The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will kick off their Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025 campaign on Friday evening as they take on hosts St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots at 19:00h.
Ahead of the highly anticipated opener, Head Coach Lance Klusener described the team’s preparation as “productive” and expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness.
“I think, like most teams, we’ve had a really productive bit of a pre- season camp back in Guyana. So, the boys got here yesterday [Wednesday] and most of our West Indies contingent arrived yesterday and one or will dribble in today. So, we should be all in by this evening. So, yeah, it’s been really productive, it’s just a matter of inducting the newcomers and the people that have joined us for the first time so, that’ll take a little bit of time but hopefully we’ll have all that completed by practice today and be good to go tomorrow.”
When asked about the team’s lineup—particularly the middle order—Klusener pointed to the depth and versatility of the squad. He highlighted several key players, including Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Iftikhar Ahmed.
“We’ve been blessed to have Shai, that’s come in and played really well for us in that umber three position so, you know, that’s been something that’s worked really well for us and probably try and do that again. You can throw Hetty in there as well. We’re lucky, we’ve got Iftikhar here, Moeen is here so, we’ve got a whole bunch of guys who can fill that whole middle order, probably just shift them around, left and right combinations.”
Workload management will also be a priority, particularly for players coming off recent West Indies tours. Klusener also praised the CPL’s Breakout League initiative, which provides opportunities for emerging talent like Kevlon Anderson and Quentin Sampson.
He added, “Competition will be stiff for that final squad spot, which is exactly what we want—it drives performance.”
The GAW squad includes Imran Tahir (Captain), Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Ben McDermott, Moeen Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed/Hasan Khan, Shamar Joseph, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Shamarh Brooks, Kemol Savory, Jediah Blades, Kevlon Anderson, Quentin Sampson and Riyad Latif.
The Amazon Warriors will be aiming to start their 2025 CPL campaign on a winning note when they take the field tonight against the Patriots.
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