Scorpions look to bounce back against Guyana
Published:Sunday | February 14, 2021 | 12:24 AMLennox Aldred - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Scorpions captain Rovman Powell says his side will have to quickly shrug off the defeat to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and come good against Guyana in today’s Regional Super50 encounter at the Coolidge Cricket ground, starting at 12:30 p.m.
The pointless Scorpions, who have played just one game, will go up against the current table-toppers Jaguars, who have registered wins against Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes so far.
Currently bottom of the standings, the Scorpions will be hoping for a win and looking to get their net run rate into the positive, with their current run rate at negative 1.157.
The Scorpions are one of the few teams that came into the tournament with no practice matches under their belt, and, despite the five-wicket loss in their opener against the Red Force, Powell says the lack of match practice won’t be an excuse for the team’s performance going forward.
“To be honest, the lack of match practice hasn’t really affected us that much. The guys are professionals and we have a lot of international players who just returned from the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, so they have cricket under their belt. So, it’s not the time for excuses, we just have to pull up our socks and come good for the next game,” said Powell.
MORE URGENCY
The Jamaican captain will be hoping for a bit more urgency and commitment from the batting unit, which put up 258 runs against the Red Force.
One bright spark for the Scorpions is the form of Brandon King, who made a workman-like 97 and just missed out on his first regional List ‘A’ century.
The Scorpions will be hoping that Andre McCarthy can also put in another good all-round performance, following his contribution of 40 runs and two wickets with his off-break in the opening encounter.
Meanwhile, Guyana will be hoping to keep their momentum going in the tournament, following a perfect start. Captain Leon Johnson has been leading from the front, following his century against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
The Jaguars bowlers will also be keen to pounce on the Scorpions’ batting line-up, with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie looking to continue his excellent start, following five wickets in two games thus far.
Johnson believes the young spinner could be the trump card once again against the attack-minded Jamaican batters.
“Motie has been on the circuit for a while and he is a very cunning bowler. He always uses his variations to good effect and I hope he will continue,” said Johnson.