Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Tamar Lambert leads Jamaica into action today against the Leewards. - FILE
THE REGIONAL four-day Carib Beer Cup tournament gets underway today with defending champions Jamaica up against the Leeward Islands at Kensington Park.
Winners in 1969, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2000 and 2002, Jamaica made it number seven earlier this year when they topped the contest with an impressive 95 points - 37 points clear of the Leeward Islands who finished in second place.
Unlike last season when the six teams played each other twice for a total of 10 matches each, and the winners were decided on the number of points won, this season it will be one round of matches for a total of five with the top four teams moving into the semi-finals and the two winners contesting the final.
Based on last year's runaway victory, Jamaica must start favourites to defeat the Leeward Islands, to make a winning start and to successfully defend the title even though, as was the case last year, they will be without five of their top players for the first few rounds and the Leeward Islands will be at full strength.
CLOSE CONTEST
Last season, however, Jamaica survived some close contests. Although they defeated the Leeward Islands by 176 runs at Kaiser, they lost first innings to the Leeward Islands in St. Maarten when they were dismissed for 448 chasing 510 for nine declared, and that suggests, that today's match could be a close and exciting affair.
With the absence of Christopher Gayle, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels, plus the injured Donovan Pagon, Jamaica's batting will not be at its best and neither, with the absence also of fast bowlers Daren Powell and Jermaine Lawson, will be their bowling.
However, in Brenton Parchment and the exciting if sometimes careless Xavier Marshall, Danza Hyatt and acting captain Tamar Lambert, all-rounders David Bernard Jnr. and Gareth Breese and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jnr, Jamaica boast a reasonable batting line-up. With the bowling to come from pacers Jerome Taylor, Dwight Washington and Andrew Richardson, medium-pacer Bernard, offspinner Breese, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and legspinner Odean Brown, they also boast a good and nicely balanced attack.
With batsmen like Shane Jeffers, Runako Morton, captain Sylvester Joseph, Wilden Cornwall and all-rounder Tonito Willett, however, with pacers Adam Sanford and Carl Simon, offspinner Omari Banks and possibly 17-year-old legspinner Colin Hamer, the Leeward Islands can match that - and especially so where their batting is concerned.
As Jamaica prepare for their opening match against a team that is now without veterans Ridley Jacobs and Stuart Williams and missing pacer Kerry Jeremy, the question facing the selectors is, who should they select as their bowlers. Should it be three pacers, plus Bernard, and two spin bowlers, or should it be two pacers, plus Bernard, and three spinners?
Based on the opposition and the pitch, Jamaica's best bet could well be two pacers, plus Bernard, and three spinners. That would mean going in with possibly Taylor and Richardson, Bernard, Breese, Miller and Odean Brown, and that would be the attack that should give Jamaica a wonderful chance of defeating the Leeward Islands and getting away to a winning start.
ROUND ONE
| Jamaica | vs | Leeward | @ | Kensington |
| Guyana | vs | Barbados | @ | Everest |
