Jaguars super fan speaks…
By Brandon Corlette
Guyana Jaguars’ reign at the top of the Regional 4-Day tree came to an end when Barbados Pride dethroned the five-time defending champions who were vying for a sixth title. Jaguars had their loyal followers, and this season, the team’s performance was below par.
Cricket Super fan Cindya Khellawan, who was seen at most home matches at Providence, spoke to this publication and produced an extended analysis of Jaguars’ performance in the recently concluded 2020 Regional 4-Day season.
“In this season, the Guyana Jaguars struggled in achieving solid opening partnerships, which set the tone for good totals. That placed a lot of pressure on the guys coming in after. Jaguars did not have their full-strength fast bowling line-up this season, and that hurt them a lot. They did not manage to bag those fast bowling points like they did in previous seasons.
“Barbados Pride dominated in that area, which really set them up nicely to deny Jaguars a sixth consecutive title. As Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been saying throughout the season, the Jaguars’ batsmen struggled to convert those starts into big scores. Centuries are confidence-boosters. Certainly a few more than two centuries would have put the team in a better position.
“In my opinion, these are the major reasons why the Jaguars did not win the title this year.
It’s always good to magnify the positives. It’s a known fact that Veersammy Permaul has been overlooked by the West Indies selectors for quite a while. He has been a stalwart spinner for the Jaguars for many seasons, and yet again this year he delivered.
“Fingers crossed, I hope he returns to the international arena soon enough. He’s deserving of a recall. Christopher Barnwell had some good knocks this season, and I personally enjoyed watching him bat. One of the secrets to success is good leadership. I don’t think the Jaguars could have asked for a better leader than the one they had over the past seasons — Leon Johnson.
“Johno’ didn’t at all times look confident with the bat, but he had a few good knocks this season, which I enjoyed watching.
“As a team, the Jaguars did not manage to pull it off this season. From a fan’s perspective, that loss against Jamaica at Providence cut me deep. But it was a tough wicket I thought. The match against Barbados at Providence was also an important match. The Jaguars really needed to emerge victorious to still have a good chance of winning the title for the sixth consecutive time.
“Barbados came with a wealth of experience, and they left the Jaguars panting for breath throughout that day/night encounter.
As the ardent fans would know, the final two rounds of this season were called off due to COVID-19. In fact, so much had been put off and put on hold in the wider sporting world due to this pandemic. It’s unfortunate. I’m missing cricket a whole lot, and I know it’s the same for many fans.
“However, health is the only urgency at this point. This too shall pass. There’s a lot to look forward to once. We’ve gotten past these trying times. I’m confident that the Guyana Jaguars will put in the hard work and come back all ready to roar for the next season. That’s what champions do. Stay safe everyone!”