Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY AFTER trailing the Windward Islands on first innings in the drawn match at the Beausejour stadium in St. Lucia, Jamaica redeemed themselves with victory over Guyana at Sabina Park on Sunday.
With the four-day contest finishing in three days and the margin a comfortable six wickets, captain Gareth Breese, the players, and all those involved must be patting themselves on the back for a job well done.
Looking back at the general performance with the bat, with the ball and in the field, however, coach Robert Haynes should be far from happy.
He should be if he looks back at the manner in which some of the batsmen got themselves out; at the approach of the spin bowlers who, but for a few occasions, bowled too flat and too fast and failed to really use the pitch; and at the poor fielding, particularly after lunch on the first day, that was highlighted by Nehemiah Perry's dropped catches.
GREAT GEORGE HEADLEY
The great George Headley once said that he always sympathised with a batsman who made one mistake but not with one who made two or three.
Haynes must have been hopping mad, for example, when Brenton Parchment, immediately after getting away with a lofted drive over mid-off in the first innings, drove a catch to mid-off off the same bowler; and also when Donovan Pagon, after edging fast bowler Royan Griffith to second slip, after driving and edging the pacer to first slip, lost his wicket when he drove and edged right-arm legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo to the wicketkeeper.
There were, however, four players who performed well and who truly deserve a pat on the back - David Bernard Jnr, Keith Hibbert, the captain and Tamar Lambert.
In performances during which he paraded his allround skills, Bernard, the Man of the Match, bowled a good line and length and got the ball to move off the seam in the first innings and in his opening spell in the second innings. He batted well in both innings and particularly so in the first when Jamaica were struggling. And apart from being good in the field, he turned the match Jamaica's way when, with the ball passing him, he dived to his right at backward point and came up with a fantastic, two-handed catch to dismiss the left-handed Deonarine for 69.
Although he failed with the bat, Hibbert was brilliant behind the stumps. Not one ball fell out of his gloves, he made some wonderful saves down the leg-side, and he took some sharp catches.
NOT FLIGHTING THE BALL
Although he too was guilty of not flighting the ball, Breese bowled reasonably well and took a good catch at slip. What was impressive about the new captain, however, was his batting in the second innings.
After failing in the first innings, Breese strode to the wicket in the second and with spinners Mahendra Nagamootoo and Neil McGarrell bowling well and the match looking as if it would go into the final day, he confidently stroked four boundaries, including three in one over from McGarrell, and with one run to win, hit Nagamootoo over long-on for six.
The most impressive, however, was Lambert.
Joining Bernard in the first innings with Jamaica struggling, Lambert played superbly off the front foot and back foot, he drove and cut with relish and he never missed an opportunity to stroke the ball away for singles. He was a picture of confidence and a refreshing sight and a century would have been a fitting climax to his innings.
What is important, however, is that he batted not like a man who believes he can bat, but rather like one who knows he can bat.
