By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana Amazon Warriors left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is aiming to make a big impact with bat and ball in the upcoming Hero Caribbean Premier League.
The Guyanese is recovering from a hand injury and is confident he would be fully fit by the time the tournament bowls off on August 31.
Once the clearance is given to return to competitive play, Motie is hoping to fire on all cylinders, not just in his primary role as a vital cog in the bowling armory, but as a potential contributor with the bat in the death overs.
“Once I get the opportunity to play, I’m looking to make a big impact with both bat and ball,” Motie said.
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In his debut CPL season in 2021, Motie impressed with eight wickets from seven games for the Amazon Warriors, with a best of 3-25 against Jamaica Tallawahs.
Those performances, coupled with consistent returns at the domestic level for Guyana Harpy Eagles (he scored a maiden First-Class hundred against Barbados Pride this year), secured him a West Indies call-up, making his debut in Test, ODI and T20 Internationals in the space of seven months.
While he is yet to pick up a wicket in his solitary Test and T20 International, the Albion spinner has been impressive in ODIs, claiming eight wickets in four games, including a brilliant spell of 4-23 against Bangladesh at Providence in July.
Unfortunately, he picked up the injury in the subsequent series against India and has been out of action since.
“I’m about 80-90%…still doing some work with the physio and I think I should be ready before the tournament,” Motie added.
Now that he is closer to a full recovery, 27-year-old is optimistic about playing his part in helping the Warriors to a maiden CPL title.
The Warriors have been to the final a record five times, finishing as runners-up on every occasion.
“We’re very confident (heading into this tournament),” Motie declared.
“We had some training sessions back home and the coaches put in a lot of work…we had some good simulation sessions leading up to this tournament, so we’re really confident right now.”
