Red Force vs. Jaguars

Guyana Jaguars Captain Vishaul Singh said that he knows his team will rebound from the stunning loss against Barbados yesterday and is confident that the players will quickly regroup for their fourth round match against Trinidad & Tobago.

Following Barbados’ come-from-behind 2-run win yesterday, Stabroek Sports caught up with the local team captain who was still in a positive mindset despite the hapless loss. “I think with chasing a low total complacency stepped in … but I also give credit to Barbados on their win.”

Chairman of the national selection panel Rayon Griffith is confident about Vishaul Singh’s new role as skipper of the Guyana Jaguars, likening his skills to that of ‘a small axe that can cut down big trees.’

“Singh has a similar approach [to Leon] Johnson; he’s proactive, has good knowledge about the game and has proven his qualities as a leader,” Griffith told Stabroek Sport in an interview on Wednesday. Singh’s most successful stint as skipper came when he led Demerara to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Inter-county four-day title in October, a feat that influenced his selection to fill the vacant captaincy post, Griffith said. He has been selected ahead of leading candidates Narsingh Deonarine and Veerasammy Permaul, both experienced players.

According to Griffith, who is also a first class player with 22 matches to his name, selecting the captain was a tough task. “Deonarine and Permaul were possible candidates, but we the selectors saw it best that they focus on their respective facets of the game and continue to win matches for Guyana.

Georgetown, Guyana - Guyana Jaguars’ skipper Vishaul Singh has blamed complacency as the reason for his side’s shocking two-run loss to Barbados Pride in the third round of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League on Monday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

“We played three very good days of cricket up until that hour…but I’d say our batting was just a little bit complacent and we got hit and by the time we decided the game was on it was too late,” Singh told this publication on Tuesday.

Chasing a meager 69 with more than two and half sessions available on the final day, Guyana Jaguars slipped to 10-4 then 57-7 before being rolled over for 66. The experienced all-rounder Dwayne Smith used his nagging medium-pacers to good effect, slicing through the hosts batting to finish career-best figures of 5-17.

Prior to that, Guyana Jaguars had dominated the match, scoring 261 and then dismissing the Bajans for 101 to enforce the follow-on. Barbados Pride made 228 in their second innings.

The defeat for the Jaguars followed comprehensive victories over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and the Windward Islands Volcanoes, and despite the swift turnaround in fortunes, Singh still believes his side is in a strong position as leaders of the points table.

“The camp is still in good spirit you know. It’s one of those things that can happen to anyone on a given day, but we are still on top of the table and we have an entire season ahead of us,” the left-hander, who was leading Guyana for first time, reckoned.

Looking ahead to the fourth round encounter this weekend against hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Singh refused to be despondent, but is rather optimistic of his side rebounding from the loss.

“Our chances are good. We are playing very good cricket as a team and we are backing ourselves against any opposition at any venue,” Singh concluded.

The Guyana Jaguars lead the points table after three rounds with 39, five more than Jamaica. Barbados Pride are on 27, followed by Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (23), Windward Islands Volcanoes (22) and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes (07).

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Georgetown, Guyana - Joseph Simon replaced Roshan Moakan as President of the Berbice Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) when that body held its Biannual General Meeting on Sunday last at the Berbice Cricket Board Office.

Clement Brusch will serve as the Vice President while the Secretary is Augustus Outar. Jaipersaud was elected Treasurer and Dhieranidranauth Somwaru the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer. Oomadatt Samaroo was chosen as the Auditor and the Committee Members are Rafeek Latif, Orwin Archer and Samaroo.

First Published By Kaieteur News.