Regional Super50 starts today in Antigua Jaguars, Tridents clash tomorrow in D/N game

Feb 07, 2021 Sports

---

By Sean Devers

Kaieteur News – Six teams will vie for the Clive Lloyd Trophy when the 2021 CG Insurance Regional Super50 bowls off today with no spectators in Antigua as Leewards battle Windwards in the opening game.
Guyana Jaguars begin their campaign when face 2019 runner’s up, Barbados tomorrow in a Day/Night encounter which commences at 13:30 hrs.
Guyana play the Leewards (Feb 12 at 13:30 hrs), Jamaica (Feb 14 at 13:30hrs), T&T (Feb 20 at 13:30hrs), Windwards (Feb 22 at 09:00hrs) in their other preliminary round games.
The semi-finals are scheduled for February 24 and 25 respectively, while the grand finale is set for February 27.
For the first time in a long time the best players in the Region will compete in the same tournament which should make for competitive cricket.
The T&T Red Force, led by ODI Captain Kieron Pollard and including West Indies players Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Jason Mohamed, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Denish Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre, should start as favourites…at least on paper.

It was on that 108 square mile Island that Guyana captured their first title in 1980 and tomorrow, the Leon Johnson led squad will be hunting their 10thfirst Regional 50-over title and first since 2005.
Led by three tons in a tournament-high 462 runs and a century from Sewnarine Chattergoon in the final, Guyana beat Barbados by seven runs on the Duckworth/Lewis system to lift the 2005 KFC Cup before their 15-year title drought began.
Tomorrow, under lights at the small Coolidge Cricket Ground, the Bajans who lost to the West Indies Emerging Players in the last final in Trinidad, suffered a major blow when their most accomplished batsman Shai Hope and his brother Kyle had to withdraw after contracting the Corona Virus.
Led by Test Captain Jason Holder, the Tridents Franchise will also bank on Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Miguel Cummins, Chemar Holder, Ashly Nurse, Keon Harding, Dominic Drakes and Shamar Springer.The Jaguars are without West Indies all-rounder Kemo Paul who is still not fully recovered from injury, opener Trevon Griffith, who tested positive for covid-19 and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, the lone Guyanese in the West Indies team in Bangladesh.
Guyana, who has qualified 17 times for the Finals and three times since their last title, will pin their hopes on the tremendously talented but the very inconsistent former West Indies U-19 Captain Shimron Hetmyer who has been named Vice-Captain.
The last time the pugnacious 24-year-old left-hander, who has put on a bit of weight, played for Guyana in a 50-over tournament was in 2018 when he smashed a scintillating century.
The Berbice player, who has four centuries and five fifties in 45 ODIs, will be keen to return to form after three consecutive failures in the Jaguars practice games at LBI.The batting will center around Skipper Johnson, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Hetmyer, Assad Fudadin, Chris Barnwell and Romario Shepherd who have all played for the West Indies in International cricket.

Barnwell, now 34, has been Guyana’s most consistent batsmen over the past few seasons and his positive attitude and self-confidence should make him one the leading performers this season.
The free-flowing Hemraj and experienced fellow left-hander Fudadin should complement each other in the power-play as they hope to give Guyana a solid foundation.
The 33-year-old Johnson has scored 13 fifties from seventy-three 50-over games including six ODIs, but he has managed to convert just one of those fifties into a century.
Arguably the best leader in the West Indies, Johnson will have to lead from the front with the bat and as Captain if he wants to join Roy Fredericks, Clive Lloyd, Roger Harper, Carl Hooper, Milton Pydanna and Shiv Chanderpaul as Captains who have led Guyana to 50-over titles.
The entertaining Hetmyer could set the tournament on fire once bats responsible and improve on his temperament and shot selection. The talent is certainly not lacking.
If Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Shepherd and Kevin Sinclair bat to their full potential Guyana could post 300 totals on tracks which are reportedly good cricket pitches.
Guyana’s bowling will be spearheaded by the genuinely quick Nail Smith with fast bowling support from Shepherd and Keon Joseph, while off-spinner Sinclair and left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Hemraj gives Guyana a potent bowling attack.
Jaguars’ Head Coach Esuan Crandon informed that the players have responded positively to the bubble rules.
“It wasn’t something they’re accustomed to but they understood the importance of following the rules,” said Crandon who was in the 2005 squad which was led by Manager/Assistant Coach Shiv Chanderpaul.
“We had our first practice on Friday morning and it went well for us. We also practiced yesterday and another session is set for today.
Everyone is fit and healthy but we don’t have any scheduled practice sessions under lights even though only our last match against the Windwards Hurricanes is a day match,” informed the 39-year-old Berbician who took 24 wickets from 25 fifty over games for Guyana.

 

 

---

---