… We must play good, smart cricket in each department, says Harper

THE Guyana Amazon Warriors cricketers have been told they must play good and smart cricket if they are to win the remainder of their preliminary encounters of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament.
That is the clear message from head coach Roger Harper who, despite an ordinary performance, is backing his players to come good in the remaining games.
The Warriors will play Barbados Tridents from 18:00hrs today in a must-win game in order to stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
But that game is not the only one the Warriors’ must win, they play the Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday in another must-win encounter.
“We know the importance of the game coming up against the Tridents (Barbados), we are in a situation where it’s a game we have to win, but to do that we know we have to follow the process, and play good cricket, and make sure we play good cricket in each department, and also play smart cricket, and once we play as well as we are capable of playing, we think we have a good chance,” Harper, the former West Indies off-spinner said.
The manner in which the Warriors executed this season provided a harsh reality check for those who thought that the Warriors might even be considered one of the favourites.
They are far from that, but there are enough match-winners capable of taking them into the unknown as long as they don’t crawl back into their shells.
The Warriors have blown hot and cold throughout the tournament, and haven’t looked sharp, at least for the first six games. They, however, rebounded nicely, winning their last two encounters at home by commanding margins.
Their bowling is still their strongest suit, despite the batting seems to be hitting peak form at the right time, but the loss of skipper Martin Guptill could be major for the two-time CPL finalists.
Guptill has returned home due to an ‘important family health matter. Retired New Zealand batsman Luke Ronchi has been roped in as Guptill’s replacement.
Guptill’s absence could see major changes to the playing eleven in the next two games, a decision, Harper said, will depend on the conditions and how they perceive the opposition.
“Those are decision we will make relative to the conditions we face, and how we perceive the opposition, and the sort of bowling attack the opposition will present, and challenge us with … then we will decide on our approach, but the important thing for us is to go out there with a positive frame of mind, the belief; and out there play the sort of cricket the Amazon Warriors are capable of playing,” Harper revealed.