Thursday 19th June 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica
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| Roger Harper in conversation with sports commentator, Simon Crosskill |
Having
reached the finals held at the Queen’s Park Oval in the inaugural Limacol CPL
last year, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are heading into the 2014 tournament with
renewed vigour and determination to walk away with the title. Head Coach, Roger
Harper, spoke exclusively to cplt20.com
about this year’s squad, key players and the party that is CPL.
Looking
ahead to this season, Harper is thrilled to be back for another CPL experience;
“I am truly delighted to be back again. Last season I would say was a success
for us, we topped the group stages and then finished second, so now we see the
areas we need to work on in order to improve.”
Harper
(who coached the West Indies during the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa),
also said he is more than happy with his 15-man squad for the 2014 tournament.
“We have seven Guyanese players in our team, in addition to a few new players
like, New Zealander, Corey Anderson, who is making his name on the
international cricket stage, and Navin Stewart from Trinidad and Tobago who is a solid
all-rounder.”
While he
is disappointed not to have one of the Warriors’ most influential players from
last season, James Franklin, he feels his team is one to be reckoned with.
“James Franklin delivered the x-factor last season and I am very disappointed
not to have him back. I do however believe that we have a squad capable of
giving any team a hard time.”
When the
6’4” Harper spoke about the CPL as a whole, he was positive; “The Limacol CPL
is a massive hit in the Caribbean, it truly
has elements for everyone to enjoy. The fans, the players, the media, the
entertainment – it is just a great atmosphere for public enjoyment.”
In each
CPL squad, a team can have up to four overseas players – something Harper
believes is positive. “I think four is a good number as it allows local and
regional players to shine on the big stage and because it provides a good,
solid structure, competition for places will be stiff.”
One player
that Harper and the Warriors’ fans will be looking to see is Jamaican, Krishmar
Santokie, a player who Harper thinks has only got better in the past 11 months.
“Krishmar Santokie is a hugely valuable asset to my team. He is an intelligent
and determined player and I am very happy to have retained him. He deserves all
the success he is reaping and it’s great that he is now in the Windies T20
Team.”
Finally,
Roger had a message for the fans of Guyana to; “please come out and
support your Warriors. We are on a mission and we need you to help us! We
promise to do our best and make you all proud".
The Guyana
Amazon Warriors will open the Limacol CPL 2014 when they take on the Antigua
Hawksbills on July 11th in the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada.
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From
left to right – Curtly Ambrose, Omar Khan and Roger Harper at the CPL
draft
|
ENDS
About
the Caribbean Premier League:
Caribbean
Premier League is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines
two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean
life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. The inaugural
CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sport” featured six teams competing
throughout the region in August 2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs, The Red Steel,
Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks, Antigua Hawksbills. The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle,
emerged as champions.
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