After a winless run in their second outing at the Sir Garfield Sobers schools cricket tournament last year, skipper Navindra Persaud and Coach Mark Harper believe Queen’s College has what it takes to make a lasting impression in the 33rd edition of the annual event.
When Stabroek News visited the prestigious institution yesterday amidst heavy downpour in the capital, the team had shifted their session to indoor with Harper pointing out that the rainy season is hampering preparations but was nothing to worry about.
“You know you always feel you could do a lot more in terms of opportunity they have but it is the rainy season some of the guys, up to last week were still doing exams so we had to have our preparation and cater for that but you know we had our preparation and so far the guys are pretty committed apart from a few,” Harper said.
Nevertheless, Harper has made adequate provisions to deal with the weather as well as the conditions in Barbados which is known to have bouncy pitches, in contrast to Guyana’s spinning surfaces.
“We have been hampered by the weather, but we are practicing mainly on the concrete surfaces and we are going to do some simulated short ball drills to prepare for that, but while it is a bit disappointing that we didn’t get the turf we will try our best to prepare for what we expect with the bounce and pace,” Harper stated.
The former national coach added that “it [the tournament] is an opportunity for them to play against a foreign opposition where they can play and assess their skills and I think it is good for them to give them confidence knowing that they have played against foreign opposition and done well. It will give them a big boost going into West Indies regional tournaments and even further afield.”
Persaud noted that the reintroduction of their cricketing programme with “a bit more intensity has aided in the build up to the tournament as well as their reinstatement into the Georgetown Cricket Association’s second-division tournaments, two of which they have participated since with a commendable amount of success.
The skipper, a former national youth player, explained that the side is fairly young but “can win at least half our matches and possibly get into the top 10 and even push on into the semis and win the tournament.”
The top order batsman and capable off-spinner posited that the experience of two past seasons will give them an edge over their oppositions and has delivered valuable lessons to the side, especially with 11 players returning from last year. “This year we are a very improved side, last year we didn’t win any matches but we have sorted ourselves out, we have trained, worked on our weaknesses, worked on our team with some bonding sessions and it is going pretty well,” Persaud said.
The team comprises of a number of quality youth players that have built a reputation on the local scene including Vickash and Brandon Jaikaran, Elnathan Suknandan and Amos Sarwan among others.
The team will depart on Saturday and will play until July 22.
