Guyana Jaguars ace spinner Veerasammy Permaul said he’s satisfied with his form after the first three rounds of the 2016/17 Digicel Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-Day tournament, but is looking to improve his performance with the Pink Ball in the upcoming round.
The left-arm orthodox bowler who has been the Jags leading wicket-taker over the past few seasons of the PCL, ended the first three rounds in second place, with 14 wickets, at an average of 21.57, five scalps behind leading wicket-taker Rakeem Cornwall (19).
With a few days off, ahead of next week’s Day/Night 4th round match against the Barbados Pride, at Providence, Permaul told Stabroek Sport during an exclusive interview yesterday, that after claiming 1-13 in Guyana’s first Day/Night affair against the Windward Volcanoes which ended in a draw, he’s looking to improve his strike rate with the Pink Ball, as well as wrap up the first half of the season on a high note.
“Well, my performance is okay so far for the three matches, but I’m looking to get among the wickets at home for the last two games, before the year is up, so I just want to finish well. Bowling with the Pink Ball so far went well for us, we had a bit of challenge with it.”
While the Jags suffered their first loss in 19 matches, at the hands of the Leeward Hurricanes in round two, Permaul who has taken 367 First Class wickets is very confident that his team will utilize the familiar conditions at Providence to aid their battle against the Pride.
More so, he’s aiming to conquer the obvious challenges of bowling with the Pink Ball for the first time in Guyana. “I think coming home with the pink ball in the night, will be even more challenging because of the dew in the night which makes the ball get wet, for me, especially at Providence”, he noted.
The two-time defending champions currently hold the number one spot with 33.6 points, 0.2 of a point ahead of their upcoming opponents the Pride, and 6.6 points ahead of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force against whom they will wrap up the first half of the season, in round five, also at Providence.
Concluding his interview, the West Indies ‘A’ spinner believes that it was very critical for the Jaguars to continue playing positive cricket, adding that they will indeed look to win their next two matches at home before the season pauses for a break.
“We’re playing good cricket so far, but it is important we keep doing well as a team, and keep winning. It’s also important, we win both home games going into the second half of the tournament next year, and I’ll be looking to contribute with the ball, and get runs with the bat as well”, he concluded.
