West Indies cricket legend Clive Lloyd is backing the Guyana team to do the entire region proud when they journey to South Africa for the Airtel Champions League T20 tournament.
Lloyd, the outstanding former Guyana and West Indies captain, is throwing his full support behind the team as they continue their preparation for the September 10-26 event.
“I will be cheering for them. I want them to know they have my full support and the backing of many other West Indians at home and those living overseas. I have been speaking to a lot of people who told me how proud they are to see Guyana qualify for this tournament. It will be a particularly proud moment for me to see the Guyana flag flying at such a prestigious, international tournament,” said Lloyd, who led the West Indies for over a decade when his team dominated world cricket and won the World Cup twice.
“I want them to believe in themselves and believe they can handle the job. They will know it won’t be easy as they will be coming up against some top-class cricketers – including some of the greatest players who have played the game. But life was never meant to be easy. The power of self-belief is an amazing thing and when that is matched with the right approach to training and preparation, things have a way of happening for you. They have to accustomed the pitches, which will be a bit bouncier than the ones at home, but once they get through that they should be OK. The bowling looks good and capable of posing problems for the opponents,” added Lloyd, who is a Director of the West Indies Cricket Board and head of the ICC’s Cricket Committee.
Guyana earned the right to represent the region at the Champions League when they won the West Indies Cricket Board’s Caribbean T20, beating Barbados in the final by one wicket with a ball to spare. Guyana will be in Group B. They will play against Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 12 at SuperSport Park in Centurion, against Mumbai Indians on September 16 at Kingsmead in Durban; against Highveld Lions on September 19 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg; and return to the same venue two days later to face South Australia Redbacks.
“I was there to see then qualify when they won the Caribbean T20 and I had to say it was a marvelous performance. Throughout the tournament people kept calling them the underdogs but they looked quite professional and did the job that was required. I like the approach of the overall team and the way they fit together and complement each other. I especially like the approach when the chips were down. They showed they have the fighting qualities that are required at this level of the game. As a Guyanese, I hope this is the beginning of things to come and we see the re-emergence of Guyana’s cricket as a major force.”
The Guyanese will get a chance to have proper warm-ups when they play two friendly matches against Trinidad and Tobago – one on Saturday and the other on Sunday – at the Guyana National Stadium, at Providence. Both matches will be played under lights at 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica Time).
Guyana will be representing the region,so i wish them well….
Wishing Guyana all the best as they represent the wider Caribbean region in the upcoming Airtel Champions League T20 tournament in South Africa. Play well to reach and win the finals of the tournament. Looking foward to see how Jonathan Foo plays in the tournament.