Hard-hitting Essequibo batsman Quentin Sampson is the lone newcomer in the Guyana Harpy Eagles 14-man squad for the upcoming Cricket West Indies’ CG United Super50 Cup, starting later this month.
The Guyana Cricket Board on Friday afternoon officially announced the squad, highlighting that all-rounder Keemo Paul and opener Chandrapaul Hemraj miss out due to injury.
Notably, long-serving Head Coach Esuan Crandon is no longer in the role, with Ryan Hercules, who was previously the Assistant Coach, moving up.
Garvin Nedd has been appointed as the Assistant Coach.
Efforts by this publication to get clarity on the decision to replace the Head Coach have so far proven futile.
Additionally, Christopher Barnwell and Jonathan Foo, two of Guyana’s most consistent scorers in Super50 cricket in recent years, have not found favour with the selectors.
The selectors have also named Akshaya Persaud, Junior Sinclair, Antony Adams, Matthew Nandu, Ronsford Beaton and Shamar Joseph as reserves.
Below is the full release issued by the Guyana Cricket Board.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has announced a 14-man Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) squad to participate in the Cricket West Indies Regional One-Day 50-Overs Tournament, 2022.
The noticeable omissions in the squad are international players Keemo Paul and Chandrapaul Hemraj due to injuries. Quentin Sampson, who scored 85 against a strong Berbice contingent (in the just-concluded Inter-county), is the lone newcomer.
The squad includes three specialist wicketkeeper/batters Tevin Imlach, Kemol Savory, and Anthony Bramble, all of whom have demonstrated immaculate form and/or fitness. Sensational West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer adds strength and value to the GHE batting line-up, while an informed Leon Johnson leads the national team side once again.
Ryan Hercules, who filled the role of Assistant Coach to Head Coach Esuan Crandon earlier this year in the West Indies Championship 2022 and who has since received his CWI Level Three Coaching Certification, steps up to Head Coach for the Guyana Harpy Eagles for this year’s CG United Super50.
He will be ably assisted by the hard-working and knowledgeable Garvin Nedd, who gets his coaching breakthrough after over fifteen years of invaluable aged group coaching.
Physiotherapist Angelica Holder and Cricket Analyst from Trinidad and Tobago Keshava Ramphal remain a part of the management staff.
The tournament, which bowls off on Monday, October 31, 2022, with preliminary matches in Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua, will witness the Guyana Harpy Eagles opening their challenge for the coveted CG United Super 50 Championship trophy against Windward Islands Volcanoes in a Day/Night encounter.
This year’s Regional Tournament will comprise two groups in the preliminary rounds as follows:
Zone A consists of Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Combine Campuses and Campuses, Windward Island Islands Volcanoes, and Guyana Harpy Eagles.
Zone B consists of Leeward Island Hurricane, Jamaica Scorpions, Barbados Pride, and a CWI Academy Team.
The Zone A teams will play their preliminary matches in Trinidad, and preliminary matches for Zone B teams will be played in Antigua. The semi-finals and final will be played in Antigua.
The GHE squad reads as follows: Leon Johnson (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (Vice-Captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Gudakesh Motie, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Kemol Savory, Sherfane Rutherford, Tevin Imlach, Quentin Sampson, Anthony Bramble, Nial Smith, Kevin Sinclair and Clinton Pestano.
The management staff: Albert Clements (Manager), Ryan Hercules (Head Coach), Garvin Nedd (Assistant Coach), Angelica Holder (Physiotherapist) and Kheshava Ramphal (Cricket Analyst).
