Round five of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day competition starts today with three matches and the Guyana team will be hoping that the home crowd will provide the impetus for them to lift their performance after three rounds of mediocrity.
The home team, currently on seven points, will clash with Barbados who are currently in second position on 33 points at the Albion Community Centre ground.
It is hoped that Guyana’s standard will be lifted with the presence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who has made himself available for today’s match after he was sidelined with an injury two weeks before Guyana’s first match.
Captain Sewnarine Chattergoon and his team will view the return of Chanderpaul as welcome news. In a tournament where Guyana, according to Chattergoon, have beaten themselves they will be looking for redemption since they have two more matches with no way of winning the tournament at this stage.
The men from the Land of the Flying Fish who were said to have let up when they had the advantage over teams at crucial times during the tournament will be looking to maintain their good standing in the tournament thus far.
Coach Emmerson Trotman and manager Jeff Broomes had earlier stated that their team will be ready for the match especially since they know that their encounters with Guyana are never easy.
Captain of the Barbados team Ryan Hinds said that the team’s preparations were good and during the one-week rest from competition the team worked on their problem areas. He said that one of those areas was fielding.
On the other hand he said that the unity is evident and the team has been graced with the presence of the West Indies under-19 trio of Kraigg Braithwaite, Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich. He hopes, therefore, that “they can continue their rich vein of form.”
In addition, he recognizes that the team has eased the pressure from time to time but that is in the past and his team is looking forward to the match against Guyana.
He acknowledged that Guyana’s chances will be increased with the presence of Chanderpaul, one of the best players in regional cricket. He said, however, that he is confident going into the match and he intends to lead from the front.
Jamaica, currently on 36 points from three matches, will take on the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at the Guyana National Stadium from 13:00 hours in a day/night encounter. And over at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) the Windward Islands will clash with the Leeward Islands.
Windward Islands captain Devon Smith said that his team is looking forward to the game and he will be setting the example. He said that the team will be looking to play positive cricket and take one session at a time. He said while he is somewhat satisfied with the tournament the batting has let the side down on occasions but he is hoping that the batsmen would rise to the game, especially since it is known that the team’s bowling has been its strong point over the years. Guyana’s squad: Sewnarine Chattergoon (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Zaheer Mohammed, Keon Joseph, Rajendra Chandrika, Vishal Singh, Assad Fudadin, Gajanand Singh, Christopher Barnwell, Royston Crandon, Esaun Crandon, Derwin Christian, Brandon Bess, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Trevor Benn.
Barbados’ squad: Ryan Hinds (captain), Tino Best, Shamarh Brooks, Pedro Collins, Corey Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Jason Haynes, Dale Richards, Kevin Stoute, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich and Sulieman Benn.
