By Neil Kumar,
THE master batsman Shimron Hetmyer’s appointment as Captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors CPL team is certainly a positive move. Hetmyer is one of the best batsmen in the Caribbean and it is important that he asserts himself and bat at number three. The best batsman in any team should bat at three and as captain the onus is on him to make the judgement call on his approach to batting depending on the situation of the game.

The Warriors could open their batting with the sound and competent Chandrapaul Hemraj and the attacking Paul Sterling. With Hetmyer at three then the likes of Shai Hope and Jermaine Blackwood can follow. The Amazon Warriors squad will benefit with the inclusion of several powerful hard-hitting middle order and lower order batsmen. Colin Ingram and Heinrich Klaasen will be useful when playing in the team.

However, the likes of Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, and Keemo Paul could be electrifying at the end of the innings. The Warriors’ batting looks very good on paper, and expectations are sky-high that this year they could bring home the silverware.

In respect to the Amazon Warriors’ bowling, Smith, Shepherd, Paul along with Tabriz Shamzi and Gudakesh motie are good enough, particularly on the slow pitches in the Caribbean. The backup bowlers such as Ronsford Beaton, Imran Tahir and Veerasammy Permaul, along with Junior Sinclair further strengthen the Warriors team as a team that can win the CPL title this year.

The fielding must be superb and very sharp. Certainly Hetmyer will set the pace. With excellent fielding the team could save runs and put pressure on the opposing teams.
Guyana will play their first match on September 3, against the Jamaica Tallawahs in Basseterre. The massive crowd support from the Caribbean people will be further enhanced in Guyana with the Cricket Carnival.