– Guyana Jaguars and Caribbean All Stars square off today at Providence Stadium 

AS relief efforts continue for the victims of recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, a T20 cricket match between home side Guyana Jaguars and a Caribbean All Stars team is billed for today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the first ball set to bowl off at 17:00hrs.
Dubbed ‘Cricket Cares’, the game is organised by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), in partnership with Ansa McAl’s Carib Beer and Keem’s Foundation, a charitable organisation.

Meanwhile, during a press conference yesterday at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, captains Leon Johnson and Rayad Emrit have hailed the initiative, with Johnson indicating that cricket is a unifying force in the Caribbean.
“It’s great to see us coming together to raise funds for the countries that were affected by the hurricanes,” Johnson related.
The game will feature several players who were part of the Hero Caribbean Premier League 2017, including Emrit, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Ronsford Beaton, Jonathon Foo and Veerasammy Permaul.
The Guyana Jaguars line-up will feature all the players who recently competed in the Antigua Independence Tri-Nation T20 Series, finishing as runners-up to Jamaica.

While Johnson says execution will be the key in today’s encounter, Emrit has acknowledged that to play Guyana at home is always difficult.

“It always difficult to come to Guyana and play against Guyana, no matter what team they put up on the park, so we need to come out and give a good showing of ourselves.
“We have a lot of guys who have played international cricket and who have played in Leagues around the world, and it (is)always difficult to come and put this team together, but as experienced players, we are professionals and hopefully we can give a good showing of ourselves and most importantly, give the crowd a good showing,” the Trinidadian said.
This initiative follows several acts of benevolence and solidarity by the region to assist those afflicted by the devastating category five hurricanes.
Countries such as Barbuda and Dominica are being described as uninhabitable with almost 90 percent of homes destroyed.

The Government of Guyana through its President David Granger has already offered lands free to those who wish to migrate and rebuild their lives elsewhere. So, this game will further add to that initiative.
Guyana Jaguars: Leon Johnson (Captain), Robin Bacchus, Sherfane Rutherford, Jonathon Foo, Gajanand Singh, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Ricardo Adams, Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Ramal Lewis.

Caribbean All Stars: Rayad Emrit (Captain), Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Andre Fletcher, Nicolas Pooran, Kjorn Ottly, Kevin Cooper, Keswick Williams, Jevon Searles, Fidel Edwards, Sulieman Benn, Lennox Cush, Joshua Wade, Andre Stoll, Romaine Maniram.