In the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament, the first match to be played at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence will feature the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and the St Lucia Zouks. The action begins today, Thursday September 5, from 18:00 hours local time.
On the eve of this scintillating clash, the captains and coaches of the respective teams addressed media operatives at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown. GAW Head Coach Johan Botha disclosed that team members are rearing to go after a few good days of practice at Providence. He said all the players are touching base, and the team has implemented all the necessary plans.
With a lot expected from batting star Shimron Hetmyer, Botha disclosed, the batsmen around Hetmyer will have to support well.
The calm and composed GAW captain Shoaib Malik said his team members have been gelling well.
“From the practice matches played, the team has been doing well. It’s like there is no senior or junior element in our team,” Malik explained. With senior players guiding their younger counterparts, Malik explained, the scenario is key for consistent success.
Meanwhile, St Lucia Zouks’ Head Coach James Foster shared similar sentiments as he explained that his team is ‘ready to rumble’ in this 2019 Hero CPL.
He said Rahkeem Cornwall and John Campbell were due to arrive last night, before this opening match, and the rest of the Zouks squad is already here.
Zouks’ captain Darren Sammy, one of the better T20 West Indies captains, was first and foremost happy with the change of the team name (from Stars to Zouks). He disclosed that his Zouks team will be looking to kick-start proceedings on a positive note after their ordinary campaign in 2018.
GAW Squad reads: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Ben Lauglin, Chris Green, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Keagan Simmons, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, and Clinton Pestano.
St Lucia Zouks squad: Andre Fletcher, Ronald Cato, Andre McCarthy, Keddy Lesporis, Nitish Kumar, Darren Sammy, Kesrick Williams, John Campbell, Christopher Barnwell, Thisara Perera, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jeavor Royal, Harous Viljoen, Khrismar Santokie, Fawad Ahmed, Obed McCoy, Beuran Hendricks and Kaveem Hodge.
