– Hard work and dedication paid off, says duo

HEAD-coach of the Guyana Jaguars, Esaun Crandon believes the selection of talented batsman Chanderpaul Hemraj and fast bowler Romario Shepherd to the West Indies-A One Day squad for the limited overs leg of the England Lions tour of the Caribbean, is a testimony of the development of Guyana’s cricket.
The duo joins fellow Guyana Jaguars’ teammates, Keemo Paul and Raymond Reifer in the squad for the three-match series.

“Well as the coach, I am obviously happy, but it’s not all about championships for me, but to produce quality players for the West Indies is what matters the most,” Crandon said during an exclusive interview yesterday.

The former national fast bowler added “The selection of Hemraj (Chanderpaul) and Shepherd (Romario), who now join Keemo Paul and Reifer (Raymond), is a testimony of the development of Guyana’s cricket. It also shows that the new Professional Cricket League system has paid dividends”.

Both Hemraj and Shepherd were in top form in the just concluded Regional four-day and Super50 tournaments.
“I’m absolutely delighted about the selection. I’ve been scoring some runs of recent so I’m happy it’s been rewarded,” said the 24-year-old Hemraj who spoke with Chronicle Sport yesterday

Although there has been no official release from Cricket West Indies selection committee, the duo departed yesterday afternoon for Antigua.
Hemraj, the stylish left-handed batsman has matured in his approach to the game since his return to competitive cricket, and has practically batted himself back into the senior team’s fold.

While he was unable to convert any of his five fifties into hundreds, Hemraj was the Jaguars’ leading run-scorer in the four-day tournament with 623 runs. He also managed 227 runs in the Super50 edition, with a top knock of 80.

However, with the West Indies A call-up, the former West Indies Under-19 player feels his dream of playing international cricket for the West Indies is fast approaching.
“I am not surprised at all, I think the hard work and dedication is paying off, so I just will take it one game at a time and hope that the opportunity go my way,” said Hemraj.
On the other hand, Shepherd, who took 15 wickets in the four-day format, and 11 in the Super50 tournament, said he is excited about the selection, adding that the feat is just one of the goals he had set out during the recently concluded regional tournaments.

“Definitely I want to make full use of the opportunity; I want to make a valuable contribution to the series,” the 23-year-old said.
The Windies-A will face England Lions in three 50-overs matches at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.