… Squad begin pre-tournament camp

TEXAS-BASED ExxonMobil has been officially confirmed as the new signature sponsor of the Guyana Amazon Warriors ahead of the sixth edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The official unveiling of the partnership took place yesterday at a media launch at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown between officials of the company and the local franchise, where the deal was finalised, signalling the company’s involvement with the three-time finalists.

ExxonMobil, which was also a part of the franchise’s setup last year, has replaced the Amazon’s main sponsor GTT, and the deal definitely builds on ExxonMobil’s existing status locally.

Speaking at the impressive unveiling ceremony, Country Manager of ExxonMobil, Rod Henson, said the partnership to promote cricket is a great unifying factor, which brings people from all walks of life, not only in Guyana but also in the entire Caribbean.

“Cricket is part of the heritage here; it does unite people no matter what’s going on, whether it’s in politics or your social life,” Henson declared.

He added, “We are excited to partner with the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and one of the reasons that ExxonMobil is very happy to partner with the Amazon Warriors is that they have a long-standing (and) excellent tradition of corporate citizenship. You guys have done over the years many things in terms of mentoring young men and women and motivational speaking and visiting schools and really that’s fantastic.

“I know you would be fantastic ambassadors for the sport, and for ExxonMobil and for the Amazon Warriors and I wish you all the best of luck … and I can’t wait for Thursday,” Henson said.

Team Operations Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Omar Khan, said the partnership with ExxonMobil can be hailed as a significant way forward.

“The whole cricketing world has transformed; the cricketing landscape has transformed. Cricket is now big business. Cricket is an industry. Sport is an industry,” Khan said

He added, “And as an industry, we need to set up systems and structures in place where we could sustain our level of participation and, as Rod said, presenting and being ambassadors of our country. In order for us to do that, we need corporate sponsors to come on board.

“We want to thank them sincerely. We want to show them that we appreciate their sponsorship very much, and we’re going to let you know that this sponsorship is not just about the ExxonMobil logo on our shirts. We’re going to make ExxonMobil proud by doing other things within Guyana and the Caribbean and throughout the cricketing world to make ExxonMobil proud of their sponsorship of the Guyana Amazon Warriors,” Khan concluded.

Meanwhile, most members of the squad commenced the pre-tournament camp at the Guyana National Stadium under head coach Johan Botha, assistant coach Rayon Griffith, strength and conditioning trainer Clinton Jeremiah along with the Warriors technical support team.

Under Botha, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will be looking to win the tournament for the first time.

The Warriors have been the most consistent team in the history of CPL cricket, but never managed to win a single title after five years. They reached the final in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Botha, the former South Africa player, pointed out that the camp, a customary practice for teams preparing for competitions, is a vital one for the local franchise.

The local franchise will be in action on Thursday against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots from 18:00hrs.

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Shoaib Malik (captain), Sohail Tanvir, Chadwick Walton, Chris Green, Rayad Emrit, Imran Tahir, Jason Mohammed, Luke Ronchi, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshan Primus, Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo, Gajanand Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Saurabh Netravalkar and Akshaya Persaud.