THE Guyana Jaguars depart these shores today for St Kitts, where they will begin their hunt on January 7 for a 10th regional NAGICO Super 50 one-day title.Guyana has not won a Regional One-Day title in nine years. Their last of nine titles was during the 2005-2006 season when they defeated Barbados by seven runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.
However, Head Coach Esaun Crandon said he is happy with the 14-man team selected and was optimistic about the players giving a good account of themselves, and at the same time make Guyana proud.
“We have put together a very good squad, so I am really happy with the bunch of guys we have.
“I think we have a decent mix of experience and young players which I’m satisfied and prepared to work along with,” Crandon revealed.
The squad includes four players with One Day International experience, among them the Caribbean’s most capped Test batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Crandon recently disclosed that his main aim will be centred more on playing as a cohesive unit which is vital for the team’s success.
“Teamwork will be the key for us. Last year we played some good cricket leading up to the final, but we didn’t manage to pull it off. Sunil Narine was at his best, and we didn’t really handle him in the circumstances,” Crandon had told Chronicle Sport recently.
He added: “We have been playing some good cricket in the four-day version, but it will be that transformation from the four-day to the limited overs, but I don’t see that huge difference, the same basic things are required.”
Hard-hitting opener Kevon Boodie, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and fast bowler Romario Shepherd are the three new caps named in the Guyana Jaguars squad.
The 14-man squad will be captained by Leon Johnson with Christopher Barnwell the vice-captain.
The NAGICO Super50 tournament will again be contested among eight teams, comprising the six territorial franchises, as well as the Marooners and an ICC Americas composite side.
The Jaguars have been placed in Group ‘B’ alongside the Jamaica Scorpions, Windward Islands Volcanoes and Leeward Islands Hurricanes. Group ‘B’ will be played in St Kitts.
The preliminary competition will be played under a non-elimination format with the eight teams equally divided into two groups. Each side is carded to play six matches apiece during the preliminary rounds, with each playing the others in their group twice.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals at Queen’s Park Oval, where the group winners play the runners-up from the opposite group in a one-off match for a place in the Grand Final on Sunday, January 24, at the same venue.
This equals a total of 27 matches for the biggest, senior regional domestic 50 overs-a-side tournament ever staged by the WICB.
Group ‘A’, which will be played in Trinidad and Tobago, comprises Red Force, Marooners, Barbados Pride and ICC Americas.
The full squad reads: Leon Johnson (captain), Christopher Barnwell (vice-captain), Assad Fudadin, Kevon Boodie, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Raymon Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Steven Jacobs, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Paul Wintz, Romario Shepherd and Royston Crandon.

By Rajiv Bisnauth