CHANDRAPAUL Hemraj had played a stellar role in helping the Guyana Jaguars to a fourth consecutive Regional 4-Day first-class title.

But what elevated his status from a top-order batsman to the next big thing in Guyana’s cricket was his scintillating batting performance as an opener during the just-concluded Championship.

The left-hander chalked up 623 runs at an average of 36.64 with five half-centuries, and ended the 10-match season as the Jaguars’ highest run-scorer, and fifth overall.
“When I was asked to open I was somewhat skeptical at first, (wondering) if this new role will affect my performance negatively, but I took on the challenge regardless of how I felt at the time.

“I used it as an opportunity to prove that it’s not the position/placement of the player that makes him a good player, it’s the ability to play and always give your best in whatever position you are placed,”
Hemraj, a former West Indies Under-19 player said.

The soft-spoken cricketer said, “Well my performance has helped my confidence enormously as it has truly reassured me that I am on the right track to become the athlete I always wanted to be … that is someone successful, and at the same time disciplined.
“It has also reassured me that my aspiration of playing the game at the highest level is still a possibility,” Hemraj pointed out.

Asked if the recent performance could be deemed a breakthrough one for him, the former Guyana youth player said, “I believe that the recent tournament was one of the biggest highlights of my cricketing career, since I was able to be consistent throughout the season, but I am still disappointed not to score a hundred or two.”
Regarded as one of the most promising cricketers of the Region, the 24-year-old batsman, who hails from the East Coast Demerara village of Strathavon, had had little success prior to the just-concluded season.

Hemraj made his first-class debut in March 2012, but from his first five games he managed 131 runs at an average of 13.10, and was subsequently sidelined by the national selectors.
That performance had led the young talented cricketer to take a self-imposed exile from the game for more than a year.

He returned in 2016 with a bang, though, topping East Coast Demerara runs tally in the second annual Jaguars Franchise League Three-Day – a competition that replaced the traditional Inter-county tournament.

He ended the seven-round tournament with 566 runs, the fourth highest in the tournament which eventually earned him a recall to the national set-up where he took full advantage of the opportunity.

With the Regional Super50 starting later this month, many pundits believe Hemraj’s name would no doubt be on the selectors’ minds.