By Avenash Ramzan
The Guyana Amazon Warriors players will assemble from June 20 for a one-week encampment ahead of this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). This was confirmed today by Team Operations Manager of the franchise, Omar Khan.
With the exception of skipper Martin Guptill and spinner Adam Zampa, all the other players will be available for the camp, which will be held under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Roger Harper.
Guptill, the New Zealand opening batsman, is currently playing country cricket in England, while leg-spinner Zampa is part of the Australia set-up for the ongoing Ballr Tri-Nation Series here in the Caribbean.
During the encampment period, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will also be afforded the luxury of actual match practice with games against a Guyana representative side.
Khan also divulged that West Indies Under-19 stars, all-rounder Keemo Paul and wicketkeeper/batsman Tevin Imlach, as well as all-rounder Akshaya Persaud will form the youth set-up of the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The youngsters will train with the squad during the Guyana leg of the Hero CPL.
Squad composition
The squad includes six specialist batsmen- New Zealand’s Martin Guptill, Barbados’ Dwayne Smith, Australia’s Chris Lynn, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jason Mohammed, Antigua’s Orlando Peters and Guyana’s Assad Fudadin.
Sohail Tanvir of Pakistan, Christopher Barnwell and Steven Jacobs of Guyana, and Rayad Emrit of Trinidad and Tobago are the all-rounders, while the bowlers are Veerasammy Permaul and Paul Wintz (Guyana), Adam Zampa (Australia) and Muhammad Ahsan Ali Khan (ICC Americas).
Anthony Bramble (Guyana) and Steven Katwaroo (Trinidad and Tobago) are the wicketkeepers, while successful West Indies Under-19 World Cup captain, Shimron Hetmyer, is the Under-19 selectee.
Guptill was bought as the Marquee Player, while those retained from last year were Permaul, Barnwell and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. However, due to Bishoo being a centrally contracted West Indies Cricket Board player, he could only be chosen as a replacement, but not as frontline selections.
Dubbed a “free agent”, Bishoo could only be called upon to play providing he is not on West Indies duties.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors will play 10 games in the preliminary phase of the League, with four matches in Guyana, two in Florida, and one each in Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and St Lucia. Hero CPL 2016 will be held from June 29 to August 7.
