Stung by their narrow, seven-run defeat to the Jamaica Scorpions in their fourth round clash when they failed to chase down a below 200-run second innings score the Guyana Jaguars has decided to bolster their batting line up by including out-of-favour, West Indies batsman, Shimron Hetmyer.
Hetmyer, omitted from the West Indies One-day team which is touring Sri Lanka, will make a return to the West Indies Championship after being named in the Guyana Jaguars squad for round five.
While the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has not officially released the squad, according to sources, Tevin Imlach, will make way for the 23-year-old in the 13-man squad which team departed local shores yesterday for Grenada where they will battle Windward Island Volcanoes.
It was reported in sections of the media that Hetmyer, who has been dropped from the West Indies limited overs squad to face Sri Lanka due to failing his fitness test, had not reported to the GCB which resulted in his non-inclusion for the fourth round home match.
Veteran cricket commentator Joseph `Reds’ Perreira had called for the left-handed Guyanese batting maestro to use the Regional season to score heavily ahead of his expected recall to the West Indies side.
Hetmyer’s inclusion should bring some amount of optimism in the Jaguars camp since, according to assistant coach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the batting had let them down in their last match.
Jaguars, the five-time defending champions have endured a roller-coaster title defence so far with two wins and two losses, the most recent against Jamaica Scorpions in Guyana which resulted in them being toppled in the points standing.
With their performance so far, they have managed 49 points as Barbados Pride overtook the lead position with 65.2 points following three wins and one loss.
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force are currently in third with one win, one loss and two drawn matches which resulted in 41.6 points. Volcanoes and Scorpions have the same results as Red Force in their four matches but Volcanoes took away 40.4 points to sit in fourth while Scorpions moved up one spot from last with 36.8 points. Leeward Islands Hurricanes sit in last with 29.2 points coming from three losses and a victory.
Left-arm spinner, Veerasammy Permaul continued his wizardry with the ball and extended his lead in the wickets column to 26 following a 10-wicket match haul against Scorpions.
The 30-year-old is trailed by Trinidad and Tobago Red Force’s Akeal Hosein (20), Chemar Holder (19) of Pride and his countryman, Nial Smith with 18 scalps.
With the bat, Pride’s Kyle Mayers leads the way with 361 runs while Kieran Powell with 331 runs is the only batsman over 300 so far. Scorpion’s Paul Palmer has 292 while Volcanoes’ Devon Smith has amassed 284 runs so far.
The Jaguars’ duo, Christopher Barnwell (265) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (264) follow along with Scorpions’ Jermaine Blackwood (249), Jaguars’ Chandrapaul Hemraj (247) and Red Force’s Joshua DaSilva (237).
