Fudadin confident of 10th title triumph

Malta Supreme Guyana opening batsman, Assad Fudadin is confident that team Guyana has the requisite skills to reach the finals of the ongoing NAGICO Regional Super50 tournament and lift the 50-over title for the tenth time.

When Stabroek Sports yesterday interviewed the left-hander he said the conditions were challenging at first and required a lot of mental toughness. Fudadin and the team are currently in Trinidad and Tobago preparing to take on Jamaica tomorrow in their third match of the Group A fixture.

Fudadin, who scored a careful 51 of 148 balls in the last match against the former defending champions, the Windwards Islands, explained that his cautiousness was due to the slow nature of the wicket.

Assad Fudadin
Assad Fudadin

“It was difficult conditions at first, I would say it was a challenging test for my mental and technical side of the game,” he said. The 28-year-old explained that the nature of the pitch was very unpredictable upfront but got better as the innings proceeded.

“The ball seamed around a lot and had unpredictable bounce, but it played much better later in the game,” he said, adding that when playing on a pitch like the one he played on in Tuesday’s match, “you never feel like you are in.”

After veteran West Indies and Guyana batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was advised by doctors to sit out the second match due to a medical condition, Fudadin was called to take up the mantle along with Trevon Griffith. Griffith was sent packing early and Fudadin was then joined by the tournament’s leading run-scorer thus far, Ramnaresh Sarwan.

The two steadied the ship and added 121 for the second-wicket; building a platform for the power-hitters to come in and score freely. The West Indies “A’ batsman said he enjoyed playing alongside the experienced  Sarwan.

“It was good batting with him. He has a lot of experience and it was good for me to have been batting with him in those conditions,” he reiterated. Fudadin said for the remainder of the tournament his goal is simply to build on the foundation of his last batting innings.

“With the strength of Allah, I plan to score runs, take wickets and do whatever my team needs me to do so we can win and become champions,” he said. “We have the best chance to win; most of our players are in good form.”