Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport THE PRESIDENT'S Cup one-day tournament swings into action in Barbados on Monday and the region's fans will not only be closely following their teams but also emerging young talents who could play a part in World Cup 2007.
Games aren't played on paper, but it sure helps if your team looks stronger and, on face value, Barbados, Jamaica and defending champions Trinidad and Tobago look to be the teams to beat.
However, Barbados and Jamaica looked the class of 2004 and the latter didn't even reach the semis while the former fell at that stage as the Lara-less Trinidadians ran away with the trophy in style over Guyana in the final.
Jamaica's performance in 2004 was nothing short of lamentable with only young opener Xavier Marshall making any sort of impression as the pre-tournament favourites were bundled out in Guyana with barely a whimper.
Wavell Hinds' squad will be looking for a far improved performance and at the very least a semi berth to somewhat atone for last year's misery.
He certainly has the attack to do damage with Daren Powell, Dwight Washington, Andrew Richardson and all-rounder David Bernard Jnr supplying the fire while spinners Nikita Miller and Gareth Breese provide the ice and try to chill opposing batting line-ups.
BOWLING LOOKS GOOD
The bowling looks fine, it's the batting that must be a concern.
Hinds and Marlon Samuels must make some big scores to take the pressure off the likes of Marshall, Brenton Parchment, Tamar Lambert and Carlton Baugh Jnr.
Bowling-wise, Barbados seem to have a slight edge over Jamaica with three Test pacers (Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore and Tino Best) to call upon plus a one-day specialist (Ian Bradshaw) but the batting looks suspect.
Trinidad may be singing "yes, we have no Laras, we have no Laras today", because despite the loss of the batting champion, they have a solid, all-round team which is not particularly brilliant in any department but by no means poor, either.
Guyana boast Windies skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan but not a lot else while the multiple islands, the Leewards and Windwards, should fill the roles of also-rans although the Leewards could be dangerous with skipper Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton and Omari Banks in their ranks.
It's still one-day cricket and anything can happen during any given 100 overs. It just takes one superlative performance to win a match and a good one or two to win it.
To add a fresh wrinkle this year, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has adopted the "substitute player" rule which was used in the three-match one-day series between Australia and England a few months back.
The theory is fine. Each side names its XI and 12th man before the toss. The 12th man can then be introduced at any time during the game as a permanent replacement for a member of the chosen starting side.
NEW RULE
However, the rule - as it stands - favours the side winning the toss. Win toss, bat first, play all your batsmen and then drop the weakest fielder for a bowler in opponent's innings or vice versa: win toss and bowl, pick all your hurlers and then drop one for a bat.
Now, if you lose the toss and are put in the field and are getting hammered all over the place, what do you do? Your 12th man may be a bowler/all-rounder but if you call him up you have to sacrifice a batsman.
Conversely, you're put in on a dodgy wicket and lose a couple of quick ones, do you call up your 12th man batsman for the loss of a bowler - probably without him even getting a bowl?
Let's hope these games aren't decided by coin flips.
ELEVEN TO WATCH
Kurt Wilkinson (Barbados)
Nikita Miller (Jamaica)
Narsingh Deonarine (Guyana)
Sulieman Benn (Barbados)
Richard Kelly (Trinidad)
Gregory Mahabir (Trinidad)
Runako Morton (Leewards)
Andrew Richardson (Jamaica)
Darwin Christian (Guyana)
Darren Sammy (Windwards)
Gavin Tonge (Leewards)
LEEWARD ISLANDS
WEST INDIES players Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton and Omari Banks will lead Leeward Islands quest for glory in this year's President's Cup tournament.
Captain Joseph, who has played 13 one-day internationals and four Test matches for the West Indies, should lead from the front. Joseph is an experienced regional cricketer who has six first-class centuries and a top score of 211 not out.
The other two senior players in Morton, an attractive middle-order batsman who recently made his Test debut in Sri Lanka, and Banks, who has been in and out of the regional team since making his debut in 2003 against Australia with inauspicious figures of 3-204 from 40 overs, should have something to prove.
The squad also has the services of Kerry Jeremy who has played for the West Indies at the one-day level.
There are also a few regular faces in Wilden Cornwall, who made a breakthrough a few years back, Shane Jeffers, Junie Mitcham and Tonito Willett, a former West Indies Youth player.
Squad: Sylvester Joseph, Wilden Cornwall, Austin Richards, Kerry Jeremy, Carl Simon, Gavin Tonge, Shane Jeffers, Omari Banks, Maxford Pipe, Junie Mitcham, Tonito Willett, Runako Morton, Curtis Roberts, Alderman Lesmond.
A.F.
WINDWARD ISLANDS
FIVE YEARS ago, when the Windward Islands won the regional one-day tournament for the first time in 11 years, cricket experts around the region expressed shock.
