Stabroek News

Rutherford eager to take the CPL by storm

- By Romario Samaroo

Explosive middle-order batsman, Sherfane Rutherford is bursting with energy and eager to take the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) by storm.

The 21-year-old was one of eight local players retained by five-time finalists, Guyana Amazon Warriors ahead of the draft.

His retention was expected since the destructiv­e batsman boasts a strike rate of 141 and a best of 60.

Stabroek Sport caught up with the Mumbai Indian blaster on the shores where the Atlantic Ocean rolls into the capital city’s defence to discuss ‘the biggest party in sport.’

According to the hard-hitting Warrior, “first of all I must thank God for another opportunit­y.” He then professed, “you know there is no place better than home so I think it is good for me and my confidence to play for my home team and home players so I see it as a boost for me.”

Rutherford, who represente­d

West Indies in six T20 Internatio­nals, added, “I look forward to that opportunit­y and to make the best out of it and hopefully this year we can win it.”

The enigmatic cricketer revealed that he is on a mission to take the game by storm and has been training hard to better his last year’s performanc­e.

“I would say everyday I’m getting better, I’m training and I’m watching a lot of videos and I think I’m getting better everyday and I’m looking to better what I did last year and give my team more energy and vibes, bring everyone together…our aim is to win,” he stated.

The right-handed batsman disclosed that he has been looking to improve areas such as “finishing the game and being more consistent,” which he deemed as “key to his game.”

Although the novel coronaviru­s (Covid-19) pandemic has stopped play for over two months, this has not negatively impacted his training.

“It hasn’t stopped me from training because, as you see, we are here on Marriott Beach training and even at home we have been doing some homework, me and some of my friends we came together, we made a group and we have been training everyday…I don’t think the corona is an impact on me, it’s just that I’m missing the game, miss playing on the field but other than that I’ve been training hard… I’ve been doing a lot of work and a lot of reading on how to improve my consistenc­y and hopefully, that could play a big part for me and my team,” he posited.

Rutherford disclosed that he has a special surprise for the fans and hinted at a new celebratio­n for the dedicated fans.

The CPL is scheduled to take place between 19 August and 26 September but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and government­s. A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.

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Sherfane Rutherford
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