Veteran all-rounder Christopher Barnwell is aiming to draw from his experience and recent form to help him come good in the forthcoming CWI Regional Super 50 tournament.
The right-hander has seemingly come of age by combining his once youthful aggression with his now matured, skillful and measured approach.
This was quite evident in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Franchise League where he tallied 272 runs from five outings at an average of better than 60.
“It’s always good when you finish a tournament, averaging over 60 and that’s good for my confidence leading up to the Regional tournament, and I just want to continue from where I left off earlier in the year in Super 50,” he explained.
The Franchise League also saw him doing a lot more bowling than in recent time, a move he’s keen on replicating for Guyana.
“I’ve always placed a lot of emphasis on my bowling, and I’ll be ready if or when I’m called upon to do the job for Guyana.
“This year [Leon] Johnson saw it fit for me to bowl a lot in the franchise league and I was pretty happy to spearhead the attack and bowl at crucial times,” he said adding that he is feeling fit and stronger at this particular time of his career and would be happy to do an identical job for Guyana.
Many felt that his career was on the perennial decline just over a year ago after he was axed from the Guyana team, in both formats.
However, the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) player was given a reprieve earlier this year as a replacement player in the Regional Super – 50 and scored 240 runs from six matches which included two fifties – 89 and 56.
It was a hardnose response to answer his critics.
Commenting on Guyana’s chances, the 31-year old, while acknowledging Guyana’s pedigree, noted that the team usually falters by failing to close out games.
“I think we have a talented bunch… we managed to reach to the semi-finals and the finals on a few occasions but I think we lacked the killing instinct but hopefully, this year, the guys are up for us to go the extra mile and win it for Guyana… it’s been a long time since Guyana has won this Super – 50 tournament, 13 – years to be precise,” he declared.
