Beaten by the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the preliminary round of the competition, the Guyana Jaguars will be seeking revenge in order to secure the CG Insurance Super50 title for the first time in 16 years when they battle the Trinidadians today from 13.30 hours at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua.
History has not been kind to the Jaguars who are yet to win a final against the Red Force in the Super50 Cup.
However, their red-hot form should boost their confidence and according to Jaguars’ captain Leon Johnson, the team has shown character.
In an interview with the media yesterday, Johnson said, “I think the guys have shown good character throughout the tournament. Every time we’ve been put under pressure batting wise, we have responded, even with the ball we’ve responded under pressure.”
Johnson reflected that many times throughout the tournament, they have not been in ideal situations at times but took confidence from having dependable players in the team that exemplify teamwork.
The 33-year-old contended that Red Force has played exceptional cricket so far, having won all their matches but reckons execution and fielding will be paramount to lifting the Sir Clive Lloyd Trophy.
“The mood in the camp is great. Obviously Trinidad are unbeaten having played good cricket but I feel on the day we execute our plans well it will be a good game of cricket and I don’t see why Jaguars shouldn’t come out on top once we execute our plans well.”
He added, “I think fielding would be a major aspect. I know we’ve let some easy chances go but obviously during the championship especially in a big game against the quality of the Red Force we need to be exceptional in the field as well,” Johnson said.
Look at the opposition, the Jaguars captain informed that the team has been studying a lot of videos on their opposition’s strength and weaknesses.
“You have to plan against these guys. I think in cricket now it’s about match ups and I think their players obviously have their weaknesses…and it’s about having the bowlers and field in place to have these plans work.”
Jaguars lost their only match up against the Red Force but had their best start with the bat, having been 106 without loss. However, like in some of their matches, the South American side lost wickets in clusters and fell away.
To date, Johnson, Christopher Barnwell and Shimron Hetmyer have all notched up centuries with Hetmyer’s tally of 280 second only to Red Force’s Jason Mohammed (326).
Jaguars’ bowling has centered on left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, who is the tournament’s leading wicket taker with 16 wickets.
Red Force seamers, Ravi Rampaul and Anderson Phillip lead the way for their side with 10 and nine wickets respectively.
Red Force skipper, Kieron Pollard denounced notions that teams are due to lose a match sometime along in competitions, citing the country’s T20 franchise of which he also leads, Trinbago Knight Riders’ undefeated run in the Caribbean Premier League.
As such, Pollard believed that his team has the right mix and reckoned that they have covered all the bases with every player contributing in one way or the other.
Nevertheless, Pollard commended Johnson as a tactically sound leader and mentioned his record as leader for the Jaguars while stating that he is aware that the Guyanese will be going all guns blazing.
The Red Force captain pointed out that there is much to celebrate and give the people of his nation something to smile about; noting the difficulties Trinidad has been facing of late.
Guyana Jaguars: Leon Johnson (captain), Shimron Hetmyer (vice-captain), Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tevin Imlach, Keon Joseph, Ramaal Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Akshaya Persaud, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith; Esuan Crandon (Head Coach)
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Kieron Pollard (captain), Darren Bravo (vice-captain), Akeal Hosein, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kjorn Ottley, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Nicholas Pooran, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Jayden Seales, Lendl Simmons; David Furlonge (Head Coach)
