Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are to participate on a bilateral regional U13 cricket tournament set to run from December 10-17, 2022, the Guyana Cricket Board has announced.
According to the GCB, the tournament to be held in Guyana complements Cricket West Indies’ plans of two-year incremental development programs.
Consequently, it is expected that the Under-13 players will be adequately exposed to competitive cricket which is hoped will facilitate their growth and development for future GCB’s two-year incremental development programs such as the National Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 training programmes.
The GCB has established structured cricket development programmes for their Under-11, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, and Senior levels.
The Under-11s are being prepared through the Republic Bank Five for Fun Cricket Development programme.
Additionally, the GCB and Republic Bank are in the planning stages of initiating a national Under-23 Inter-Club Tournament.
President of the GCB Bissoondyal Singh expressed delight at being able to positively engage the President of the TTCB Azim Bassarath.
“Both territorial boards are keen on exposing our future professional cricketers at an early age to the highest competitive standards possible. We recognize the need for children to develop their art, bowling, batting, and fielding in a fun-related manner,” he said.
“However, we strongly believe that players in the Under-13 age group can begin to challenge their minds a bit more than is currently being done. Learning cricket techniques is good but executing the respective skills in competitive environments will set the players on a greater path to success.”
President Singh added that the U13 initiative paves the way for a regional Under-13 tournament.
“We believe in promoting the training aspects of cricket so that players can inculcate the recommended practices for the game as well as a person,” he said.
“Our planned cricket academy which will cater to the needs of players ages seven to 17, is geared at making our players rounded cricketers. In addition to technical and skill development, our academy focuses on areas of cricket laws, scoring, match referee and umpire duties and etiquette including personal communication, interviewing as a priority activity, and psychology.”
Bangladesh keep T20 World Cup fate in own hands after commanding Netherlands win
Bangladesh keep their T20 World Cup fate in their own hands after a 25-run victory over the Netherlands in St Vincent on Thursday.
Not only do Bangladesh take one step closer to the Super 8s with their emphatic victory, but they also ensure Sri Lanka are knocked out, while the Netherlands need a string of results to go in their favour.
The Tigers looked to be up against it after the Netherlands' strong start, as Liton Das made an early exit for just one run thanks to Sybrand Engelbrecht's diving catch.
However, Tanzid Hassan hit 35 off 26 balls, while Shakib Al Hasan plundered an impressive 64 not out, effectively taking control of the game.
Mahmudullah's 25 just about saw them over the line before Jaker Ali closed with 14 not out to see them to 159-5.
The Netherlands soon found their stride after losing two early wickets of their own and looked to be comfortably chasing down their target through Vikramjit Singh (26) and Engelbrecht (33).
Rishad Hossain soon intervened for Bangladesh though, finishing on 3-33 as the Flying Dutchmen lost four middle-order wickets for six runs and finished with 134-8.
Data Debrief: Bangladesh just too strong
Bangladesh narrowly missed out on a win against high-flying South Africa in their last game, but a win like this is exactly what they needed to get back on track.
Al Hasen was the standout, making a marked improvement on his three runs from the defeat to South Africa with a superb knock of 64 off 46 balls, including nine fours.
“This is my dream”: Rutherford rates 68* against New Zealand as best knock of his career
West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford rates his well-compiled half century against New Zealand at the ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday as his best knock.
The 25-year-old came to the crease with the hosts teetering at 22-4 in the sixth over after bring put in to bat at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
On a pitch that he described as “tacky” and “spongy” in the post-match press conference, Rutherford took his time in the early part of his innings before accelerating to a top score of 68* to help the West Indies post a match-winning 149-9 from their allotted 20 overs.
Rutherford described the innings as perhaps the best of his career, so far.
“I will put it as my best knock. It’s a World Cup. This is my dream. I’ve always wanted to play in a World Cup and this one is going to stay close to my heart. Hopefully, I can continue to take out good innings like this for my team and for myself,” he said.
At the halfway point of the innings, the West Indies were 49-5 and Rutherford says head coach Daren Sammy’s advice was to bat time and take it deep.
“He was just telling me to take it deep. I was batting with Akeal (Hosein) so I told him to keep going but my role was to basically take it to the 15th or 16th over but after we lost wickets I just told myself to try and take it to the 20th over and try and maximize those last two overs which they had to make up with two bowlers,” he said.
The Guyanese hard-hitter was recently a part of the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders and, despite not getting a game, he says he has been using that time to prepare for situations like the one he faced on Wednesday.
“I pattern my game off these situations. Even before the World Cup, I try to put myself in positions in the nets where I have to bat properly and then have to excel in the end so I think it’s good to see that my plans and my work are coming to show,” he said.
He faced a similar situation when the West Indies found themselves 79-5 batting first in the third T20I against Australia in Perth in February.
Rutherford and Andre Russell put on 139 for the sixth wicket with Rutherford finishing 67* off 40 balls.
He says the main thing he took from that innings was the importance of giving himself time at the crease.
“The innings in Australia is one that I kept close to me and, even though it was a good innings, I try to pick a few things out of it. One of the few things was give myself time. It’s always a process and when you look too far ahead you can forget about the process so, for me, it was just ball after ball, give myself time, run singles and get myself ready so that in the back end I can make up,” he said.
Finally, Rutherford made mention of the crowd at the Brian Lara Stadium.
“When batting I try not to worry about the crowd. I just try to look at what’s in front of me and focus on the process but it’s good to have some support. It’s good to have the home crowd with us and hopefully they can keep supporting us,” he said.
The West Indies will next take on Afghanistan at the Daren Sammy Stadium on June 17.
Motie wins ICC Player of the Month award for May
West Indies’ spinner Gudakesh Motie has become just the second player from his side to secure an ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.
2024 is turning out to be a fairly rewarding year for West Indies players.
In January, young star Shamar Joseph won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for his sensational performance that led to the unforgettable victory over Australia at the Gabba. Now, teammate Motie has secured the Player of the Month award for May 2024.
The left-arm spinner beat out competition from Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker to win the award.
Motie, who continues to shine during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, had a host of brilliant outings during May.
He enjoyed plenty of success in the three-match home series against South Africa, picking up eight wickets across three matches at an average of 8.50.
On the back of his performance, the hosts sealed a statement 3-0 victory in Jamaica.
Motie picked up 3/25 in the opening contest to restrict the tourists’ chase and he backed that performance up with another impressive spell of three for 22 to stifle the middle-order in the second fixture as well.
Another two wickets in the final match turned the tide in favour of the hosts once more and allowed the 29-year-old to claim the Player of the Series accolade.
In the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup, Motie has shown fine form and picked five wickets at an average of 11.
Motie was excited to accept the award and is hoping he can continue his excellent recent form and help the West Indies succeed at the T20 World Cup.
“It means a lot to me and I am very happy to win this award. It’s very encouraging, I have put in a lot of work during this season and I am happy that I am seeing the rewards now," Motie said.
“The standout performance for me during the series against South Africa was the first game, where I took three for 25. The third wicket that night was my favourite.
“Playing in a World Cup means a lot to me, and playing at home in front of our fans and knowing the conditions is also special. We have started strongly, playing three games and getting three wins, and I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
