Jamaica take aim at TT

KINGSTON: Jamaica’s cricketers aim to continue their unbridled run at the top of the Carib Beer Series standings when they tackle second place Trinidad and Tobago in a fifth round match that starts today at the Alpart Sports Club.  Trinidad and Tobago, fresh from a narrow loss —  their first of the season —  to the Windward Islands over the weekend, had a belated arrival in Kingston Tuesday due to flight problems. There was a report last night that because of the team’s late arrival in Jamaica, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board had made a request to their counterparts in the Isle of Springs to delay the start of the match until tomorrow.

Yesterday the TT cricketers headed directly for Alpart in the south-western parish of St Elizabeth, about 80 miles west of the capital for the top-of-the-table clash. Alpart is a trademark bowler-friendly pitch and the Jamaican selectors are poised to reintroduce talented off-spinner Bevon Brown in the side at the expense of pacer Dwight Stewart. Brown’s inclusion is the only likely change for the tournament-leading Jamaicans, who have gathered maximum 48 points from their four wins for a whopping 24-point lead in the standings. Injury-plagued pacer Jerome Taylor, who missed the last match because of a side strain, is expected to remain on the sideline although he has been listed as “recovered.”

The Jamaicans have had victories over the Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Barbados and Guyana, and coach Robert Haynes believes the trend should continue if his players continue to get the “basics” right. “I believe that if we continue applying the basics... playing the cricket that we see and don’t premeditate we will keep doing well,” he said. Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago coach David Williams says he is not intimidated by Jamaica’s winning form.  He believes his players are ready and know what to expect. “As a matter of fact we believe that they (Jamaica) are due a failure sometime soon,” he said. Flight trouble meant Trinidad and Tobago did not arrive as scheduled on Monday and only came in near midday yesterday, hastily making the long trip to St Elizabeth.

“The guys are pretty tired and are looking forward to getting some rest before the cricket tomorrow,” Williams said. TT wrecked the Windward Islands batting for a mere 63 runs for a 97-run first innings lead last weekend, but crashed to a flimsy 104 all out in their second innings to lose by one wicket when the home side struggled but successfully chased 202 runs. Unhappy over their batting in St Vincent last weekend, Trinidad and Tobago Chairman of selectors Dudnath Ramkessoon said yesterday, the side must improve against the high riding Jamaicans. “The result in the last game was disappointing having bowled out the team (Windwards) so cheaply in the first innings,” Ramkessoon told CMC Sport.

“The batsmen have to score runs. They will have to be more serious in their application and be more selective in the shots. They must put on good total for the bowlers, who have done well so far,” Ramkessoon added. Respectful of Jamaica’s current imperious form, Ramkessoon suggested that TT must ensure first of all that they avoid defeat. “Jamaica have won all their matches and TT will be very keen to get a first innings ‘victory’ at least, to make amends for what transpired in the last game,” he said.
 
SQUADS:
JAMAICA - Tamar Lambert (captain),  Brenton Parchment, Donovan Pagon, Danza Hyatt, Keith Hibbert, David Bernard, Carlton Baugh, Daren Powell, Bevon Brown, Nikita Miller, Dwight Washington, Dwight Stewart, Lorenzo Ingram, Odean Brown. 
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO - Daren Ganga (captain), Lendl Simmons, Shazan Babwah, Sherwin Ganga, Imran Jan, Gregory Mahabir, Rayad Emrit, Samuel Badree, Denesh Ramdin, Richard Kelly, Amit Jaggernauth, Kyron Lynch, Dave Mohammed.
UMPIRES: Maurice Chung, Eddie Nicholls.