Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Jamaica skipper Wavell Hinds. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Jamaica continue their bid for honours in the regional four-day Carib Beer cricket series when they take on Guyana at Kensington Park, starting this morning at 10 o'clock, and after snatching first innings points from the Windward Islands in St. Lucia in their last outing, they are bubbling with confidence.

Batting first and scoring 289 after easing to 153 without loss, Jamaica appeared out of it with the Windward Islands on 219 for four shortly after the start of play on the third day.

In a wonderful recovery, however, and thanks to some fine pace bowling by Jermaine Lawson who finished with six wickets for 70 runs, Jamaica routed the Windward Islands for 253 with the last six wickets falling for 32 runs.

That is one reason why Jamaica, who dropped first innings points to the Leeward Islands in the opening round, are bubbling with confidence.

The other reason is that with the West Indies team away in India, none of the teams will be at full strength, and whenever that has been so, Jamaica have done well.

Failure

The feeling, therefore, is that with both teams short of some of their best players, and even though Ramnaresh Sarwan is in Guyana's line-up, Jamaica, despite the fact that Wavell Hinds - the captain when Jamaica were supposedly at their best in 2005 and 2006 and failed to distinguish themselves - is the captain, and not Tamar Lambert, who was captain, in the first half of 2005 and for the first two matches in 2006 when Jamaica were not at their best and did so well.

On top of all that is the fact that in head-to-head clashes, Jamaica, based on the results in the past two seasons, are better than Guyana when both teams are not at their best.

With two matches gone and three to come and with Barbados in front on 18 and nine clear of second-placed Jamaica, the home team must win, or at least pick up first innings points to stay in the hunt.

Attack of pacers

With a batting line-up of Parchment and Danza Hyatt - 76 and 76 in the last match - followed by Lorenzo Ingram, captain Hinds - 100 and 50 not out in the first match, Lambert - 70 and 68 in the first two matches, Bernard and Baugh, and an attack of pacers Lawson and Andre Richardson, or Andre Russell if Richardson fails a fitness test this morning, medium-pacer Bernard, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and right-arm leg-spinner Odean Brown, who has replaced left-arm wrist spinner Andre Dwyer, Jamaica, who may need to brush up on their fielding, look good in both batting and bowling.

For Guyana, with two rain-ruined matches and only eight points in the bag, they also need to win this match, and although, for many reasons and despite the presence of Sarwan, they should start as underdogs, they can be dangerous.

In Sarwan, Sewnarine Chatter-goon, Travis Dowlin, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, and Azeemul Haniff; in pacers Reon King and Esuan Crandon, right-arm leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, off-spinner Veera-sammy Permaul and the off-spin of all-rounder Deonarine, Guyana possess a few batsmen and a few bowlers who, on their day, can embarrass Jamaica.