JAMAICA'S 16-MAN Carib Beer squad continues its preparation for next Friday's start of the West Indies four-day tournament against Windward Islands when they stage a three-day practice match at Sabina Park starting today at 10:00 a.m.
With only 13 players allowed to travel, Jamaica's selectors, headed by Ruddy Williams and including Courtney Daley, Lyndel Wright and captain Gareth Breese, will be using this match to determine who makes the trip to St. Lucia.
The Gleaner has learned that the selectors are looking to play their first XI against the rest. The top side (first XI) appears to be Brenton Parchment, Lorenzo Ingram, Donovan Pagon, David Bernard Jnr, Maurice Kepple, Mario Ventura, Gareth Breese, Keith Hibbert, Daren Powell, Andrew Richardson and Dwight Mais.
The second XI is expected to be made up of hard-hitting left-handed opener Shawn Findlay and leg-spinner Odean Brown, who should also make the trip to St. Lucia. They should be joined by fast bowler/all-rounder Evon McInnis, left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham and batsman Tamar Lambert who are also in the 16-man squad.
Others expected to be in the opposing team are Xavier Marshall, a member of the Young West Indies team preparing for the Youth World Cup, Danza Hyatt and Dwight Washington, who are included in the West Indies B squad, but are scheduled to leave on Sunday, and wicketkeeper/batsman Matthew Sinclair among others.
In other Carib Beer opening-round matches, Barbados host Guyana at Kensington Oval, Lee ward Islands travel to Guaracara Park to play hosts Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies B tackle Kenya in St. Kitts.
