By Rajiv Bisnauth

LEFT-ARM spinner Gudakesh Motie says he would be happy to shoulder the task of being Guyana Jaguars’ leading spin option during the forthcoming Regional Super50 tournament.
The Jaguars picked three spin bowlers for the tournament with Motie being the most experienced among them. The other two are off-spinners Kevin Sinclair and Ramal Lewis, who are both good prospects for the future.
At 25, Motie is at the peak of his powers and is being trusted with the responsibility of leading Guyana’s spin attack, after the selectors opted to look beyond leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
The 35-year-old Bishoo’s spin partner Veerasammy Permaul, who would have been a first-choice selection is currently with the West Indies team in Bangladesh.

The two have been the backbone of Guyana’s spin-bowling attack for the past 14 years in an era when the game had become increasingly batsman-friendly. However, with the selectors now looking at younger options, Motie is up for the challenge.
“I will happily take on that responsibility. I’ve played quite a bit now and I feel like at this moment in time my bowling is at its best in terms of my control,” he stressed.
Motie, who played for the West Indies Under-19s at the 2014 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates added, “Obviously it’s a very big task, but I have done well for the Jaguars in the past and I am sure if I keep working hard on my game…it’s up to me how well I want to take this responsibility and what I want to do.”

Meanwhile, president of Motie’s home-based club, the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club (ACCCC) Vemen Walters is convinced the spinner has the temperament and ability to perform well during the tournament, despite the absence of spin twins Bishoo and Permaul.
The Regional Super50 tournament is scheduled for Antigua and Barbuda from February 7 to 27.
The 47th edition of the tournament will revert to participation by only the six regional franchises, which means that defending champions, the West Indies Emerging Players, along with Canada, USA and Combined Campuses and Colleges would miss out.

Hence the six leading franchises: Jamaica Scorpions, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Guyana Jaguars, Barbados Pride, Leeward Island Hurricanes, and the Windward Island Volcanoes are the only teams participating this year.
The reduction in the teams also means a change to the tournament’s scheduling. Last season, the teams were split into two groups. The fixture reduction now means that the tournament will be played over one round with each team playing five matches.
Guyana have not won the Super50 since Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s side bested Courtney Browne’s Barbados by seven runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method 15 years ago at the now de-commissioned Bourda Oval.
In 14 tournaments staged since then, Guyana have failed to reach the semi-final 11 times, lost at the semi-final three times and in the final thrice.