By Clifton Ross

WITH the 2020 edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) set to bowl off in a few weeks, all eyes will be fixed on the level of cricket which will be on display.

Dubbed as one of the more exciting T20 tournaments in the cricketing world, COVID-19 has possibly thrown a wrench into the wheels by robbing franchises of crucial encampment time which plays the biggest role in players and coaches gelling ahead of the tournament.

The time spent home will be beneficial for the cricketers who have been tasked with staying in peak physical condition despite being away from team training and gym sessions for about 5 months; similar to how the National Basketball Association (NBA) managed to control the health and safety of its players and teams which are currently playing in the Disney Land ‘Bubble’.

Cricketers will now re-enter the world of live action and likely put on one of the best tournaments in recent times, thanks mainly to the prolonged rest and recovery from any niggles they may have picked up prior to the pandemic.

One downside is that teams have not been able to commence encampment, which, in the past, usually bowls off at least one month prior to the start of the season.

This season is expected to get underway from August 18, which is roughly 2 weeks and a few days away. But with the covid-19 rates still spiking globally, regionally and here in Guyana, it remains uncertain how much time will be granted for teams to gel and have a bit of time to train as a unit.

A few of the local Guyana Amazon Warriors stars have been keeping themselves in shape thanks to the Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI) daily virtual training sessions. However, isolated workouts, hitting the weights at home or any form of improvised training can’t compensate for the real-time feeling of training with teammates and coaches.

Due to the current circumstances, it’s arguable that players can come out fitter than ever or hungrier than ever after being away from the field for a lengthy stretch. CPL, over the years, has evolved from more than a bunch of players representing a specific franchise to somewhat of a family-like atmosphere.

Much of that credit could be given to the early encampment which would give the players ample time to gel and commence work on their game plans, while, most importantly, having a bird’s eye view of players progress, fitness-wise, etc.

A number of top regional stars are renowned for their dedication to working out regardless of a pandemic. Veteran cricketers like Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and others have been known to keep themselves in shape throughout the year.

Some of the current generation of players, like Guyanese Shimron Hetymer, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford and other high-profile Warriors’ players, are products of the CGI academy system.

Although the outbreak inevitably resulted in a nationwide lockdown, by tradition, the Guyana Jaguars have been the fittest Regional 4-Day team in the last 6 years, resulting in their 5 consecutive title wins which sadly ended this year.

A fews months off the training schedule will not affect the hardened Jags players, both in the academy and national setup, after years of being exposed to training almost daily since 2014; mainly due to the team’s strict policies on training and keeping fit.

With Guyana’s cricket academy system being hailed as the best in the Caribbean by Cricket West Indies (CWI), it’s safe to say that players from Guyana who will be playing in this year’s CPL will have a clear advantage over the rest of players thanks to them being products of the academy.

Such facts could be confirmed once the tournament is successfully hosted in a few weeks when cricketers from Guyana will be tasked with living up to their reputation of being match-ready all year round.