Former Guyana Under-17 vice-captain, Andre Seepersaud is working relentlessly towards securing a spot in the Guyana side for the Regional Under-19 tournament, tentatively set for later this year.
Seepersaud, who turned 17 a week ago, sat down with Stabroek Sport amidst the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and expressed his desire to work his way through the ranks and one day into the West Indies side.
Having represented Guyana at the Under-15 and Under-17 levels previously, the Zeeburg Sports Club all-rounder is well on his way to great things.
He is regarded as one of the more dependable middle order batsman and also as a crafty off-spinner at his level.
“My career is going good so far,” he declared adding that he sets himself extremely high targets but is yet to reach them despite considerable performances.
The left-handed batsman explained that it was an overwhelming accomplishment from a community stand-point to be consistent in the national junior levels because “a lot of people in the area are proud of me and often say kind things to me.”
However, with the pandemic forcing a spoke in the proverbial wheel of the game for nearly three months, the tournament is left at the mercy of a safe solution towards reintegration. Also, as time goes along, organisers have admitted that it is becoming more and more difficult to complete the calendar of activities in the timeframe.
Nevertheless, Seepersaud is optimistic that the competition will be played and has been keeping himself active throughout the postponement of competitive cricket and the era of social distancing.
“It [coronavirus] has affected me a lot because playing cricket gets you to learn a lot of stuff. You know every time you go out there you take back some new knowledge but since the virus we are starved for it,” Seepersaud said.
He added, “I am keeping myself fit. There is not really much because of the lock down but I usually go for a two-mile run around the villages of Zeeburg, Zeelugt and Tuschen on some mornings and I do some batting and bowling practice in the yard. I also watch a lot of YouTube videos on the game as well.”
Seepersaud is cognizant that despite his undoubted ability, his spot in the national youth side is not guaranteed but depends on his performance in the Guyana Cricket Board Inter-County competition and has set himself a few goals to earn his place.
“I’m looking to do well at the Inter-County level. Just stay focussed and do the basic like I normally did before. You know but in terms of my batting I want to improve on my consistency and be a bit more patient and improve my fitness and hopefully that earns me a place in the Guyana under 19 side,” he stated.
Having shown leadership promise in previous tournaments and recently bestowed the under-19 reins of his club, Seepersaud believes that the added responsibility brings out more from him but said he is not pressured.
“I think a lot of the guys around the cricket now know what they have to do and I like to give them the confidence that we are a team and play as a team.”
