Following the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft on March 1 in London, three new additions to the side officially signed on to the Guyana Amazon Warriors with Manager of the side Omar Khan stating that they are investing in the youngsters.
At a simple contract signing in the boardroom of Queens Atlantic Investment, Industrial site Ruimveldt, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford and Akshaya Persaud became members of the side after being drafted at the start of the month.
Speaking at the ceremony, Khan said: “We included a number of our young local players and we felt it was important to give them the opportunity to showcase their talent and also build on their careers.”
In addition to the three, Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer, who are currently representing the West Indies in the International Cricket Council World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, are also included in the side and are all under 25 years.
This, Khan noted, makes a strong core of local players with the additional experience of Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo.
Khan, Manager of one of the most consistent sides in the competition, added that the CPL is one of the biggest stages to showcase their talent.
He added that the tournament will provide the opportunity for the youngsters to get experience as they rub shoulders with international stars like Shohaib Malik, Cameron Delport, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir and others.
“The intention is not just to have the youngsters on the bench but to give them the opportunity to play,” Khan declared.
Khan, a former manager of the West Indies team, told the new additions that in order to gain recognition, since the new wave is T20 franchise cricket, one must first represent one’s national side and do well. He also reminded them that playing for the West Indies is still the aim.
Signing the young cricketers will help in developing not only Guyana and the Amazon Warriors but the maroon colours get back to the glory days, Khan posited.
Speaking on their inclusion, all three Warriors said it was exciting times for them with Persaud and Rutherford having been with the squad since the U-19 level.
Shepherd said that it was a tremendous feeling to be a part of the team he had always wanted to represent since the inception of the competition.
The genuine pace bowler indicated that his intention is to help the team win the title that has eluded them for the past five seasons.
While the squad has been finalized, the coaching staff nor the captain has not been decided upon as yet and Khan indicated that the management was still having discussions in that regard.
The CPL will run from August 8 to September 16 with Guyana hosting five group stage matches and two semifinals.
