By Rajiv Bisnauth

THERE is no doubt that the Guyana Jaguars are not a dominant force in regional cricket. They won the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day (First-Class) cricket five consecutive times.
What has eluded the Jaguars for over a decade and a half is the one-day version. With rare display of grit and determination, Guyana last won a title at this level in 2005.
However, with the CG Insurance Super50 Cup set to bowl off on Sunday, spearhead of the Jaguars’ bowling attack, Romario Shepherd, feels the Jaguars are a dangerous unit, who are capable of upsetting any opposition on any given day. “As a unit we are dangerous … we have a great chance once we play together. As a unit we are confident in our game, and once we play our brand of cricket we set out to play we will go a long way,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd, the 26-year-old, who missed the recent West Indies tour to Bangladesh due to being tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the departure of the squad, feels with the 15-man squad available for the tournament, Guyana stand a good chance of winning their tenth title at this level. “The squad is really a balanced one … if you look at our bench, it’s strong, we can flex with our eleven on any given day, so that’s a good sign that we have a good squad – a squad hungry for the opportunity to go out and represent Guyana,” the West Indies ODI player reckoned.
Meanwhile, Shepherd is of the opinion that the tournament is another opportunity for him to showcase his talent since his main objective is to give his best in whatever situation.
“This tournament is another big opportunity for me to go out and showcase my skill. Yes I do set my goals from before with bat and ball in the field, but I normally like to keep it to myself, However, my number one goal is to always give my best in whatever situation,” he stressed.

The squad is fully cognizant of the hard work that is needed to lift the trophy that has been eluding them since 2005. Prior to 2005, Guyana reigned supreme in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2003. Only the six regional franchises are taking part, which means that defending champions West Indies Emerging Players, along with Canada, USA and the Combined Campuses and Colleges will miss out. This means 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 competing this year for the Clive Lloyd Trophy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 19 matches will be played in the tournament scheduled to conclude on February 27. Each team will play each other on a round-robin basis with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals and the opportunity to reach the grand final. Matches will be played at Antigua’s two international cricket venues – Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS). There will be 13 matches at CCG including the semi-finals and final, and six matches at SVRS.