Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
JAMAICA MADE a good start in their quest to win the regional limited-overs tournament by selecting what appears to be a formidable 14-man squad.
Led by Christopher Gayle, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels, and including Tamar Lambert, Carlton Baugh Jnr., David Bernard Jnr., captain Gareth Breese, Danza Hyatt, Brenton Parchment and young Xavier Marshall, who is expected to open the innings with Gayle, the batting looks good, and although fast bowlers Jermaine Lawson, Jerome Taylor and Andrew Richardson are out due to the injury, so too does the bowling.
Although the trio of Daren Powell, Evon McInnis and Dwight Washington is not as good, or does not appear as good as Lawson, Taylor and Richardson, it is not far behind, and with medium-pacer Bernard, offspinner Breese and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller in support, the bowling should be in good hands.
What gives the team the look of champions, however, is the versatility of the players the presence of so many batsmen who can bowl, a few bowlers who can at least bat a bit, and a wicketkeeper who can bat.
BLESSED
Apart from Powell, McInnis and Washington, Bernard, Breese and Miller, Jamaica is blessed with the medium-pace of Hinds, the offspin of Gayle and the offspin of Samuels, and expected to come in at Nos. nine and 10 are the hard-hitting McInnis and the stubborn Miller who, because of his ability to defend his wicket and to play a few attacking strokes, is no pushover at the bottom of the order.
Based on what happened during the season and again during the series of practice matches, the problem could be Jamaica's fielding, and although only one or two of those mainly responsible for the poor ground fielding, for the wayward returns to the wicketkeeper, and for the many dropped catches are in the squad, it is cause for concern so much so that coach Robert Haynes has a job on his hands to get them ready for the action which gets under way on October 16 in Guyana.
Such is the promise of their batting and bowling that it would be disappointing if Jamaica lose much more if they fail to get to the semi-finals or the final. What would really be disappointing, however, is if they lose, if they fail to advance, not because their batting or their bowling fail, but because of poor fielding.
Looking at the squad, the selectors, chairman Ruddy Williams, Lindel Wright, Courtney Daley and Breese, did a good job and should be commended for recognising the talent of young Marshall, for rewarding Hyatt for a wonderful effort to win a place, for rewarding Miller for his consistently good performance in local cricket, for sticking with Parchment who promised so much a year or so ago, who is a dedicated cricketer, and who is still a young man.
Apart from Keith Hibbert who had to compete against Baugh, among those who did not get in and who must be disappointed were batsman Donovan Pagon and left-arm spinner Ryan Cun-ningham.
CAME ON TOO LATE
Apart from the fact that this is a limited-overs tournament, that his batting is more suited to the four-day game, and that he is too slow in the field, Pagon looked far from himself for most of the season and during the practice sessions, he came on too late, and he simply could not have been selected over Marshall, Hyatt and Parchment.
As far as Cunningham is concerned, he did not bowl well, he is slow in the field, and on top of that, he appeared over-weight.
Unlike a number of players who appeared out of their depth during the practice matches, and one unlike Chadwick Walton who did so well in the local competition but did not fire once in the practice matches, there were two players who really looked good one in the sixth and penultimate match and one throughout the series.
BATTED BRILLIANTLY
Gary Graham, the opening batsman from Manchester, batted brilliantly on Saturday while stroking 11 fours and hitting three sixes in a fine innings of 97 and is one to look at.
The other was Dwight Stewart the fast bowler from Clarendon who bowled so well throughout that with Lawson, Taylor and Richardson out, he must have been on the short list for a place in the squad.
Stewart probably did not get in, not only because of Powell, McInnis and Washington, but also because of the presence of Hinds and Bernard two batsmen who, in a nicely balanced squad, bowl pace, one at medium-pace and one at medium-fast.
