Cricket Guy Incorporated yesterday named a 15-man Guyana Jaguars squad for next month’s Cricket West Indies Regional Super50 tournament in Antigua.
In a bid to capture their first Super50 title since 2005, there are some eight changes from the 2019 squad with West Indies duo, Romario Shepherd and Shimron Hetmyer included while Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul and Jonathan Foo were omitted.
Shepherd had tested positive for COVID-19 and was ruled out of the West Indies tour of Bangladesh which begins today while Hetmyer opted not to tour.
Contrastingly, Jaguars are without Raymon Reifer and Veerasammy Permaul who are in Bangladesh.
“Paul will sit out of the tournament in order to facilitate adequate recovery from an injury,” a release from CGI stated.
The release also stated that Rutherford, who was considered for selection, has opted to play T/10 and T/20 cricket in Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, which coincides with the time frame required for him to play for the Guyana Jaguars during the Regional Super50 competition.
Leon Johnson will once again lead the side and will have Hetmyer as his deputy.
The team will be coached by Esuan Crandon while Shivnarine Chanderpaul will perform the duties of Assistant Coach/Manger.
Ernesto Campo Gonzalez has been named the physiotherapist.
Notably, former Jamaica Scorpions top order batsman, Assad Fudadin, has been included in the squad.
The 35-year-old out-of-favour West Indies left hander scored 345 runs at an average of 43.87 in the 2019 Super50 with a best of 107.
Also making the side on the back of good performances in that tournament are Akshaya Persaud and Kevin Sinclair.
Persaud, a 23-year-old composed left hander, stroked two half centuries to end with an average of 34.25 while picking up four wickets for Combined Colleges and Campuses. He also stroked a half century in the Jaguars’ first practice match Monday.
The 21-year-old off-spinning all-rounder Sinclair, was instrumental in helping West Indies Emerging Players storm to championship glory as he finished as the most economical bowler.
Demerara Cricket Club duo, Tevin Imlach and Trevon Griffith are also named in the side.
Imlach, a former West Indies under-19 wicketkeeper/batsman, has so far played five List `A’ matches for West Indies `B’ and has a best of 57 not out.
The 29-year-old left-hand opener, Griffith, on the other hand, has played 34 matches scoring five half centuries including a best of 80 when playing for the Jamaica Scorpions in 2018.
Another player making a comeback in the format is West Indies `A’ pacer, Keon Joseph. The 29-year-old, who has a wealth of first-class experience, has played just three List `A’ matches with his last being over a decade ago.
Joseph will look to fill the void left in the absence of seaming all-rounder, Clinton Pestano, who has been left out of the squad.
Like Pestano, Foo could not find a place in the squad despite finishing with 334 runs and an average of 55.66.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Ronsford Beaton and Kemol Savory are the other players from the 2019 campaign that were not included in the squad.
According to the release, Jaguars are scheduled to depart for Antigua on January 30. The touring party will undergo two COVID-19 tests before they travel while being in isolation. After arriving in Antigua, they will undergo a third test after being in self isolation for two days. A fourth test will be conducted on February 6 after which they will be allowed to practice as a group ahead of their first match two days later.
Guyana Jaguars Super50 squad: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Trevon Griffith, Christopher Barnwell, Leon Johnson, Shimron Hetmyer, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Ramaal Lewis, Nial Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Akshaya Persaud, Tevin Imlach
