WITH a view of ensuring players are fully prepared mentally and physically for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)-organised, TCL-sponsored, regional Under-19 tournament, the Guyana Cricket Board has organised two practice matches for the now encamped national Under-19 team. In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, coach of the team Hubern Evans hinted at the possibility of having strong opposition for the proposed practice games and got his wish, since the Rest Team which is a strong one on paper, will be led by former West Indies Under-19 skipper Leon Johnson for the matches.
Also included in the lineup for the Rest Team who will play their opponents in a one–day encounter at the Lusignan Sports Club ground today are West Indies T20 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, Steven Jacobs and opener Trevon Griffith, who himself was a member of the National youth team last year.
Fast bowlers Kellon Carmichael, Andre Stoll and Seon Daniels will join Barnwell in throwing down the red cherry at a terrible pace to the nation’s young batsmen in today’s encounter, as well as the three-day fixture which bowls off at the Everest Cricket Club ground from Monday.
Formidable left-arm back-of-the-hand bowler Totaram Bishun along with left-arm orthodox spinner Raj Nannan will add variety to the Rest Team’s bowling attack in both matches, as Evans himself looks to see the weaknesses and strengths of his charges ahead of the one-month tournament which bowls off on Monday, July 18.
Johnson, Griffith, Barnwell, Jacobs, Jahron Byron and former national opener Shemroy Barrington will test the strength of the Under-19 bowlers, who will be missing their skipper Ronsford Beaton and leg-spinner Amir Khan, who are both on West Indies Under-19 duty in Florida.
They can still look to the likes of Kevin Ogle who can be considered unlucky, after failing to make the final 14-man squad, Clinton Pestano, and stand-in skipper Kwame Crosse to lead their bowling attack, with worthy support from Gudakesh Motie, Lloydel Lewis and the Adams pair of Ricardo and Anthony Adams.
Their batting will hinge around Crosse, openers Kevon Boodie and Kandasammy Surujnarine and middle-order batsmen in Joemal La Fleur, Dominique Rikhi, Chandrapaul Hemraj and both Ricardo and Anthony Adams who are useful customers with the willow in their hand.
The teams for the limited overs contest which gets under way at 09:30hrs and the three-day game which will commence at 10:00hrs each day, will be chosen from:
Rest Team: Leon Johnson (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Steven Jacobs, Shemroy Barrington, Trevon Griffith, Dinesh Mangal, Jahran Bryon, Raj Nanan, Totaram Bishun, Seon Daniels, Andre Stoll, Kellon Carmichael and Christopher Surat.
National Under-19 from: Kwame Crosse (captain), Anthony Adams, Ricardo Adams, Kevin Ogle, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Kevon Boodie, Lloydel Lewis, Dominique Rikhi, Gudakesh Motie, Joemal La Fleur, Chandrapaul Hemraj and Clinton Pestano.