Guyana Amazon Warriors yesterday confirmed the appointments of Chris Green and Nicholas Pooran as captain and vice-captain respectively for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
In a release issued by CPL, Warriors’ Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, stated “Chris has been a fantastic part of the Amazon Warriors family since he joined us for the 2018 season and he was the natural choice to take the reins for this season. He is a fantastic cricketer and a fine leader and we are very confident that he will guide the team to a successful season.”
Green spoke to the media yesterday virtually following his appointment. He detailed that while not much has changed, he likes to add his twist to things and is happy to lead the five-time finalists.
“Leading this team is a tremendous honor and so to add that with it I am really excited and I can’t wait to go out there with some team mates and friends I get along with,” the 26-year-old off-spinner stated.
“I think I would like to put my own spin on things and not change too much you know. I’ve enjoyed leading this team in my first year which came as a surprise but led them for the last couple of games and into the final and when Shoaib [Malik] got injured or went off the field for a couple of times last year as well so I’m very fortunate to have the backing of the management and the players in this team and they fully support me and I am excited about leading them.”
Playing in his third season for the franchise, the Australia-born captain contended, “For me I just want to provide the platform for these guys to go out and put on a show. There is some amazingly talented players in our roster and I back them 100 percent of the way and I am ready to go into battle and put my position on the line for them so that’s all I want to do, just instill as much confidence in every single player in the team and give them the responsibility and ability to go out there and showcase what they got on the big stage and get us that victories along the way as well.”
The newly appointed captain was faced with a ban for an illegal bowling action but has since been cleared. Green reflected on his time and explained that he has had a longer downtime than most but is feeling great to be back.
“I am feeling great, I’ve had a longer break than everyone else, I’ve been training now since the third of January when it all started so I’ve had six months instead of three months so COVID has brought me more time into my training regime and the last couple of months, two months probably in Sidney I’ve spent batting and bowling on outdoor wickets so arguably I’m in my best physical shape, I’m feeling great with both bat and ball in hand and I am just excited to getting back out on the field and doing what I love to do,” he said.
Green will have the services of Pooran, who, despite his relatively young age of 24, has garnered a wealth of experience. The Trinidadian wicketkeeper/batsman became the youngest player in the CPL when he debuted back in the inaugural season in 2013 and has featured in each edition since.
