Guyana Jaguars will begin their Regional Super50 campaign on Monday and Christopher Barnwell trusts good batting will be the key to his side lifting the title.
Barnwell has been the most impactful batsman for the side over the last three seasons and has been transformed into the most dependable batsman in the Jaguars unit, scoring 873 runs in that period at an average of 45.9.
Stabroek Sport caught up with the 34-year-old ahead of their campaign where he stressed on the importance of the batting coming good, particularly with the tournament playing in a round-robin format.
“I think the batting needs to play a major role, that will help us to win. The bowlers have always given a good account of themselves throughout the previous years and we, as batters, need to step up and put big scores on the board or execute and chase down scores when the opposition set it so the batting is key. Once we have key guys firing at key moments we know that that will play a major role for us,” he explained.
The Demerara Cricket Club all-rounder added, “All the teams will have to hit the ground running. We’re starting from scratch. Most of the teams didn’t play cricket for a long time and the basic still remain the basics. We just have to go through the process, access the conditions as quickly as possible and the team that adapts to the conditions and execute well will obviously come out on top.”
The former Royal Challengers Bangalore right-hander has over a decade of cricket under his belt at this level and is easily one of the most experienced players in the side which features seven changes from their last tournament.
Barnwell recommends that the same principle that has worked for him in the past few years.
“All and all it’s just to build on this momentum and take it forward. Just remember the basic things I did in the previous tournaments that brought me success and continue to do that…It’s just backing your ability and remembering your role and play accordingly to the team’s need, stick to your strengths and execute well.”
The out-of-favour West Indies seamer was wary of the effects of the pandemic but was steadfast on the task at hand.
“Sometime it could be a bit challenging being indoors but it’s just the timing and the situation you have to know how to respect it and know it’s only for a little bit of time. We just have to set our minds and be focused on our task which is to go there and play cricket and give a good account of ourselves.”
With limited cricket played over the last year, Barnwell said it was good to get some practice with the three warm-up matches prior to departure where he reckoned the time in the middle was a good start.
