“We’ve seen some decent numbers, and at the same time, some disappointing numbers as well.”
That’s how Guyana Amazon Jaguars’ Head Coach, Esuan Crandon, summed up the recent fitness tests by national cricketers at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
The final batch of players was involved in a high-intensity session on December 20, while the first set was tested 10 days earlier.
The players were required to undergo a Yo-Yo Test in which the minimum standard of 40 was required, then a 40m sprint, which they needed to complete in less than 5.8 seconds.
The Jaguars are preparing to compete in the Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day Championship, which is schedule to start in February 2022, and the fitness sessions were geared to test players’ readiness.
“I don’t think personally some of the guys have been doing a lot of work when it comes to their fitness,” a candid Crandon highlighted.
“We have already talked to them about it (before), and it’s disappointing to see some guys come and their scores drop. Some obviously would have improved and some maintained, but it’s just about seeing where they are and set targets going forward.”
The Guyana Cricket Board’s Senior Chairman of Selectors, Ramnaresh Sarwan, at a press conference recently, said the intention is to raise the minimum fitness standard on the Yo-Yo test to 45, going above the Cricket West Indies minimum standard of 40.
This, Crandon explained, will be a process, one that must be followed if players want to lift their game.
“We’ve set out our intention clear to have a fitness standard that is not compromised, but (one that) all players must work towards achieving. There is a process that we need to follow and we will have to support the players with regards to that,” Crandon, who led the franchise to five consecutive Four-Day titles, pointed out.
The former national cricketer further articulated that it is really up to those players who are lagging behind and their drive to improve in order to meet at least the minimum standard.
“See it as your job,” Crandon advised.
“You’re a professional athlete; you’re a professional cricketer and most of them are contracted players and you’re paid to play. It’s just a shame at times to see some guys not really making use of the opportunity to get their fitness done.”
