Barbados, Windwards in fierce scrap

Apart from a place in the Final on Sunday against Guyana at the same venue, there is one powerful reason why the two sides enter the contest with plenty to prove to the other.

One run separated the two sides during the round-robin, preliminary competition in Barbados, and both teams will be looking to show the other that they are a whole lot better than this result suggested.

"We did not perform the way we would have liked in the preliminary competition," Barbados captain Courtney Browne conceded on the eve of the match.

"When you have good players though, they can always get their acts together and come through for the team when it is needed."

Browne believes the result in the preliminary competition is enough evidence to indicate the growing threat that the Windwards have become, and for Barbados not to take them lightly.

"The Windwards have a very good limited-overs side and are always very competitive in this form of the game," Browne said.

"They have been playing very well in this competition, and they have some very good players like Junior Murray, Rawl Lewis, Devon Smith, Deighton Butler, and Orlanzo Jackson that can take the game away from you, so we will definitely have to do our homework and bring our A-game."

Browne’s main area of concern entering the semifinal is his side’s batting that has blown hot and cold throughout the competition.

"Our batting is not clicking," he admitted. "It is something that we have talked about a great deal.

"We have few ideas that we hope will sink into the heads of the guys, and that they will go out there and do the business for their country."

Lewis, the Windwards’ captain, is tired however, of his side being considered "underdogs" in regional cricket, based on their performances in the last few years. "I think we have a lot of players in our team," he said. "Many of them are talented, and I think we have a lot more depth in our team than in previous years.

"We have batting right down to 11 and players capable of winning matches for us if that is needed, and a wide variety of bowlers.

"Over the years, we have not been doing so well, but I think we are beginning to establish ourselves in regional cricket.

"It does not bother me if people want to continue looking upon us as ‘underdogs’. We’ll accept it, but enter every competition, and see if we cannot come from behind and win."

Lewis hopes that he can impress upon his side the importance of applying early pressure to their opponents.

"If we bat first, we must get a good start from our openers, and if we bowl first, we must get early wickets," he asserted. "It is always hard to be playing from behind all the time.

This is limited-overs cricket, and there is no time in which to play catch-up, so we must be able to execute early, and put them under pressure."

This semi-final and the Final on Sunday will be carried "live" on CMC television and CricketPlus radio partners throughout the region.