By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana Amazon Warriors all-rounder Romario Shepherd has landed a three-year kit sponsorship contract with global sportswear manufacturer, Adidas India, through Cricket Zone USA, a major dealer for Adidas Cricket in North America.
The 24-year-old Guyana and West Indies A team player is one of eight local players in the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad for the Hero Caribbean Premier League 2019.
In the Warriors opening game win over St. Lucia Zouks on Thursday night at Providence, Shepherd bowled with pace, hostility and accuracy to claim 2-18 off four impressive overs, removing the hard-hitting pair Najibullah Zadran and Thisara Perera at a crucial juncture of the game.
Commenting on the deal with Adidas, which was signed prior to the start of the Hero CPL, Shepherd expressed appreciation for the support of Ravi Etwaroo, the proprietor of Cricket Zone USA, who was instrumental in finalising the partnership.
“It is a great feeling to be signed by one of the top sports company in the world and Mr. Ravi is the one who made the deal happen and a big thank you to him. I really appreciate it. He is a really amazing guy,” Shepherd said.
“And to Adidas, I am really thankful. I have been using Adidas shoes for the past three years and that’s the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever wear and now I have a deal with everything.”
Etwaroo, a Guyanese, said he is always looking for opportunities to help his fellow countrymen, and this latest deal is just reward for Shepherd’s outstanding performances over the last few seasons for Guyana and West Indies A.
Etwaroo said plans are in pipeline for other Guyanese cricketers to benefit from such contracts and those would be announced in due course.
Shepherd is the second Guyanese to be aligned with Adidas. Last October, West Indies ODI and Guyana Amazon Warriors opener Chandrapaul Hemraj was given a one-year contract with the brand.
According to Etwaroo, that contact with Hemraj would be extended when the current one ends in October 2019.
Shepherd- A model of consistency
Though he had limited opportunities in the CPL last year, Shepherd put his talent on show, removing the Trinbago Knight Riders big trio Colin Munro, Brendon McCullum and Darren Bravo is a fiery spell at Queen’s Park Oval.
He also played a massive role in the Guyana Jaguars winning the 2018-2019 Regional Four-day championship for the fifth year in a row, claiming 37 wickets at 20.13 from a whopping 257.3 overs, and scoring 315 runs, inclusive of two fifties.
He subsequently landed a spot in the West Indies A team to face India A in the Caribbean earlier this year. In four 50-over games against the touring side, he claimed seven wickets at 19.14 with a best of 4-36. He also managed 60 runs with a highest of 34 not out.
In the lone ‘Test’ he played, he had 3-29.
