… Hetmyer should take over leadership role

By Clifton Ross

WITH every passing match Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) seem to be on a casual downward spiral, having squandered a few opportunities to reclaim their number one spot and it seems a change in leadership could help ease the pressure and enable the former 5-time finalists to get their championship campaign back on track.

The Warriors’ season has been plagued by mixed performances by some of their key members. Thursday’s match against the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) was basically a lopsided battle, with the undefeated stars of the bubble handing the Warriors a 7-wicket loss.
Again it seems that Chris Green’s inexperience as captain is being exposed by more seasoned leaders such as Kieron Pollard, a former CPL championship title winner.

Pollard’s marshalling of his troops on a familiar battleground was of the highest class as he managed to restrict Warriors to another record season-low score.
The Aussie has been doing a fair job but the pressure of playing in the Caribbean against seasoned Regional captains, more so heading into the later stages of a championship hunt; could be telling on a young, novice skipper in the making.

GAW had a pretty odd outing due to the mere fact that Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Ross Taylor all had 20-plus scores.
At this point, it seems an overhaul is needed especially in the batting department which has been misfiring terribly. The meagre contributions provided by the local franchise were some of the positives as they looked more comfortable than they have ever been since the tournament commenced.
Pundits have been calling for a change in the Warriors’ batting order after a number of failures. Hetmyer stroked two fifties early on but has since gone cold by his standards.

One could argue that the inconsistencies exhibited by the batters have been the main reason for their failures to date.
Albeit the lack of individual runs or no substantial partnerships, especially by their two West Indies players Chandrapaul Hemraj and Brandon King; at the top of the order.

Another downfall is that the coaches and captain seem to be still searching for the right combination, although a few other experienced franchises have managed to blend faster inside the bio-bubble.

West Indies youth spinner Ashmead Nedd had a few good games but was dropped for the TKR battle. Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble and all-rounder Romario Shepherd have also been played on a rotation basis, with neither player fully hitting their maximum form.
One surprise is the exclusion of Guyana Jaguars all-rounder Kevin Sinclair. Sinclair remains on the bench despite being one of Guyana’s premier West Indies U-19 players.

Given his skills being tailor-made for limited overs cricket and how much success off-spinners have been reaping thus far, Johan Botha, a former limited overs ace spinner in his own right; should fancy adding Sinclair to the mix for the next match against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
Looking at the Green dilemma, the Australian has been bowling well and his economy has been good but his skills as an inexperienced captain have put Warriors in a tight must-win every game situation going forward.

Should Green be relieved of the captaincy, he could perform to the superstar level with ball and bat, to which he did in previous seasons.
Hetmyer reclaimed his spot as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 169 runs and should therefore be given the responsibility of leading Warriors for the latter, more crucial half of the tournament.

His leadership as a captain cannot be disputed as he’s a proven champion having won the West Indies U-19 World Cup a few years ago. Nicholas Pooran, Paul and Hetmyer also share a special bond having won the U-19 World Cup together, further adding to their synergy.
Also, his familiarity with the likes of his countrymen and National teammates, in Sherfane Rutherford, Paul, Bramble, Shepherd, Sinclair, Hemraj and King, with whom he plays international cricket for the West Indies, is a huge tactical plus as Warriors search for a new game-plan.
With West Indies born and bred, experienced leaders like Pollard, Darren Sammy, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell and Rayad Emrit all leading their respective franchises and not much international influx due to COVID-19 this year; first-hand knowledge of local teammates, grounds and Caribbean-style cricket tactics is a huge plus for any team.
As such Green, who is a star performer, would be more effective as a regular player than a leader of a team consisting of 70 percent West Indies players.
His value as a spinner and a handy lower-order batsman is essential and with Hetmyer leading Warriors, the local franchise could regain some momentum and claw their way back into a championship-winning position.