Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Esaun Crandon said he is happy with the 14-man team selected and is optimistic about the players giving a good account of themselves during the 2015 NAGICO Regional Super 50 tournament which begins on January 15 in Trinidad & Tobago.
“I think we have a pretty good lineup in the 14-man team. Obviously we are missing a few of our big players in Leon Johnson, Shiv Chanderpaul, Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine and even Ramnaresh Sarwan who was with us last year.
“But looking at the squad Foo (Johnathan) is back. He was doing well domestically, Cheesy (Vishaul Singh) for the first time is in the ODI team and we have a good balance with our all-rounders who can win games for us. So I think we have a decent mix of experience and young players which I’m satisfied and prepared to work along with,” said Crandon yesterday during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sports.
The Jaguars have been working hard over the past four days and Crandon, a
former national player himself, knows the worth and value of putting in the hard work, especially as time winds down to the start of the competition.
“We have three days left to work and two matches. We also have an extra day to do simulations in terms of bowling and batting where we will try to get them to use rotating the strike and finding the gaps while the fielding department is just as important for us,” he explained.
With the absence of the senior players, Crandon said they would be counting on the younger, less experienced players to put their hands up and make use of the golden opportunity.
“I’m confident they (the younger players) have the ability to fill those spots. We are banking on their ability. Some of them have been around a couple of years but they don’t have the playing experience so it’s an opportunity for them to showcase what they have”.
The Jaguars completed a successful day of net sessions at the Everest ground yesterday where the batsmen and bowlers spent ample time in the middle ahead of today’s first of two practice matches.
After the session culminated, Crandon and assistant coach Rayon Griffith had a quiet chat with the cricketers, telling them the importance of hard work, responsibility, and discipline, reminding them that they worked really hard to reach this point.
Wrapping up his interview, a confident Crandon said that he will continue to have regular chats with the players as he sees it as a way of building confidence and developing a family-like atmosphere.
“I will let them know how important it is for them to represent Guyana. They can look at the performances which will help them motivate themselves and encourage them. They can also benefit from playing well and opening doors to possibly play for the West Indies.
“Pay for Play cricketers can also earn franchise contracts next season so there is a lot at stake.”
