By Stephan Sookram

THE Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will be led by Chris Green for the 2020 season which begins on August 18. The entire tournament will be played in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

But while it seems like only yesterday the GAW suffered its yearly heartbreak of making it to the final and losing, Green, who spoke via zoom call, said that he doesn’t want his team dwelling much on it.

“I personally don’t want the guys spending too much time dwelling on the past and what could have been; we’ve got to move forward from that now and focus on what’s to come this year,” Green said, adding that he expects tough competition this year looking at the rosters assembled.

“Last year when we were there, after the game together, it certainly hurt. We went on that amazing run and then we were outplayed in the final.”
He is, however, cognizant of what that game had taught the Guyana-based franchise, saying, “We learnt a lot from that loss and similarly, we learnt a lot from our successes as well; to go through and win 11 games in a row is an amazing feat and we would have loved to get the icing on the cake and bring that trophy home. But it has left a lot of us wanting more and desiring more and using that pain as a little bit of motivation for those who are still thinking about it.”

BIO-SECURE ATMOSPHERE
Two venues across Trinidad – Brian Lara Cricket Academy and Queen’s Park Oval – will host games for the 2020 edition in what is an unprecedented year for the sporting world due to the global pandemic COVID-19.

Green elaborated on that, saying, “It’s been different. For seven days there is no atmosphere because you can’t see your team-mates. We set up a few zoom calls and face times just to keep regular contact with the guys and we are doing a lot of workouts on our balconies in the rooms and having good fun with that.
“The seven days leading into the 14th day we are allowed out within our team group so it’s been nice to spend some time together again and catch up and start training together. So we are all excited for our first game against TKR and it would be nice to start off on the right footing.”

MALIK LOSS, TAYLOR GAIN
Amazon Warriors sage Shoaib Malik has opted out of this year’s tournament, citing international engagements with his native Pakistan team.
A huge blow for the side that heavily depended on the all-rounder, GAW’s stand-in now substantive captain Green was candid about the 36-year-old’s loss.
“Shoaib was massive last year to us. He is arguably one of the most experienced cricketers in T20 cricket with the number of games he has played and the role he played in the middle with the bat; just keeping us together and being an experienced head to turn to for the young ones.”
He added that while Malik will be missed, he has left a legacy that a lot of persons have learnt from, joking that as captain, Green has big shoes to fill to follow the Pakistani.

Malik will be replaced by veteran New Zealand top order batsman Ross Taylor who Green says, “Can play a very similar role to Green throughout the middle with the bat; supporting some exciting young talent from around the Caribbean and Guyana.”

UNLEASH THE NEW BLOODS
With all the talk about the experienced heads in the squad and who replaces who, talks of the younger bloods playing an impact in the tournament were not sidelined.
Kevin Sinclair, the West Indies Emerging Team right-arm off-break bowler who joined the first class setup this year and slow left-arm West Indies Under-19 rising star Ashmead Nedd,were both drafted into the GAW side.

The spinning two will add new dynamics to the local franchises’ options – something Green says will only add to the team’s worth.
“Two more spinners are going to have to play a role in this tournament with the rules and regulations where you have to play five out of the 10 games; so one or both of them will be really important.”

“Hopefully, they are going to put in some performances where they can play more games and I have full confidence in them doing well. I’m really excited with what I’ve seen up close in the few training sessions we’ve had. They are great guys. They listen and work hard.”
“I’m excited to unleash them throughout this tournament at various stages as well.”