By Tony Becca, - From The Boundary WHEN THE Red Stripe Bowl final got under way at Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay on Sunday there was hardly a Jamaican who did not believe that Jamaica would have won the title.
Up to then, the home team was playing well and had won every match, but for one hiccup against St. Vincent when they were skittled for 171, the batsmen were in form, in the group matches they had smashed Barbados for 307 for five, two days earlier, the bowlers, led by pacer Darren Powell, had destroyed Trinidad and Tobago for 147, the opponents were Barbados, Jamaica were brimful of confidence, and a full house, bubbling with excitement, was on hand to witness the formality.
At the end of the day, however, there was no title and no cheers. Barbados had crashed the party, Jamaica, replying to 241 and falling for 208, were beaten and the fans were left not only wondering what had happened to the mighty Jamaica but also criticising left, right and centre.
The fans wanted to know why did Jamaica win the toss and decide to bat second on a pitch on which two matches had been played during the previous three days, why did Jamaica finish with Gareth Breese instead of pacer Jermaine Lawson after the offspinner had been easy pickings for the Barbados batsmen, and with Jamaica in desperate straits and needing quick runs, why was Breese sent to bat ahead of captain Robert Samuels?
Although the answers to those questions would be interesting, the truth is that none of those things had anything to do with Jamaica's defeat - not when it is remembered that after a promising start Barbados were in a bit of trouble at 47 for two after 12 overs, that Barbados were already well on top when the final over started, and that only a miracle could have saved Jamaica when Breese went to bat.
Jamaica were beaten because of three things. They were beaten because they dropped too many catches - including two vital ones, because they batted poorly in the face of some accurate bowling at the start of their innings, and because Barbados played well.
With Floyd Reifer going on to 86 not out - including four sixes, and Courtney Browne slamming 40 off 25 deliveries - including four sixes, Jamaica lost the match when Robert Samuels dropped Browne on one at 123 for three, when, in the following over, wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert dropped Reifer on 28, and with the score on 14 for two after 13 overs and 68 for three after 26 overs, when Gayle, Hinds and Marlon Samuels failed to play for singles and allowed the bowlers to totally dominate them.
Credit, however, must go to Barbados who, after destroying Guyana in the semi-finals with three run outs and obviously playing to a plan, capitalised on Jamaica's failures and in doing so, played some lovely cricket.
Instead of running for cover after the dropped catches that rescued them, Browne and Reifer thanked the gods for their good fortune and blasted the Jamaica bowlers to all parts of the ground.
With Browne adding 39 after he was dropped and Reifer 58, the dropped catches definitely titled the game in Barbados' favour, and then faced with stroke players Gayle, Garrick, Hinds and Marlon Samuels at the top of the Jamaica batting order, the visitors, as planned, opened their attack, not with Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore, who were ripped to pieces at Sabina Park in the group match, but with the slower Ian Bradshaw and Vasbert Drakes and that was that.
The pitch was slow - no question about that, the bowlers were accurate - no question about that, and because of that, it was difficult for the stroke players to dominate.
The batsmen, however, contributed to their problem. They failed to play for singles, they allowed themselves to be stifled, and with the pressure mounting with each passing over - with the run rate getting higher and higher and things becoming more and more desperate, that is why there were so many run outs.
