ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada, CMC:
SLOWED BY their opponents in the previous round, Jamaica and Kenya chase points in their fourth-round match of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series, starting today at the National Stadium.
Both teams endured disappointment in the third round. Jamaica crumbled to a 40-run defeat to leaders Barbados at home, and Kenya conceded first innings points in a drawn, low-scoring match against Trinidad & Tobago at Scarborough.
With four rounds of matches, including this one, remaining in the Championship, there is still enough time for both teams to make a late surge to finish in the top four and have a shot at reaching the Carib Beer International Challenge final (though Jamaica are now a long-shot for the Carib Beer Cup for regional teams).
Jamaica enter the match with 19 points, having only one victory over Guyana in the second round about which to speak and having been led on first innings by Windward Islands in the first round.
Kenya have flattered to deceive in the Championship. They lost their opening match to West Indies B after taking first innings and conceded first innings points in drawn matches in their next two matches to Leeward Islands (in a high-scoring affair in Anguilla) and T&T.
Neither team will be looking to take the other lightly. Jamaica are without a number of their seasoned players, mainly to injury, while Chris Gayle is on West Indies duty along with compatriot Ricardo Powell, who now plays for T&T.
It has meant rebuilding the Jamaican batting line-up with a number of untested, but talented players like Brenton Parchment, Tamar Lambert, Maurice Kepple and West Indies reserve 'keeper Carlton Baugh, Jr. has left Jamaica's batting vulnerable.
The Jamaicans, however, have a good all-round attack with West Indies fast Jerome Taylor and Andrew Richardson the new ball pair supported by the spin of captain Gareth Breese and Ryan Cunningham, as well as all-rounder David Bernard, Jr. with his steady medium-paced bowling.
When Kenya have been good, they have been very good, and when they have been bad, they have been terrible. But it is clear to see that they too, have talented, but inexperienced players.
Their batting has shown that it can score heavily with Maurice Odumbe among the leading run scorers having lashed a double hundred against the Leewards. Others like captain Steve Tikolo, opener Ravindu Shah and Kennedy Otieno can make an impact with the bat.
Where Kenya, of course, are inexperienced is in their bowling and this is where Jamaica can capitalise. Names like Martin Suji, Peter Ongondo, Lameck
Onyango and Collins Obuya will not cause many sleepless nights.
Squads:
JAMAICA (from): Gareth Breese (captain), Brenton Parchment, Maurice Kepple, David Bernard, Tamar Lambert, Mario Ventura, Carlton Baugh, Keith Hibbert, Jerome Taylor, Andrew Richardson, Ryan Cunningham, Odean Brown, Dwight Mais.
KENYA: Steve Tikolo (captain), Martin Suji, Peter Ongondo, Maurice Odumbe, Hitesh Modi, Brijal Patel, Lameck Onyango, Alfred Luseno, Kennedy Obuya, Maurice Ouma, Francis Otieno, Collins Obuya, Ravindu Shah, Rageb Aga.
