Cayman Islands cricket flies to Argentina for ICC world cup qualifiers
On 24th February 2018, the Cayman National Cricket Team will fly to Argentina to begin its push to reach the finals of the ICC World T20 Championships.The squad, who have been ramping up their training and preparing under the watchful eye of Peter Anderson, Technical Director, will face some stiff competition on the 12-day trip but are certainly more than able to meet the challenge.
The team line up is:
Ramon Sealy (Captain) Alessando Morris (Vice Captain), Paul Manning, Troy Taylor, Conroy Wright, Gregory Smith, Michael Reid, Omar Willis, Adrian Wright, Darren Dato, Corey Cato, Alistair Ilfill, Ainsley Hall and Kevon Bazil
Whilst in Argentina the team will play 4x T20 matches facing both Argentina and Bermuda. The top two teams will go through to the next division and will then be pitted against teams from other regions. This system of qualifiers continues through to the finals.
Held at two venues in Buenos Aries, the Hurlingham Club and the Belgrano Athletic Club, there will be 6 game days in the tournaments, so whilst enthusiasm abounds, physical fitness and mental preparation will also be key to success.
After the T20 competition, the team from Cayman will remain in Argentina to play in a 3-day 50Over International competition, again with Bermuda and Argentina.
Peter Anderson, Technical Director, commented that he was absolutely delighted to be accompanying the team to Argentina, saying, “the team have worked incredibly hard and it is going to be a very proud, and exciting, moment when we get on that plane to Argentina. Of course, there are going to be a few nerves here and there, but the preparation has been spot- on and we are going to play our hearts out to get to the next level”.
Anderson added that although costs of the trip were mostly covered by ICC funding, Cayman Cricket also met some of the teams’ costs. “As a not-for-profit organization we can only continue to get Cayman on the international tour with the help of sponsors and donations. A big thank you to all our sponsors, and to Digicel who have just renewed their sponsorship for 2018 providing, amongst other things, the travelling strips for the team.
Only 10 years ago Cayman was much higher in the ICC rankings but, in recent years, the team has lost some momentum. We are certainly focusing on youth cricket and progression with a longterm vision — these are exciting times, we can be even better than we were, but it will take some time, work, dedication and of course lots of support” said Anderson.
Ramon Sealy, Captain of the Cayman National Team commented “We are ready, ready to do the best that we possibly can and get through to the next round of competition. The team have been working really hard and are focused on what we have to do”.
