Tony Becca
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Jamaica ended the second round of the Carib Beer Series in the lead after winning first innings points in the drawn match against the Windward Islands at Alpart.
Jamaica appeared on the way to victory when the Windward Islands, set a victory target of 249 in 81 overs, slid to 88 for six with 31 overs remaining and then 131 for eight with 10 overs to go. However, the home side was denied victory as the Windward Islands hung on for a draw at 144 for eight.
BAD LIGHT
After refusing to go for victory in their first-round match against the Leeward Islands when they needed four runs to win with one wicket in hand and accepted the offer for bad light, Jamaica, probably penalised by the gods on Monday as they pushed for victory for their timid approach in running for cover against the Leeward Islands, should be fairly satisfied with their efforts so far.
As satisfied as they may be with the results to date, Jamaica cannot be satisfied with the batting.
They made 193 for nine against the Leeward Islands before squeezing through to first innings lead and 187 for nine chasing a victory target of 216 before the last pair piloted them to a draw. Then it was 204 and 188 for seven declared versus the Windward Islands.
Left to their batting alone, Jamaica could easily have been languishing at the foot of the standings on zero points.
In four innings, Jamaica's batting, despite some exciting strokeplay, has been so disappointing that but for their bowling, but for the last pair of Andrew Richardson and Jerome Taylor and then Odean Brown and Taylor, Jamaica, instead of sitting on top with 12 points from two matches, could be now on three points from the drawn match against the Windward Islands and trailing Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago who, from one match, are on six points each.
And against the Windward Islands, in the match in which they won first innings points, Jamaica's batsmen were lucky, really lucky.
After winning the toss for the second time and this time deciding to bat, Jamaica were aided and abetted by the butter-fingered Windward Islands fielders who dropped two catches in Jamaica's 73 for three on the opening day and six on the second day - including four after Jamaica were struggling at 144 for seven.
With Jamaica reeling at 74 for four, Tamar Lambert chipped in with 30, with Jamaica reeling at 144 for seven. Then Gareth Breese, 30, and Nikita Miller, 30, shared a partnership of 50, and Jamaica's luck was evident in the fact that all three batsmen, Jamaica's joint top scorers, were each dropped twice in a pathetic display by the Windward Islands' fielders.
Fortunately for Jamaica, although they missed two stumpings and floored two catches during the first innings of a match in which 15 catches were dropped - nine by the Windward Islands and seven by Jamaica, their bowlers all bowled well and handed the team the lead.
BOWLED WELL
In the second innings they also bowled well, and but for some questionable tactics by captain Lambert, but for the unforgiving gods, they may well have bowled Jamaica to victory.
In a strange decision, Miller, who picked up two wickets just before tea and who looked like leading Jamaica to victory, was replaced by a part-time bowler, by the captain himself, immediately after the interval with the Windward Islands on 80 for four off 44 overs.
In another strange decision, 28 minutes after the interval and with the Windward Islands on 91 for six, with Richardson bowling only two spells of three overs each and conceding only 15 runs, Jamaica replaced Taylor with Danza Hyatt - another part-time bowler.
At that stage, with four wickets to get and 26 overs still to be bowled, with Lambert and Hyatt bowling, it appeared, as improbable as it may seem, that Jamaica, against a team whose batting is worse than theirs, had once again decided to settle for a draw and first innings points.
