Today’s Golden Republic T20 Bash will be intense captains Sherfane Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer proclaimed ahead of their high profile match billed for 18.00 hours at the National Stadium, Providence.
Speaking at the pre-match conference yesterday at the Guyana Cricket Board office the two skippers admitted that there were talks between the two sides as to who will prevail.
Rutherford, who will lead the Renegades stated, “There has been a lot of talk especially at training because we train together and there is a lot of talk that the Hetmyer XI will walk over us and you know this is not a fete match or fun-day game, the intensity is high and the guys in my team are willing to prove a point to the Hetmyer XI even to their manager, Vishaul Singh [who] has been talking a lot so it is a lot to prove and I think it will be a good game.”
Meanwhile, Hurricanes captain, Hetmyer said that every game they try to take seriously, “Because, regardless of the type of match, it is still cricket and you are still playing with pride…as Sherfane said there has been a bit of banter going around but it is always nice.”
Prior to the hardball showdown, Ariel Speedboat and Regal All-Stars will battle for $200,000 in a softball contest from 14.00 hours. Like the hardball players, the softball teams also intend to bring their ‘A game’ to the grand stage.
Captain of Speedboat, Ravi Bharat said that it is a privilege to play at the international venue especially since a lot of the members have never played there.
All the captains agreed that it is an honor to be part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Guyana’s Republic through this venture which is a collaborative effort between the Guyana Cricket Board and the Ministry of Social Cohesion.
Andrew Tyndall, Coordinator of the Mashramani celebrations, said that there could be no better means of unification than through cricket which has over the years proven to bring out the best in Guyanese.
Tyndall noted that softball has attracted a large fan base, the superstars need no introduction as he urged all Guyanese to come out in support of the event with tickets set at $2000 and available at the board office.
Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board, Anand Sanasie, said while security will be present, the rules of the stadium will be relaxed a bit, so that persons can walk with their small coolers and enjoy themselves but warned that knives and harmful objects were still prohibited.
Teams: Hetmyer Hurricanes; Shimron Hetmyer (captain), Trevon Griffith, Lendl Simmons, Raymond Perez, Kevlon Anderson, Kemol Savory, Christopher Barnwell, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Ashmead Nedd, Gudakesh Motie, Nial Smith, Qumar Torrington, Richie Looknauth, Vishal Singh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Technical Director), Steven Jacobs (Coach), Akshaya Persaud (Manager) and Neil Barry Jr. (Physiotherapist).
Rutherford Renegades; Sherfane Rutherford (captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Jonathan Foo, Anthony Bramble, Leon Johnson, Raymon Reifer, Tevin Imlach, Kevin Sinclair, Rayad Emrit, Quintin Sampson, Joshua Jones, Ramaal Lewis, Keon Joseph, Ricardo Adams, Esuan Crandon (Technical Director), Veerasammy Permaul (Coach), Devendra Bishoo (Manager) and Ernest Campo Gonzalez (Physiotherapist).
