Members of the successful Guyana Under-13 squad upon arrival in Guyana. The players are flanked by Head Coach Ameer Rahaman (right), Assistant Coach Kumar Bishundial (second right) and Manager Rayon DeCosta (left) at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Ogle (Photo: News Room/Kirth Cadogan/August 9, 2023)
Head Coach of the successful national Under-13 cricket team, Ameer Rahaman, is optimistic about the future of Guyana’s cricket after the national side trumped hosts Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in a rain-affected four-match, 40-over bilateral series.
The series, an initiative by the presidents of the two country boards- Bisssondyal Singh of Guyana and Azim Bassarath of Trinidad and Tobago- geared to give youngsters an opportunity to showcase their skills, was held from August 2-8.
Matches one and four were affected by rain and deemed no-results, with Guyana winning games two and three by three wickets and five runs respectively (see summarised scores below).
“For me, it is unbelievable,” Rahaman said of the talent within the Brandon Henry-led squad.
“What I can proudly say is that the future of Guyana’s cricket is in good hands.”
Rahaman was at the time speaking to media operatives upon arrival in Guyana at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle on Wednesday, with his young charges flanking him.
Guyana’s skipper Brandon Henry receives (from left) the series trophy, his MVP prize, Best Fielder award and Player-of-the-Match trophy for Game Three
Apart from winning the series, Guyana copped several individual awards, with skipper Henry lifting the Most Valuable Player prize, Best Fielder accolade and Player-of-the-Match in Game Three.
He was outstanding with the ball in the third match with figures of 8-3-6-3.
Reyaz Latif (19*) was Player-of-the-Match in Game Two.
Henry said it is “an amazing feeling” to lead his country to a historic series win, after the Trinidad and Tobago side won the inaugural bilateral series in 2022 in Guyana.
“To win a trophy for your country is a big deal, not just for me, but for the whole team and even the nation,” Henry said.
Teamwork, the young captain highlighted, was the driving force behind Guyana’s success.
“Working in a partnership (was key). If we’re not working as one, there is no kind of direction or a way where we want to go, so we needed to work as a team and that’s how we came out on top.”
Reyaz Latif was Player-of-the-Match in Game Two
‘Preparation was crucial’
Rahaman felt the Inter-county competition, from which the squad was picked, and the subsequent training camp were crucial in fully prepping the team for success in the series.
“And I think that was one of the reason we were able to be successful,” he pointed out.
The Head Coach explained that having a member of the management team coming from each county was also another important factor in building a winning unit.
While Rahaman is from Berbice, Assistant Coach Kumar Bishundial hails from Demerara and Manager Rayon DeCosta is from Essequibo.
“All of us actually knew the players inside out, and that allowed us to build a strong relationship with everybody and we ended up achieving up what we wanted.”
Summarised scores from the series
GAME ONE: No-Result
SUMMARY: Trinidad and Tobago 43-9 from 18.3 overs (Richard Ramdeholl 2-2, Brandon Henry 2-5, Makayah Holmes 2-11)
GAME TWO: Guyana won by three wickets
SUMMARY: Trinidad and Tobago 87-4 from 32 overs (Justin Pamphille 29*; Richard Ramdeholl 1-9, Thierry Davis 1-13, Raffel McKenzie 1-13) vs Guyana 88-7 from 29.2 overs (Reyaz Latif 19*, Richard Ramdeholl 11, Justin Dowlin 11; Reyad Jerome 4-15)
GAME THREE: Guyana won by five runs
SUMMARY: Guyana 89 all out from 33.1 overs (Lomar Seecharran 18, Tameshwar Deonandan 10; Reyad Jerome 3-14, Davis Guerra 2-8, Jaden Seurattan 2-10) vs Trinidad and Tobago 84 all out from 39.3 overs (Jaden Seurattan 13, Adrian Singh 11; Brandon Henry 3-6, Ethan Silas 2-11, Makayah Holmes 2-16)
GAME FOUR: No-Result
Match abandoned due to rain
Guyana Under-13 Team: Brandon Henry (Captain), Richard Ramdeholl (Vice-captain), Justin Dowlin, Bhomesh Lall, Khush Seegobin, Lomar Seecharran, Tameshwar Deonandan, Nathaniel Ramsammy, Reyaz Latif, Joshua Bollers, Ethan Silas, Makai Dowlin, Raffel McKenzie, Thierry Davis and Makayah Holmes.
Kumar Bishundial was the Assistant Coach, while Rayon DeCosta was the Manager.
