Today the Guyana Amazon Warriors welcomed three local cricketers to the franchise with an official contract signing in the Boardroom of Queens Atlantic Investment Incorporated.
Romario Shepherd, Akshaya Persaud and Shurfane Rutherford will join the Amazon Warriors side for this 2018 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) competition.
Present at the simple ceremony was the team’s Operations Manager (OM), Omar Khan who welcomed the three young talented players and urged them to put their best foot forward since they are being given such a genuine opportunity to showcase their ability.
“I had the opportunity to manage the West Indies team for a number of years and I always keep telling Chris Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, the big players…I say guys, representing your country comes first. When you do well for your country, then you gain recognition on the international stage.
“So I want these young guys to take heed to those words. We have a situation where a number of young players only get selected for tournaments like these- T20- and go on the international stage, their heads swell…and I’m asking them to keep their heads on their shoulders. Remember, this is just an opportunity for you to build. Don’t get carried away with it,” he advised.
While Shepherd joins the Warriors for the first time, Persaud and Rutherford have been included in the previous seasons as Under-19s.
All three players were very appreciative of their selection and disclosed that they want to make a difference in the Warriors squad and give the supporters that championship win since Guyana has fallen short of the title on several occasions.
Guyana has reached the final of the Caribbean Premier League on three of five occasions but was never able to seal the deal.
This year the Providence National Stadium will host a total of seven matches; five home games and two scheduled semi-finals.
The CPL 2018 tournament will run from August 8 to September 16. (Kizan Brummell)
