By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana’s hopes of winning a Regional 50-over title since it last did in 2005 have been pinned on 14 cricketers, who were named as members of the Guyana Jaguars squad for this month’s West Indies Cricket Board’s Super50 competition.
Guyana last won a Regional 50-over title under the captaincy of Shivnarine Chanderpaul almost 12 years ago when the South Americans defeated Barbados in rapidly fading lights in the KFC Cup final at the GCC ground, Bourda.
Incidentally, the 42-year-old Chanderpaul is among the players named to represent the Jaguars in this year’s tournament, set to start on January 24 in Barbados and Antigua.
The veteran middle-order batsman has been in prime form this season. He is the Jaguars’ leading runscorer after five rounds of games in the Four-day competition, with 447 runs at an average of 88, including two hundreds and two fifties.
Chanderpaul apart, the squad includes six other players with international experience. They include skipper and middle-order batsman Leon Johnson; vice-captain and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul; leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo; opener Rajendra Chandrika; middle-order batsman Assad Fudadin; and all-rounder Christopher Barnwell.
The other members of the team are opener Shimron Hetmyer; all-rounders Raymon Reifer and Jonathon Foo; off-spinner Steven Jacobs; fast bowlers Ronsford Beaton and Paul Wintz; and wicketkeeper/batsman Anthony Bramble.
Guyana Jaguars have been drawn in Group B, which will be played in Barbados, alongside Jamaica Scorpions, Barbados Pride, Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners and ICC Americas.
Group A, to be played in Antigua, comprises defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, host Leeward Islands Hurricanes, West Indies Under-19s, Windward Islands Volcanoes and English county side Kent.
The squad reads: Leon Johnson (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (Vice-Captain), Anthony Bramble (Wkp), Shimron Hetmyer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Christopher Barnwell, Raymon Reifer, Rajendra Chandrika, Steven Jacobs, Assad Fudadin, Devendra Bishoo, Ronsford Beaton, Paul Wintz and Jonathan Foo.
The management staff comprises Esaun Crandon (Head Coach), Rayon Griffith (Assistant Coach) and Ernesto Gonzalez (Physiotherapist).
