Guyana Jaguars’ opener, Chandrapaul Hemraj says he aims to help Guyana Jaguars lift its first Regional Super50 title since 2005.
The 27-year-old left-hander, in an exclusive interview, told Stabroek Sport, “Definitely my main goal is helping the Jaguars win the title, something we haven’t done in a while.”
The tournament will take place in for Antigua and Barbuda from February 7 to 27.
Looking at the past tournaments, the Everest Cricket Club talisman said, “I think our batting has been the problem over the years. I think once our batsmen perform this year, we will win the tournament because our bowling has been really good over the years.”
Hemraj will enter the tournament in exceptional form having scored the only century in the three practice matches. He also scored 41 in another match. He forged two decent partnerships of 60 and 88 with Trevon Griffith and Christopher Barnwell respectively.
He was also the only player to score a ton for the Jaguars when the tournament was last held in 2019.
“As a batsman when you score a 100 it feels really good. I just want to take that same confidence into the tournament,” he said.
He also spoke of the team’s preparation.
“Our preparation hasn’t been the best because of COVID-19 but nevertheless, we got some match practice. I thought that was really good going into the tournament.”
From a bowling perspective, the left-arm orthodox bowler, who sometimes opened with the ball for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, also enjoyed a positive outing in the practice matches, being one of two bowlers to take a five-wicket haul.
This display, coupled with his encouraging five wickets in the 2019 edition of the Super50, has left him wanting to display his bowling prowess more this season.
“I’ve always enjoyed bowling, especially in limited overs. Hopefully, my bowling could show more in this tournament,” he said.
With an eye on a West Indies recall, Hemraj explained that he is not adding extra pressure on himself but is more focused on doing his best to help his team win matches.
He indicated that, like everyone in the tournament, he will have to be mentally strong as they are about to endure the bio-secure bubble, some for the first time. He was lucky to have experienced this condition in the CPL last year.
“It’s definitely not easy being in a bio bubble but we just have to be mentally strong during that time. At the end of the day we have to count ourselves lucky to be still playing cricket, so, I see it as another opportunity,” he explained.
Despite that, Hemraj said the team will definitely have to hit the ground running to be able to qualify for the semi-finals.
“With limited games this season, definitely some pressure there but once we start well and with some wins early up would do us well,” he related.
