Members of the Guyana Harpy Eagles 13-man squad, accompanied by team officials, departed for St. Kitts on Sunday morning to begin their title defence in the Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day Championship, starting February 7.
The Harpy Eagles will square off with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in their season opener at the Conaree Cricket Centre.
In the absence of several seasoned campaigners, the Ramnaresh Sarwan-led Selection Panel has picked five uncapped players.
In-form batsman Raymond Perez, leg-spinner Steven Sankar and all-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed were initially named in the squad, while fast bowling all-rounder Neiland Cadogan and off-spinner Richie Looknauth were later drafted in to replace fast bowler Nial Smith and batsman Akshaya Persaud.
Smith picked up an injury during encampment, while Persaud was transferred to the Combined Campuses and Colleges.
While Perez, Sankar and Cadogan are yet to debut for Guyana at the senior level, Looknauth and Alimohamed have already played List A cricket for the country.
Prior to departure, Harpy Eagles Assistant Coach Garvin Nedd said the players were in good spirits heading into the championship.
“He outlined that the team managed to focus on all areas of work during the camp and training, adding that he’s confident of a good showing by the defending champs, as they seek to hit the ground running ahead of their opening game,” the Guyana Cricket Board said in a press release on Sunday afternoon.
This season will see the start of a new era of leadership in Guyana’s cricket, with young batting pair Kevlon Anderson and Matthew Nandu handed the critical roles of captain and vice-captain respectively.
Guyana Harpy Eagles squad: Kevlon Anderson (captain), Matthew Nandu (vice-captain), Veerasammy Permaul, Antony Adams, Kevin Sinclair, Ronsford Beaton, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymond Perez, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Steven Sankar, Kemol Savory (wicketkeeper), Richie Looknauth and Neiland Cadogan.
Due to the unavailability of the National Stadium at Providence, which is currently undergoing preparations for the Men’s T20 World Cup in June, the Harpy Eagles will play all seven of their games overseas.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
West Indies Championship 2024
February 7-10
Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Barbados Pride – Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy – Warner Park, St. Kitts
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
February 14-17
Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC – Sabina Park, Jamaica
Barbados Pride vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles – Warner Park, St. Kitts
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy – Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
February 21-24
Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride – Sabina Park, Jamaica
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC – Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – Warner Park, St. Kitts
West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles – Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), Antigua
March 13-16
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes – Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Barbados Pride – Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI Spec (UWI SPEC), Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions – CCG, Antigua
March 20-23
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions – Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs CCC – CCG, Antigua
April 10-13
Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles – Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride – UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – CCG, Antigua
April 17-20
Jamaica Scorpions vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Guyana Harpy Eagles – Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Barbados Pride – CCG, Antigua
