Tony Becca, Contributor
HINDS
ACTION IN the regional Carib Beer cricket series continues today with Jamaica up against Trinidad and Tobago at Shaw Park in Tobago, the Windward Islands taking on the Leeward Islands at Tanteen in Grenada, Guyana hosting Barbados at Bourda, and once again, as it has been since halfway into the contest, all eyes are on Jamaica.
With seven rounds gone and three to go, Jamaica are on 67 points and with the Leeward Islands way back in second position on 40, with the Windward Islands and Guyana on 38, Trinidad and Tobago on 36, defending champions Barbados on 20 and each game carrying a maximum of 12 points, Jamaica, winners by 142 runs over Trinidad and Tobago at Alpart in round five, are howling favourites to win the title.
After winning their first five matches, however, after defeating the Leeward Islands at home, the Windward Islands and Barbados away, Guyana and T&T at home, Jamaica, bolstered by the presence of captain Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Xavier Marshall who had missed the first five matches due to West Indies duty, dropped first innings points to the Leeward Islands in a drawn match in St. Maarten, and with Guyana going well on 221 for three, were apparently on the receiving end in a rain-ruined, no-result contest in Albion.
After winning 60 points from five matches, therefore, Jamaica have managed only seven from their last two, and although that may suggest that they are slipping, it is not necessarily so not after waging a good fight against the Leeward Islands when they got to 448 chasing 511 for a first innings lead, and with the lead 26 points going into round six, 29 going into round seven and now 27 going into round eight, not when they have managed to keep the contenders almost the same distance behind them.
WELL-PLACED
With a maximum 36 points available to
second-place Leeward Islands, however, Jamaica, as well-placed as they are in the race for the cup, are not yet in an invincible position, and although that would still make it difficult to catch them, another first innings loss or another rain-ruined contest could make it interesting going into the last two rounds.
Victory, however, the maximum 12 points, would leave Jamaica in an impregnable position with two rounds to go.
Victory for Jamaica in this round would leave them on 79 points, and even if the Leeward Islands win all three of their remaining matches that would leave them three short.
Can Jamaica wrap it up with two to go?
Looking at both teams, Jamaica, with a batting line-up of Marshall and Hinds, Donovan Pagon, Brenton Parchment, Tamar Lambert, David Bernard Jnr., and Carlton Baugh Jnr., and a bowling attack to come from pacers Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor and Dwight Washington, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, legspinner Odean Brown and offspinner Bevan Brown, should be too strong for Trinidad and Tobago especially if the visitors ignore the temptation to go in with three pacers and go for an attack of pacers Powell and Taylor, and spinners Miller and Bevan Brown with Bernard and Hinds in support.
Although Trinidad and Tobago are without batsmen Brian Lara, Shazam Babwah and Imran Jan, they cannot, however, be taken lightly not with batsmen like Lendl Simmons, Daren Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Ricardo Powell and Dinesh Ramdin around.
Hopefully, the Jamaica bowlers have not forgotten Richard Kelly the fast bowler who hits the ball far and often.
As far as the home team's bowling is concerned, as good as Kelly and Reyad Emrit may be, as good and as experienced as Mervyn Dillon should be, the Trinidad and Tobago bowlers to watch, especially at Shaw Park, are left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed and offspinner Amit Jaggernauth.
