By Akeem Greene
When the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) started in 2013, Kemol Savory was trying to force his way into the National Under-17 and U-19 teams after exploits at the Under-15 level.
His swift work behind the stumps and big shots in front of them drew pundits to earmark him as one for the future.
As he got older, cricket life inevitably became more competitive for the lad from Adventure on the Essequibo Coast. He was virtually competing against seasoned campaigner Anthony Bramble, and now former West Indies Youth gloveman Tevin Imlach for a spot on the national team.
Given the context of Guyana’s cricket, it’s a herculean task to dislodge the former from the spot, especially given current form.
However, Savory still keeps the faith day after day in the Academy, putting in long hours and then reaping rewards for his franchise Essequibo.
He has quietly been among the top wicket-keeper/batsmen in the country since the advent of the Franchise League in 2016. Those performances landed him a spot on the reserve list for Guyana Jaguars at the last Regional Super50.
He reached that stage on the back of scoring 408 runs in two seasons (10 matches) of the local 50-over tournament.
To complement his crisp stroke-play, there were 17 dismissals, which gave him the best keeper tag for both years. His versatility was also on show in the Three-day League, as he amassed 465 runs and had 20 dismissals.
The light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of the CPL, which is themed the ‘Biggest Party in Sport.’ In this part of the globe, it is also the biggest stage for young talents to take the spotlight.
Notably, Savory played alongside the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Keemo Paul, players who have progressed from West Indies colours to big bucks in foreign Twenty20 leagues.
With the highly anticipated Player Draft happening Wednesday (May 22) in London, Savory is dreaming of the chance to join his compatriots and announce himself to the world.
“I am very confident in getting picked for CPL this year. I know I am capable of playing at that level. I live and breathe cricket and (I) know my talents and capabilities. I know eventually I will be given the opportunity to live my dream,” he told News Room Sport.
“It would be a dream come through to play for the Amazon Warriors alongside many of (my) close friends, but I understand this is professional cricket and it’s franchise cricket; any team who picks me, I would be fully committed to ensuring we win the title,” he added.
But what does the 22-year-old Savory bring to the table?
“I am a great team player and giving an opportunity at this level (I) would get a chance to show the selectors my capabilities. In my clubs, other tournaments and only recently the Commissioner’s T20 Cup I have produced both with the bat and gloves,” he reckoned.
The left-handed batsman credits the Cricket Guyana Inc. Academy for his tremendous improvement, especially with regards to mental development and fitness.
Starting cricket at the age of 10 during the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket outreach, Savory hopes 12 years later the path to playing at the highest level starts with a CPL pick.
