Tony Becca, Contributor

Jamaica's practise matches, or trial matches, or whatever they are called in preparation for the regional competitions come to an end today at Chedwin Park, and after the embarrassment when Jamaica finished at the bottom of the standings in both competitions last time out, the attention of every Jamaican will be on the selectors and the squad selected for the contest this time around.

Based on the performance of the team last season and the reports of indiscipline that led to the resignation of the coach and then the manager, there should be wholesale changes. You can almost bet your last dollar, however, that that will not happen - that, but for may be a change or two, the vast majority of the players from last year will be back.

One reason why that will not happen is that despite the correct stand against Xavier Marshall, the Jamaica Cricket Board has a history of turning a blind eye on matters of indiscipline in the national team; another reason is that, indiscipline apart, 99 per cent of the players that represented us last year were and still are the country's best players; another reason is that a vast majority of them have represented the West Indies, that approximately half of the team still represent the West Indies; and still another reason is that Jamaicans love to win, at almost all cost, and despite the indiscipline, despite the fact the West Indies players hardly perform in recent times, there continues to be hope that they will perform and that Jamaica will win.

Safe bet

Without even looking at their performance during last season, without even looking at their performance during the local competitions, and without even looking at their performance during the practise matches, the trails, or whatever the board prefers to call them, it is almost a safe bet that the initial squad of 16 players plus reserves, or whatever number the board and the selectors decide on, will include most if not all of the following players:

Wavell Hinds - captain, Chris Gayle, Brenton Parchment, Marlon Samuels, Tamar Lambert, Danza Hyatt, Lorenzo Ingram, David Bernard Jr., Gareth Breese, Carlton Baugh Jr., Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Jermaine Lawson, Andrew Richardson, Nikita Miller, Odean Brown, Bevon Brown and if he is fit, also Donovan Pagon.

Although, based on their skill, hardly none of them deserve a place in the national team at this stage of their careers, although none of them has, by performance, demanded a place in the team, it is again almost a safe bet that none of Jaime Trenchfield, Andre McCarthy or Simon Jackson, Alton Beckford or Andre Russell will get into the squad much more the team.

The selectors would really have to be planning for tomorrow to hand anyone of those young players a national cap at the expense of the regulars - none of whom, despite their many years wearing the Jamaica cap, can be considered old.

Good spin bowler

There is one man, however, who deserves a place, not only in the squad, but also in the team, and he is Andre Dwyer.

A back-of-the-hand left-arm spin bowler, Dwyer has been creating an impression for some time now, with 56 wickets, including a haul of nine and five in the final against the Jamaica Defence Force when, because of his skill, Manchester recovered from trailing on first innings to winning the Cup, he was the best bowler by 18 wickets in the Super Cup last year, with 48 wickets, including six versus Westmoreland, he was the second best bowler to Bevon Brown by only three wickets this past season, and if anyone deserves an opportunity to test his skill at the higher level, he is one.

And apart from the fact that his average last year was 11.64 and that his average this year was 13.44, apart from the fact that bowlers of his type are rare and prone to a few wayward deliveries, for those who say that he is too loose have only to look at his economy rate.

Last year, after conceding 652 runs off 270.3 overs, it was 2.41, this year, after conceding 645 runs off 221 overs, it was 2.91, and those figures were comparable to those who some people believe are more accurate, and even without comparable figures in the wickets taken column, are better bowlers.

The West Indies need a bowler who, even if he is not as good as Shane Warne, spins the ball, who spins the ball both ways, who flights the ball, who can mesmerise batsmen, and in Dwyer and also Dave Bulli ,Jamaica possess two with that kind of skill and who promise that with a little support, with enough exposure, they can develop those skills to a level where they are deadly.

If a bowler is judged by what he does with the ball, by the fact that batsmen fear him, by the amount of wickets taken, by the consistency with which he takes those wickets, and also his ability to run through a side, then Andre Dwyer, an attacking bowler who takes wickets, is a good bowler.

If, in order to win, a team needs a bowler who can take wickets, then Jamaica should go for Dwyer.

Apart from may be a little time to settle in, all Dwyer will need is a captain who knows how to handle him - how, especially, to set a field for a bowler of his type.