DEFENDING Champions Guyana began their final round game of the Blaze Women’s T20 against Barbados on Wednesday with a narrow path to the finals.
The Guyanese ladies needed to win with a bonus point while ensuring their opponents did not score any bonuses and also needed Trinidad and Tobago to lose.
But while Jamaica beat Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana failed to their part despite an unbeaten 41 from West indies batter Shabika Gajnabi and Mandy Mangru with 11.
Guyana was bowled out for 70 as Barbados won by 22 runs dashing the hopes of back-to-back T20 titles.
Gajnabi (92) finished as Guyana’s leading scorer among the top five in the low-scoring tournament in which Captain Shamaine Campbell scored one of only three fifties.
Off-spinner Plaffianna Millington was Guyana’s top wicket-taker with eight scalps and among the top five overall while Kaysia Schultz and Ashmini Munisar were among the five in the list of best bowling figures with four-wicket hauls.
The T20 Final is scheduled for today with Barbados opposing the Leewards after Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago clash in the third-place play-off.
Following that game, the Guyanese lasses will now shift their attention to the Super50 format which they have never won.
Guyana was the runner-up on three occasions.
Guyana’s Head Coach, Clive Grimmond, told Chronicle Sports after the defeat to Barbados that, despite the adverse weather leading up to the tournament, the ladies had a decent camp with turf practice and training sessions in Guyana.
“In St Vincent we had a good training session, again planning was the key the way we would like to go about playing each team. We talked about the weakness and strength of each team,” informed Grimmond who was appointed to the role in 2023.
“The positive is that the new players showed positive intent… players like Latoya Williams who is a good all-rounder with the bat and in the field and she can also keep wicket.
Off spinner Tramaine Marks bowled with very good control while leg spinner Danellie Manns who is only 17 years old played her first game today (Wednesday) and did not take any wickets but bowled with good control and is certainly one for the future,” the Coach continued.
According to Grimmond over the past years the bowling has been Guyana’s strength, especially spinners.
“Although we lost games their bowling figures were all decent and among the top of the wicket-takers list.
That tells you the batting is not standing up and we have batters like Shamaine Campbell, the two Grimmonds (the 2025 tournament’s leading scorers Realeanna and Sheneta), Shabika Gajnabi, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Latoya Williams, Kaysia Schultz,’’ said the former GNIC First Division Wicket- keeper.
“Batting let us down …we had a batting plan that was not properly executed.
It’s not only Guyana… the Leeward Islands’ 118-9 against Jamaica was the highest total in the tournament where most of the totals were under 100.
I believe the batting is our biggest challenge when we pick a West Indies team and batters like Matthews and Dottin don’t make runs we most likely to lose against the top teams.” lamented Grimmond.
Grimmond noted that dealing with ladies is not as easy as training Men.
“The coaching staff have been doing the work …technically and mentally. But we have to deal with fitness level and training management of the work load for females who are totally different when it comes to dealing with a rigorous work load. Rest and recovery are very important and different from the guys.
We have a physio who is doing a great job keeping them fresh with the recovery work” explained Grimmond.
The coach said, “So, you can look forward to much better performances in the super50 from the team. We have had a meeting and feedback from players as to where we went wrong what we need to do better in the 50 overs and we are already planning for this format.”
