… Roger Harper says his role in working with the team still to be finalised
SKIPPER Ramnaresh Sarwan told Chronicle Sport he wishes to hit the ground hard when Guyana cricket team arrives in South Africa next month to compete in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 competition.
To that effect, the national team who defeated Barbados in the final of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional T20 tournament a fortnight ago, commenced their training yesterday which will lead up to  their departure on the September 5.
The 15-man squad, minus veteran all- rounder Lennox Cush who is in Italy with the USA national team contesting an International Cricket Council (ICC) division three tournament, had a fitness session at Buddy’s Gym yesterday morning, while in the afternoon they underwent a conditioning and agility session at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, former Guyana/West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper believes that if Guyana can reflect on the performances of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), they can go far in the tournament.
“Generally, when you hear those big names and the fancy leagues they compete in, people would say we don’t have a chance and it is difficult for us to come through. But what we need to do is reflect on T&T’s performance in the first tournament and once we are prepared to play at our best, then we can show we are capable to compete against those teams.”
The man, who was at the helm of the Stanford Superstars coaching staff when they defeated England last year for the winner-take-all purse of US$20M, believes that Guyana need to prepare for the conditions they are going to face as well as the opposition.
“Off the top of my head, one of the things they would need to do is try and prepare for the conditions they are going to face in South Africa, as well as the opposition, and at the same time, they need to be very consistent.
The fact that we won the Caribbean T20 tournament and a Caribbean team placed second in the last Champions League should give the team some amount of confidence. However, I don’t think they should take that performance alone, but be thoroughly prepared and ready to perform match in and match out.
The 47-year-old Harper, who took 46 Test wickets from 25 matches at an average of 28.06, did not shy away from the question on the role he would play in the team, but was quick to state it has to be finalised.
“Honestly, I cannot say what my role would be in the team. There have been talks of me coming on board, but in what capacity I would not be able to say until the Guyana Cricket Board and I sit and discuss it as they are certain things that need to be finalised. 
Harper added: any opportunity I get to work with my national team, I would readily look forward to as it is always an honour to work with the national team of your country. While I may say that I don’t know much about the team, I will say that I have been looking at the guys from the outside.”
He highlighted one of Guyana’s strengths in the just concluded Caribbean T20, which was their catching ability compared to some of the other teams and that he said was a definite plus, along with the confidence level that is circulating within the squad.
“Their definite strength is the confidence level that is flowing along with the enthusiasm of some of the younger players. What was good about Guyana also in the just concluded T20 is their catching ability as they took their catches very well.
“T&T spilled a lot of catches in their semifinal encounter against us, while Barbados missed some crucial chances in the final. However, there will be areas to strengthen in both the batting and bowling departments, but once they get it right, they will be a force to reckon with.”
The Guyanese, who won the first ever regional T20 tournament back in 2006 when they defeated T&T in the final of the Stanford tournament, began their four-week encampment period yesterday.
According to another section of the media, five practice matches including one against T&T are on the programme during the encampment period, along with a day of interaction among the team.