Come Monday, the Rawle Lewis-led Eastern Caribbean side will start all over and at the same time be looking to relive those happy moments he and his men brought to fans in Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.
The Windwards team has good talent in Devon Smith, Orlanzo Jackson, Liam Sebastien and Deighton Butler, who impressed in his debut series for the West Indies.
And don't forget Lewis and seasoned campaigner Junior Murray.
Though Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados could be consider stronger teams on paper, don't be surprised if Smith, who has a Test century under his belt, could help them to some upset victories and possibly the title.
Jackson is known for his attacking style of play, Butler for his ability with the ball, so too Darren Sammy, who represented the West Indies in England last year, and, of course, Murray and Lewis are very experienced.
Squad: Rawle Lewis, Kenroy Peters, Orlanzo Jackson, Sergio Fedee, Junior Murray, Devon Smith, Craig Emmanuel, Darren Sammy, Alvin LaFeuille, Ettienne Ronald , Liam Sebastien, Mervyn Matthew, Nelon Pascal and Deighton Butler.
A.F.
BARBADOS
BOASTING ALL-ROUND talent and the region's best bowling attack, hosts Barbados go into the President's Cup the obvious favourites.
Skipper/keeper Courtney Browne has the luxury of calling on Test pacemen Pedro Collins, Tino Best and Corey Collymore, the veteran Ian Bradshaw, all-rounders Dwayne Smith and Ryan Hinds as well as tall left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in a multi-faceted attack which can be both penetrative and stingy.
The batting line-up does not look like a world beater but the likes of Kurt Wilkinson, Dale Richards, Browne, Hinds, Smith and Bradshaw can all swing the bat.
However, the lynchpin is Floyd Reifer. the veteran middle-order bat is enigmatic and has probably under achieved, but he has the uncanny knack of making runs when they count most and is not flustered by any type of attack.
Barbados, along with Jamaica, were big disappointments at last year's tournament, as they failed to make the final but, starting their campaign at home, they should make amends this year and be in action on the final day.
Squad: Courtney Browne (captain), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Ian Bradshaw, Shirley Clarke, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Martin Nurse, Floyd Reifer, Dale Richards, Dwayne Smith, Kurt Wilkinson.
T.G.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
WHENEVER OPPONENTS look at a Trinidad line-up and the name 'B.C. Lara' is not there, their hopes rise.
However, that didn't help the rest of the Caribbean much last year, as T&T romped away with the regional one-day crown with a final victory over Guyana. Lara will not be around again this series as he will be representing the World XI against Australia, but the rest of the sides should now be wary.
Daren Ganga has a team which, although not strikingly brilliant, boasts some seasoned campaigners and promising youngsters.
Ganga, his brother Sherwin, the emerging Gregory Mahabir, Lendl Simmons, Ricardo Powell, talented Windies keeper Denesh Ramdin and all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Richard Kelly provide plenty of scoring punch when they get going.
The bowling attack also looks solid with veteran Mervyn Dillon anchoring a pace attack which includes Ravi Rampaul, Bravo, the exciting Kelly and Rodney Sooklal; while former Jamaican Ricardo Powell can chime in with steady spin.
Lara or not, T&T look poised for another run at the title this year.
Squad: Daren Ganga (captain), Mervyn Dillon, Dwayne Bravo, Sanjeev Gooljar, Rayad Emrit, Samuel Badree, Lendl Simmons, Gregory Mahabir, Ricardo Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Richard Kelly, Ravi Rampaul, Rodney Sooklal, Sherwin Ganga.
T.G.
GUYANA
ANY SIDE which features Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan must be respected, but Guyana's problem is not going to be scoring runs.
In the West Indies skipper and Sarwan, the South Americans have probably the two best batsmen in the competition and they will be ably supported by veteran Lennox Cush, Ryan Ramdass, lefty Sewnarine Chattergoon and emerging all-rounder Narsingh Deonarine.
But who's going to take the wickets?
Reon King supplies the 'pop', but he's renowned for tiring in his later overs. Spinners Mahendra Nagamootoo, evergreen Neil McGarrell and all-rounders Deonarine and Cush are useful but can they keep some of the region's more high-powered batting line-ups quiet?
Deonarine might be the key to Guyana's success. The left-handed batsman performed reasonably well on the recent tour of Sri Lanka and his orthodox spin is coming along - albeit slowly.
The Guyanese will have to pray for some spin-friendly pitches in Barbados or it might not matter how many runs the dynamic Shiv-Ram duo makes.
Squad: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ryan Ramdass, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Krishna Arjune, Narsigh Deonarine, Lennox Cush, Assad Fudadin, Darwin Christian, Reon King, Esaun Griffith, Rayon Crandon, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell.
