NEWLY appointed skipper of the Guyana team Assad Fudadin yesterday told Chronicle Sport the team’s top order batting was a major letdown in the two completed matches of this year’s West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Regional four-day tournament and called on them to get it right in their upcoming match against Barbados.
Reflecting back on the matches, especially the first one of the tournament when Guyana took first-innings points from defending champions Jamaica but lost outright, Fudadin said his batsmen gifted their wickets away when they got starts.
“Certainly, it was a poor performance from our batsmen, after the excellent job that was done by our bowlers. I think that after we bowled out Jamaica on the first day, we should have capitalised and got a bigger score, but our batsmen failed to apply themselves.
“Let me commend our bowlers who have been bowling a consistent line and length throughout the matches so far, but our batting, which I am disappointed with has not been giving them any total to bowl at and that’s a major concern,” lamented Fudadin.
The 25-year-old Berbician continued, “They (top order batsmen) have been looking good, getting starts and everything but failing to carry on. However, we are working very hard to correct this and we are confident that it will come together, especially in this match against Barbados which starts on Friday at the Guyana National Stadium.”
When asked if the batsmen were still in the Twenty20 frame of mind, Fudadin quickly replied in the negative, and the application they have been showing while in the middle in the two matches they have played to date says different.
“If you have a look at them, you would see they are not in the T20 mode, since they are looking to get starts. On the other hand, they are not capitalising on the starts since they are finding ways to get out.
“One humbug to us is the fact that when we have a partnership, once that is broken we lose three to four wickets in quick succession and we have not been able to rebuild after such a collapse, especially the middle order, with the lower order being tasked with seeing us to our final total.”
Fudadin has not scored a century at the first class level, having a highest score of 93 and while some may have thought the captaincy was a hinder to his batting, Fudadin said it has not since he is a strong person.
“Despite losing two out of three matches so far, I still remain strong. The captaincy is not affecting my batting, since I view it as an added responsibility. It’s just that I have not been getting a start, unlike some of the other batsmen, but I will come through before the tournament is over.”
Guyana are on seven points from their three matches, having gained four from their first round encounter with Jamaica and three from the rained-out second round match against the Leeward Islands and will go up against Barbados who have nine points from their three matches to date.
The home team had an indoor session at the Mandela Avenue gymnasium yesterday, since the inclement weather has left the grounds under water, but they will have an outdoor session at the national stadium tomorrow.