Georgetown: The wait is over. It is confirmed that Guyana will be one of the hosts of the much-anticipated seventh Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament. The agreement was signed by the Department of Social Cohesion and CPL Thursday.
In brief remarks, Minister of Social Cohesion, Hon. Dr. George Norton said the citizens of Guyana will soon be able to enjoy this beautiful game while cheering on their team.
“Cricket is in the air, we know what cricket is to the Guyanese society and we are certainly glad to be a part of this tournament where persons from all walks of life from different geographical areas, communities to enjoy the game of cricket.”
Minister Norton said all arrangements are in place and encouraged the avid cricket fans to come out in their numbers.
The team’s five-day training camp will begin on August 30 with a focus on fitness. There will also be game simulation exercises and a practice match on September 3.
Amazon Warriors, Operation Manager Omar Khan said selecting Guyana as one of the host countries was in large part due to the huge support shown by the government and its people. “The Guyana public is always excited about CPL coming to here…you will see the anticipation, the hype as people get their tickets early.”
Khan also said that the organisation intends to place more emphasis on the young players so they can hone their skills. “This year, Guyana is the only franchise that has eight national players in their lineup… the only Caribbean franchise and we have deliberately done that because young Guyanese players need the opportunity to make a name for themselves. They must be able to interact with professional players to create discipline and that is what we are doing to develop our players to become better cricketers,” the Operations Manager said.
Some of the players making the Amazon team include Chandrapaul Hemraj, Anthony Bramble, Clinton Pestano, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul as part of the line-up.
It was also mentioned that two under-19 players will join the squad for the matches and while the Guyana Cricket Board is currently working out the details, they will soon be joining the training camp.
The Amazon Warriors will begin their quest with a three-match home leg at Providence Stadium. On September 5, they take on the St. Lucia Zouks and then face off with St. Kitts Patriots on September 7. This is followed by a clash against Barbados Tridents on September 8. The team will then head off to play five away games before returning to Guyana for the final two big home matches in early October.
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