HOSTS Guyana Jaguars will face Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the fifth round of the Digicel Regional Four-Day Tournament from today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the spotlight falling squarely on the hosts’ chronically weak batting. It has not been a standout season for the Jaguars so far, with their top batsmen unsteady in their contributions – a fact that is a concern to the team management.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday during the team’s net session at Providence, manager/assistant coach Rayon Griffith said a definite improvement is needed in the Guyana Jaguars’ batting.
“Definitely we are not getting the scores that we like to, but having said that it’s cricket, and you get scores like that at times. We are yet to play to our best, to the potential that the team has,” Griffith said.
Two Jaguars batsmen feature in the top ten of the batting aggregates after the four completed rounds of the tournament.
Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul has scored 304 runs, while 19-year-old Shimron Hetmyer has gathered 244 runs. Chanderpaul is the only batsman to have reached the three-digit mark.
Griffith also said the batting was not the only worry, as the catching seemed to be also letting the side down.
The Jaguars will be looking to take advantage of a Red Force side low on confidence and finish the first half of the season in pole position.
This could well be another absorbing contest, considering the results of matches between the two sides at this venue.
Neither team has a major advantage over the other. Of the five matches, they have each won once, and it would be interesting to note that the Red Force have held the aces in the other three which were all drawn.
It’s true the Red Force perhaps may have fielded stronger units for those previous five matches, but it may be something they could draw upon to find the inspiration they may require to defy the Jaguars.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars will enter the final round before the long break for the Christmas/New Year holidays, and also the Regional Super50 Tournament, with an unchanged unit from the previous game against the Barbados Pride.
Despite their struggles this season, the two-time defending champions Jaguars have 44 points, 2.6 points behind leaders Jamaica Scorpions. The Barbados Pride are next with 43.2 points, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes have 36.6 points. The Windward Islands Volcanoes lie fifth with 35.2 points with the Red Force at the bottom of the table with 32.4 points.
The Guyana Jaguars squad: Leon Johnson (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rajendra Chandrika, Shimron Hetmyer, Eon Hooper, Keon Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Raymon Reifer and Vishaul Singh.
Red Force squad:: Yannick Ottley (captain), Yannic Cariah, Sheldon Cottrell, Jyd Goolie, Kyle Hope, Jon-Russ Jagessar, Steven Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Khary Pierre, Roshon Primus, Isaiah Rajah and Marlon Richards.