Double blow for Jamaica in showdown

BRIDGETOWN: Jamaica, the only cricket team to contest a hat-trick of regional International championships, have suffered two big blows ahead of the four-day Carib Beer International Challenge showdown against runaway Cup champions Barbados at Kensington Oval, starting today.

Opener Chris Gayle and fast bowler Daren Powell, both West Indies players, are out for contrasting reasons. Gayle, an exciting batsman and tidy off-spin bowler has opted to play in the US$175,000 historic Double Wicket World Cricket Championship in St. Lucia at the ultra-modern Beausejour Stadium, April 4-6. Gayle will now partner former West Indies captain Carl Hooper. All participating teams receive a consolation US$10,000. Powell, with a suspected bout of chicken pox has returned to Kingston en route here from the semi-final match in Berbice, Guyana. The Jamaica captain Robert Samuels announced the double blow after arriving here early yesterday following a hard-fought 24-run first innings lead at Albion in a high-scoring encounter.

Samuels said West Indies one-day specialist Ricardo Powell, who played in the recent World Cup in South Africa but missed the match against Guyana, ironically because of illness, was expected to fly in yesterday from neighbouring Trinidad where he now resides with his Trinidadian wife, and Maurice Kepple was due in from Kingston later the same evening as replacements in the 13-man squad. But the experienced Samuels, who has played at the highest level, indicated he still had the ammunition to prevent Courtney Browne’s buoyant side from an unprecedented double. Samuels conceded that Barbados would be tough to beat, especially at home. Barbados captain Browne said the absence of Gayle and Daren Powell would give his team a chance of going all the way. “It’s a plus because it will definitely be a setback for Jamaica but Barbados are playing very good cricket at the moment and we would be playing good cricket come tomorrow , so basically it is up to Jamaica to come here and play good cricket, wicket-keeper/batsman Browne said following a practice session at overworked Queen’s Park ground in the capital city. Dropped from the Barbados team is middle order batsman Dwayne Smith for the first time this season after scoring 221 runs at an average of 24.55 in eight matches this season.

TEAMS:
Barbados —- Courtney Browne (captain), Philo Wallace, Sherwin Campbell, Ryan Hinds, Floyd Reefer, Kurt Wilkinson, Ryan Hurley, Vasbert Drakes, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Tino Best. 12th man: Ian Bradshaw; 13th man: Dwayne Smith.
Jamaica (from) —- Robert Samuels (captain), Leon Garrick, Brenton Parchment, Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell, David Bernard Jnr, Keith Hibbert, Gareth Breese, Jermaine Lawson, Robert Taylor, Maurice Kepple, Ryan Cunningham.