By Akeem Greene
The ninth edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) starts on August 26 and it will be another quest of the five-time finalists, Guyana Amazon Warriors, to win a maiden title.
To potentially conquer the title jinx, the team’s Strength and Conditioning Trainer, Clinton Jeremiah, said the players must focus in pressure situations, which was an area of key concentration during the preparatory camp.
“Generally, the fitness level of the guys was quite good; the main focus was to concentrate on their ability to focus under pressure,” the trainer expressed in an interview with News Room Sport.
“So, we had a lot of situations where we tested their ability to stay focused in pressure situations and the attitude throughout was quite good and (we are) generally quite pleased with overall effort and intensity.”
With all 33 matches being played at Warner Park, St. Kitts, a similar approach to last year in Trinidad and Tobago, Jeremiah said they have addressed the issue of bubble fatigue, which has affected the players in the past.
“As per usual, the make-up of this team changes every year. The general attitude last year was a bit more challenging because of the pandemic and we did discuss a lot of that and that quarantine period and that bubble life is not as simple or easy to deal with.”
Jeremiah added, “You had a lot of young guys who found it a bit difficult to adjust and I think we addressed a lot of those in the set up this time around.”
In the last edition, the Warriors did not qualify for the final, after doing so in 2018 and 2019, and the trainer said the players are ready to fight this time around.
“One thing I can guarantee you is that the Amazon Warriors team will always show up with a fight. The mantra of this team is fight until the end and I have no doubt the guys will go forward and give their best effort in St. Kitts.”
Meanwhile, Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, indicated that the players and staff in Guyana will leave today (August 16) and should arrive in St. Kitts tonight where they will be joined by Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq.
Batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran will join on August 18, while other players will join on August 22 and should be available after a three-day quarantine.
Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith is expected to join the set-up after the West Indies/Pakistan series concludes on August 24.
No official announcement has been made yet as it regards this year’s Head Coach or Captain.
However, sources have indicated that Pooran, West Indies T20 International Vice-captain, will lead the Warriors this season.
Amazon Warriors face defending and four-time champions, Trinbago Knight Riders, in the opening match on August from 10:00h, while Barbados Royals and St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots battle from 19:00h on the same day.
Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammad Hafeez, Brandon King, Naveen-ul-Haq, Romario Shepherd, Waqar Salamkheil, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Odean Smith, Niall Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd.