With several key players missing, the Guyana Cricket Board’s Jaguars Franchise League Three-day tournament is set to resume on Thursday with four matches across the country.
The semi-professional league started two weeks ago with all the country’s leading cricketers on display, but several will be out of action this weekend, bringing the reserve players into action.
Eleven Guyanese have been identified to participate in a West Indies training camp starting on Saturday in Barbados ahead of the upcoming Pakistan series in the United Arab Emirates.
They are Veerasammy Permaul of Lower Corentyne; Assad Fudadin and Devendra Bishoo of Upper Corentyne; Ronsford Beaton and Keemo Paul of Essequibo; Rajendra Chandrika and Paul Wintz of East Coast Demerara; Keon Joseph, Shimron Hetmyer and Gudakesh Motie of West Berbice; and Leon Johnson of Georgetown.
Their absence will provide an opportunity for other players to get a knock in the eight-team franchise league, which is set to conclude just in time for the start of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Four-day competition in November, of which Guyana Jaguars are the defending champions.
Thursday’s games will get underway at 09:30h at each venue, with matches in Demerara and Berbice.
Table-toppers Lower Corentyne will take on Upper Corentyne, who currently languish at the bottom of the table, at the Port Mourant Community Centre ground, while Essequibo will face Upper Demerara/East Bank at the Everest ground.
West Berbice will have home advantage against West Demerara at the Young Warriors Cricket Club ground, while Georgetown and East Coast Demerara will square off at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda.
The lads from Lower Corentyne are atop the points standing with 36.5 points, garnered from two outright wins, and a combination of batting and bowling bonus and fast bowling wickets points. In second position is East Coast Demerara with 31.5 points, being the only other unbeaten team in the competition.
They are followed by West Demerara (21.5 points), Essequibo (18.1 points), Georgetown (10.6 points), West Berbice (10.1 points), Upper Demerara/East Bank Demerara (9.7 points) and Upper Corentyne (9.5 points).
The Jaguars Franchise League has replaced the traditional Inter-county competition and is the yardstick to select the Guyana Jaguars squad for the upcoming regional Four-day tournament.
