Guyana will need to sort out its batting problems quickly as they switch their focus to the shorter format of the game when they open their campaign against Trinidad and Tobago in the Cricket West Indies Colonial Medical Insurance T20 Blaze today at the National Stadium.
The hosts have struggled with their batting scoring over 200 only on two occasions, 240-9 against Leeward Islands and 242 against Jamaica.
They have also failed to go past 160 in the other three occasions.
Apart from their captain, Shemaine Campbelle, the batting has consistently under produced throughout the 50-over tournament. Campbelle has single-handedly carried the bulk of the batting and has scored the only century for the hosts.
Coming off a win in the final round of the Super50 competition where they defended a mere 132 to beat the Windward Islands, Campbelle told this publication that the victory has boosted the confidence of the team heading into the T20.
“The team will still need to improve on their batting and fielding a bit more,” she declared. Shabika Gajnabi and Tremayne Smartt are the only other batters to score half centuries for the hosts.
A lot is expected of Sheneta Grimmond and Mandy Mangru, who have both gotten starts at the top of the order but have been unable to convert those starts to big scores. However, Grimmond has shown talent with her off-spin, taking 10 wickets to complement Guyana’s leading left-arm seamer, Erva Giddings with the ball. Left-arm spinner, Kaysia Schultz and Cherry Ann Fraser are also expected to play bigger role sin the T20 format.
In the field, the players have not supported their bowlers that well either with over 15 catches being put down throughout their five matches.
Nevertheless, the confident unit are not taking Trinidad and Tobago lightly having lost to them in the opening round of the Super50 by 69 runs.
Campbelle told Stabroek Sport that the Guyanese “just have to go out there and stick to the basics by playing the cricket that we know and work hard as well as believe in ourselves for everything to fall into place.”
She explained that all the girls in the unchanged squad are confident that the team can beat Trinidad.
“Once we get the basics right we stand a good chance,” was how she put it.
Meanwhile, their opponents will look to restore confidence in a different format having lost the Super50 title by just 28 runs to Barbados in the grand finale.
Trinidad has suffered from sketchy batting in their middle order but with the likes of Reniece Boyce, Merissa Aguilleira, Stacy Ann King and company leading the batting, they are expected to enter the contest as favourites.
Their bowling is a spin-heavy unit that has collectively done the most damage in the tournament. Karishma Ramharack has led from the front, taking 15 wickets in the Super50 with Leandra Ramdeen and Anisa Mohammed playing the supporting roles. Ramharack has also been impressive in the field taking the most catches in the Super50 with a tally of six.
With three matches playing per day, the opening round will see Barbados pitted against the Leewards in the first match from 09.00hrs followed by Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago at 14.00hrs and Jamaica playing Windward Islands from 19.00hrs.
