishaul Singh
