By Akeem Greene
Nipping behind the stumps and flashy in front, is a short but incisive description of the offerings of wicket-keeper/batsman Kemol Savory.
His childhood dream of representing Guyana at the senior level is now closer to a reality since he was named as one of two reserves for Guyana Jaguars in the Regional Super50, which commences on October 3.
For those wondering, who is this young lad? The 22-year-old has quietly been among the top wicket-keeper/batsmen in the country since the advent of the Franchise League in 2016.
However, with the likes of Windies B T20 captain Anthony Bramble and Windies Youth keeper Tevin Imlach being the front-runners for the gloveman job, opportunities for him have been minuscule.
He reached this stage on the back of scoring 408 runs in two seasons (10 matches) of the local 50-over tournament for native Essequibo.
Apart from his crisp stroke-play, there were 17 dismissals, which gave him the best keeper tag for both years. To add the icing on these stats, in the Three-Day League, 465 runs and 20 dismissals were racked up by him. So it is safe to say he is extremely competent in both formats.
Having being a part of the historic ‘double’ by the national Under-19 team in 2014, and seeing teammates Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul elevated to constants in the senior Windies team, the youngster is gratified by the prospect that he may be just a few innings away from making a statement of his own.
“Yeah if the opportunity comes, I would be thankful to it because I know I am ready. Sitting and seeing young players elevating to the next level and performing, I want that same feeling and I have worked towards and I think I am ready to play at the highest level,” the Police Sports Club player told News Room Sport in an exclusive interview.
A tad unsure when his flight will depart for Trinidad and Tobago, where the Jaguars are based in the ambitious campaign to end the over decade wait for a 50-over title, Savory wants to keep working hard to continuously reap the results.
“It is a great feeling [to] know I put in a lot of work and I just go out there and work hard on my game and the success comes. I got a great start [ this year by scoring a hundred] but did not get much in the other matches. I don’t give up, I keep going because I know have talent and ability to make runs,” he said.
Apart from the individual success, there is a nostalgic feeling being created with the franchise from the ‘Cinderella County’; they are now winning and are most dominant, something that in yesteryear was quite the opposite.
“It means a lot to know that Essequibo, a team in the past got knocked out in nearly every first round and now to see us elevate to a next level is a great feeling to be a part of that winning team,” Savory pointed out.
Additionally, he highlighted the family-like environment created in the camp as key for success, which stems from captain Anthony Adams and coach Ryan Hercules. He was also not short on words on the support of Safraz Sheriffudeen and his satellite company V-Net Communications.
What is certain, is that Savory will get have his own senior national jersey and have a platform to showcase his talent. What is uncertain is whether he can grasp the opportunity with both hands make it count. It is the giant step he is ready to take.
