…Permaul confident of Warriors bringing home the title this year
By Clifton Ross
With the Biggest Party in Sport just months away, senior Guyana Amazon Warriors spinner Veerasammy Permaul is backing the slightly new-look side to finally deliver the elusive title to their Guyanese fans in the sixth the edition Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
One of Guyana’s leading bowlers and one part of the spin twin along with Devendra Bishoo, who is also his Warriors teammate yet again this season, Permaul told Guyana Times International Sport on Tuesday, that he is most certain the Warriors can finally win the title which has eluded them for five years.
“It always a pleasure to be a part of the Amazon Warriors, I want to thank the franchise for keep their trust and belief in me and hopefully this year’s we can bring glory to this nation by winning our first CPL title”.
The Warriors, like most franchises have undergone changes over the years, however, with franchises retaining a few of their key players who might have been good to them over the seasons, Permaul credited his future team for yet again having the ideal blend of talent coming into the tournament.
“I think we got a really good team mixed with both experience and youth. Once we can play together as one unit when it comes to batting, bowling and fielding; I see no reason we can’t have a successful year”.
With 35 wickets under his belt from 50 innings and 2013 being his most successful CPL to date having bagged 10 wickets overall, his skill and effectiveness over the years has far outweighed his overall returns.
As a bowler with international experience and one of the Caribbean’s leading wicket-takers, the former Guyana skipper believes that it is crucial for him now as a senior member to be more consistent going forward.
“It’s always important for me to perform, every opportunity I got I always try to make it count and being a part of the Amazon Warriors is my home. For my franchise playing at home always drive me to perform, to see the fans and supporters happy, this is a very important tournament for me. I always look forward to it and I’ll always go out there (field) to give my all, which is 110%”.
While the recent player draft saw the Warriors placing trust in a few of their soldiers such as; Rayad Emrit, Bishoo, Luke Ronchi, Sohail Tanveer, Gajanand Singh, Chadwick Walton among others, a few new faces will have their opportunity to shine this year.
Two of those in particular; all-rounders Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd are among the Amazon Warriors newbies.
Both players have been exceptional for the Guyana Jaguars, especially during their title defense in the Regional 4-Dayers and Permaul believes their addition to the squad is a great thing.
“I think we got some very talented youngsters in the squad this year. I’ve been fortunate to play with both Rutherford and Shepherd for the Guyana Jaguars, they both are extremely talented and exciting all-rounders and I can’t wait to see both of them in action at CPL because I know they can deliver”.
Despite being dubbed fan-favorites over the history of the CPL; the Warriors who embody passion and aggression regardless of the make-up of their team, have managed just two finals; both of which ended in high fashion not in favour of the Warriors.
Concluding his interview, the 28 year-old said his team needs to find a way to break the latter stage hurdles which have been afflicting the Warriors.
“The most important thing to me I think is that we need to find a way to get past the semis and finals because we always play excellent cricket in the round stages but for some reason we are not able to go the extra couple hurdles”.
When quizzed about what advice he would give to the newcomers as well as the seasoned guys, the spinner tossed one up by urging his teams to know their roles and stay focused.
“We got a good team on paper but it’s all about how you execute on the field in all departments (batting, bowling and fielding).
He continued, “Always try to be ahead of the game and keep the momentum, every player should understand their role and what is required of them in any given situation. Once we can tick all the small boxes in the process all the big boxes will take care of themselves.” Permaul and company will look to get themselves organized in the months ahead with gala tournament set to bowl off August 8 with its first string of matches being played in Guyana.
