Four-time runners-up, Guyana Amazon Warriors will look to get their 2019 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign off to a flyer when they take on St. Lucia Zouks at the Providence National Satadium tonight.
Head-to-Head, Warriors lead 6-3 with Zouks only making it out of the group stages on one occasion, while the Warriors have done so in each of the past six editions. Warriors skipper, Shoaib Malik and Head Coach, Johan Botha, said yesterday that they believe that the team is ready to begin their tournament after having a solid encampment.
Joining the camp yesterday were Keemo Paul, Shimron Hetmyer and Assistant Coach, Rayon Griffith, all of whom were on international duty with the West Indies.
Botha said, “We’ve had a good few days, everyone is in now so we’ve got a good few days together. We had a couple of games that have gone really well so everything is going according to plan. Everyone is fit coming into the tournament, our four internationals are up and ready to go so from our point of view we are just looking to get it up and going.”
Botha confessed he was unaware who appointed Hetmyer as the ‘batting director’ but was confident in the duties that come with the role being to score runs.
“I don’t know who gave him that title but obviously he has to continue making runs…” he stated.
The Head Coach added that the batting this year is more compact with a lot of talented youngsters coming through and he namedropped Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Sherfane Rutherford and Nicholas Pooran, whom he reckons is the “biggest in” for the team.
Botha reminisced, “Last year he [Hetmyer] had an exceptional tournament and if he does anything similar it would be great for us and we would just need to support him.” He, however acknowledged, “We can’t just leave it all up to him… we are looking for the other guys to stand up.”
Hetmyer scored 440 runs last season at an average of 40 with a strike rate of 148.
Botha also revealed that it was good to have that depth in experience coming from not just the internationals but the likes of Keemo Paul, Rutherford, and Hetmyer who were all part of the Indian Premier League this year.
However, Malik, a veteran of 345 T20s, brushed off talk about senior and junior players explaining that all the players are gelling well and they are all there to learn from each other while helping to develop young players and pass on the experience to the younger generation.
Malik, who will be available for the entire tournament added that while the title is the ultimate goal, there still needs to be groundwork done and starting on a positive note is crucial.
“Warriors have been consistent throughout the years but just couldn’t cross the line and win the trophy but this is another opportunity. The process is long so we are not just looking at the trophy but the thing what we can do what we have in our hands and is to stay consistent, the first few games are crucial for any team and we are looking forward to doing well starting at home,” Malik said.
The first ball is expected to bowl off from 18.00hrs.
Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Ben Laughlin, Chris Green, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Keagan Simmons, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Veerasammy, Permaul, Anthony Bramble and Clinton Pestano
