The Guyana Jaguars cricket team has started training for the upcoming Super50 competition in Trinidad and Tobago and St Kitts and Nevis. The team has been conducting various training drills at the Georgetown Cricket Club, Bourda.

Coach Esan Crandon highlighted the much needed areas of improvement, “we have to stick to basics, better rotation of strike, picking off boundaries at appropriate times; taking calculated risks; improving our fielding, it was bit scrappy last year and improving on the depth bowling”.

Quizzed if any of these areas were seeing improvements since the start of the training sessions, the coach said “ We only had two days of work but the guys have been putting some quality work in and they understand it’s a more high paced game, I’m happy with the attitude so far”.

Crandon had high praise of the team’s success in the four day format, and hopes it can be carried into the shorter version. The coach is adamant that the high confidence of the team will be the driving force behind the projected success. “When the team is winning, the confidence is high and we just got to continue that, our ultimate goal is to bring the championship home but it will take hard work” the former all rounder said.

Today the training squad is expected to conduct a match simulation exercise, and also they are expected to play two practice matches on December 28 and 30 at the Providence National Stadium after which the final squad will be named.

Guyana has won seven seven regional 50 over titles thus far and will play their first game on January 7 against the Windward Islands at the Conaree Sports Club ground, Basseterre St Kitts and Nevis. They are grouped alongside Windward Islands, Leeward Islands and Jamaica.

Despite their red ball success, in recent times, they have struggled with the white ball having last won a 50-over tourney during the 2005-06 season when the defeated Barbados by seven runs on Duckworth/Lewis method.

(Taken from Guyana Times)