Hooper replaces Shepherd in Jaguars squad Bishoo given two-match rest

Dec 08, 2016 Sports

Rayon Griffith doing some batting drills with pacer Keon Joseph at Providence yesterday (Sean Devers photo)

By Sean Devers
Chairman of Selectors, Manager and Assistant Coach of the Guyana Jaguars Rayon Griffith informed that Rose Hall Town’s off-spinner Eon Hooper has replaced Tucber Park’s pacer Romario Shepherd in the only change to the squad to face Barbados Pride from 15:00hrs tomorrow in a day/night contest at Providence in the fourth round of the Digicel Regional four-day First-Class tournament.
Griffith, a former Guyana pacer who took 56 wickets from 22 First-Class matches between 2000 and 2007, informed that West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo was allowed a two-match rest after a successful Test series against Pakistan in the UAE.
The 31-year-old Bishoo, the leading wicket-taker in the three Test series with 18 scalps including an eight-wicket haul, is presently in the USA and 25-year-old Hooper, who made a wicket-less debut in the first round against Jamaica, is back in the squad after missing the two ‘away’ games.
The 37-year-old Griffith said he feels the strength of the Jaguars is their bowling and the main area for concern is their catching this season.
“I think our bowling is our strength! Generally our spinners have taken the wickets in past years but this year our pacers have done really well,” said Griffith who was high in praise for Keon Joseph, just back from a successful ‘A’ team tour to Sri Lanka.
In the last match in St Lucia, Raymon Reifer (6), Joseph (2) and Chris Barnwell (1) combined for the first time ever to claim nine wickets by fast bowlers in the same innings for Guyana in First-Class cricket. Joseph then claimed three of the four wickets to fall in the Volcanoes’ second innings before rain washed out the last two days.
“A concern to us has been our catching this season. We have dropped catches in all three games we have played and that is an area that we must improve in moving forward in the competition” lamented Griffith.
The West Indies ‘A’ Team Assistant Coach feels that while he agrees that the batsmen have all gotten starts without any of them getting a hundred, he does not think it is a major problem since most of the batsmen are senior players and the team has seven more matches to play.
“I agree that if a few of the fifties were converted into centuries we could have gotten some 300 plus totals but what I am more disappointed with is the manner in which the lower order batsmen got out with less than 10 runs needed to reach 300 in two matches to give away what could be important batting points,” Griffith said.
While it should be an advantage for the Jaguars to have played a day/night game under lights and with a pink ball in the last round before heading into tomorrow’s day/night clash with Barbados, Griffith was quick to point out that many in the Barbados team who returned for this game, played with the pink ball under-lights in the day/night Test in the UAE so it’s not a big advantage.
The pink ball is harder than the red ball and swings more at nights when conditions are ideal for fast bowling but Griffith says that both teams have these conditions to bowl in. When asked about the return of the Test players which has strengthened the Bajan side, Griffith said he is confident Guyana will do well since they have beaten Barbados with these same players in their team.
Griffith feels that the pitch (one of the two that has not been relayed) should be slow but good to bat on if you show patience and display good shot selection. Jaguars (33.6) lead second place Barbados Pride (33.4) by .2 of a point.

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