Head coach of the Guyana Jaguars Franchise, Esuan Crandon, said yesterday that he was happy to be outdoors training at the La Bonne Intention facility after a few months.
Following the premature ending of the West Indies Championships back in March, cricket in the region was put on hold due to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic and, as a result, the franchise was forced to conduct its training session via Zoom.
Now, with the new COVID-19 regulations allowing for controlled training, the franchise is back outdoors.
“Personally, it’s good to actually be outdoor working with and taking the lads through the sessions,” the head coach said.
“Well we went out last Thursday and Friday in two small groups each day to conduct fitness assessment of the franchise contracted players with strict COVID-19 protocols and guidelines in place,” he recounted.
The former Guyana fast bowler added, “The players have been longing for the opportunity to get out there and train, so it’s refreshing and essential to get some work done.”
Crandon explained that this timely return will serve as a good opportunity to prepare ahead of the Regional tournaments.
“It’s important because this opportunity will allow us to get in more technical/skills work and also better prepare the players for competing,” Crandon told Stabroek Sport.
Chief Executive Officer of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave had told this publication that there could be a possible return of Regional cricket as early as February next year.
Crandon reflected on the impending return highlighted that most of the players took part in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and understood the COVID-19 requirements so it would not be a difficult exercise.
“It wasn’t that difficult and challenging because most of the players were involved in CPL and they were able to experience strict COVID-19 guidelines, so they understood the do’s and don’ts. The safety of all players and staff is paramount. To maintain a safe working environment calls for all involved to be responsible prior, during and after training,” he posited.
Crandon, who was part of West Indies Women’s team’s tour of England earlier this year, was exposed to the bio-secure environment and has applied that knowledge towards this new condition.
