– Franchise League, great preparation for Jaguars title defence, says acting GCB President

PROMISING West Demerara all-rounder Akshaya Persaud is the lone new face included in the Guyana Jaguars 13-man squad to face the Jamaica Scorpions when the 2017/2018 Professional Cricket League bowls off on Thursday.
Guyana will open their title defence at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Persaud was rewarded for his outstanding performance in the just concluded Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Franchise League three-day tournament during which he scored the most runs in the League (523).

While Guyana will be aiming for a fourth straight title, acting president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Fizul Bacchus is of the opinion that the just concluded Franchise League three-day tournament was the ideal preparation for the reigning champions ahead of the title defence.

“Definitely I feel our preparation is spot on. It has been ideal preparation, and I am confident we can defend the title,” Bacchus said during an exclusive interview yesterday.
The Jaguars has dominated the regional four-day championship for the past three years, a reflection of the strength of Guyana’s cricket programme, which, according to Bacchus, allowed for self-expression of players.

Bacchus, who is also the President of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) added “The key element of Guyana’s success in recent seasons is due to the implementation of the Franchise League. The quality of the game has seen massive improvement under this professional franchise set-up”.

The League, which replaced the traditional Inter-county competition, and comprises eight Franchise teams countrywide, gives the national selectors a wider scope in selecting senior squads, where more players are given the opportunity to represent Guyana at the senior level.
The remainder of the squad reads: Leon Johnson (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (Vice-captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rajendra Chandrika, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Bashkar Yadram, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd and Anthony Bramble.

Meanwhile, according to a release from the GCB, Vishaul Singh, Keon Joseph and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will join the squad.
Singh and Joseph are currently with the West Indies ‘A’ team in Jamaica while Chanderpaul is unavailable for the first round due to personal commitments.