Guyana’s batsmen need to score heavily in remaining matches – Coach

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Guyana’s T20 team has so far suffered mixed fortunes in the ongoing Caribbean T20 tournament, winning two of their four matches in less than convincing fashion played to date.
The Guyanese now find themselves facing elimination if they do not win their remaining two matches convincingly and increase their run rate. They play the Leeward Islands today (Thursday) and the Windward Islands tomorrow (Friday).
Under the new tournament format, the team that tops the preliminary round will advance to the final on Sunday at the picturesque Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia.
The second and third placed teams will meet in the play-off on Saturday. The winner of the playoff will advance to the final.
After 15 matches played in the tournament, excluding Wednesday’s games, Trinidad and Tobago have won four out of their five games and are on top of the table with 17 points with a Net Run Rate of +2.897, Jamaica, 13 points, Barbados, Windward Islands and Guyana are all on eight points; the Combined Campuses and Colleges have four points with the Leeward Islands yet to register a point.
Started with an ‘escape’ victory against CCC, the Guyanese then blotted Barbados but were well and truly humbled by the T&T’s Red Force and Jamaica.
However, from those defeats head Coach Esaun Crandon has appealed for responsible innings from his top order batsmen, in particular.
“Our batsmen have to be a little bit more determined than they have been to stay there, be a little bit more conscientious about the way they build their innings, and executing their roles for the team,” Crandon said during a telephone interview from St Lucia yesterday.
Crandon lamented the fact that apart from the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul, his top order has not laid any foundations for significant totals in the tournament so far, something they must work on to achieve the big totals.
Looking at the batting lineup which consists of Chanderpaul, Trevon Griffith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Steven Jacobs, Christopher Barnwell, and Crandon’s younger brother Royston, the coach expressed disappointment in Guyana’s totals, especially the last two games against T&T and Jamaica.
Questioned on his bowling department, Crandon said to some extent he is pleased with the bowling department.