Cricketers get set for Argentina trip

By Cayman Sports Buzz
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: 9 January 2017

Cayman's cricketers train at the Jimmy Powell Oval.

Cayman’s top cricketers are gearing up for the ICC Americas Division 2 tournament in Argentina next month. The players have been training under the watchful eyes of technical director Peter Anderson ahead of the tour.

Although twice-weekly sessions have been held, the players benefited from another extended session on Sunday (8 January), when they participated in extensive drills due to a damp wicket due to heavy overnight and early morning rains that prevented them from starting a scheduled trial match that morning at Jimmy Powell Oval. The atmosphere in the camp was upbeat as players vied for the 14 spots on the touring squad for the 50-over tournament.

The most recent match action for the majority of the players was when they suited up for the NCB T20 Challenge Trophy. However, although Anderson acknowledge that’s a challenge, he doesn’t see transitioning from one format to another as a major problem.

The players work on close range catching.

“I’m a great believer that the skills and drills we’re training, whether it’s for 50-over cricket or T20 cricket, are similar. For a bowler, you need to work on bowling dot balls, you need to work on building pressure [on the batsmen]. There’s no difference from T20 to 50 overs,” he said in an interview with CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

“The big thing in T20, which I want to see transfer into the 50-over [format] is running between wickets and working the ball around, and making sure we don’t miss those quick singles,” Anderson added.

The Australian coach, who previously worked in other ICC associate countries like Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea, said he’s seeing the basic batting skills needed to play winning cricket at the international level.

“The guys can hit a ball. They’ve got the talent but what I’d like to see is a four then a single, if it’s a dot ball, then another single. What I don’t want to see is four, dot, dot, dot, four, then out. That’s something that we need to work on,” he said.

Ramon Sealy participates in fielding drills.

This will be Anderson’s first international test since he took up the post last August. He said he’s starting with a clean slate, including selecting a new captain and vice-captain.

He told CaymanSportsBuzz.com that he’s trying to build a team in which all players understand their roles and stick to the overall game plan. “I’ll really be working on bowling to a plan and building partnerships. Cricket’s a simple game. Whether you’re playing T20, 50-overs or Test cricket, if you get two or three guys building partnerships, you’ll win 50-60 percent of your games,” he said.

Cayman and Argentina are the only teams confirmed for the tournament so far. A final line-up is expected to be confirmed soon. Cayman’s last international outing was a disappointing showing at the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 competition in September 2015 and was relegated to playing in the Americas Division.

The players will look to prove their mettle when they play in another trial match scheduled for Sunday, 15 January at Smith Road Oval. Ramon Sealy will captain a Cayman Cricket Board XI, while Kevin Bazil will be the skipper of the President’s XI.

“Players must make themselves available for these games to be eligible for selection,” said Cayman Cricket president Abali Hoilett. He added that player attendance at training sessions will also be monitored and factored into the selection process.

Ian Rotsie puts in some glove work.

Squads

Cayman Cricket Board XI: Ramon Sealy (Capt), Ainsley Hall, Ian Rotsie, Ricardo Roach, Deno McInniss, Alister Ifill, Conroy Wright, Corey Cato, Gregory Smith, Neil Coley, Mark Chin, Kevon Bazil, and Josh Brown.

President’s XI: Kevin Bazil (Capt), Jalon Linton, Zachary McLaughlin, Darren Cato, Omar Willis, Paul Chin, Chris Palmer, Alessandro Morris, Troy Taylor, Kervin Ebanks, Adrian Wright, Patrick McConvey, Ryan Bovell, and Sacha De Alwis.