Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:33 AM
Feb 08, 2014 Sports
By Sean Devers in Trinidad In Association with Digicel, Carib Beer,
Giftland Office Max, Payless Variety Store & Leisure Inn & Car Rentals
Guyana have beaten Jamaica nine times in Regional 50-over cricket in 18 matches, one of which was abandoned, but the last time they meet at this level Jamaica won by two wickets at Providence in last year’s tournament.
Today the Guyana Malta Supreme face-off with the boys from the Reggae Country at the Queens Park Oval in the final preliminary round of Zone ‘A’ in a Day/Night contest which will decide the winner of the zone.
Both teams have victories in their two matches and with one bonus point each they jointly lead Zone ‘A’ with nine points. Today’s winner will oppose the runner-up in Zone ‘B’ and have the psychological advance if the teams are to meet in the final.
Jamaica is the only Regional team without a 250 total against Guyana in 50 overs cricket, while Guyana’s highest total against Jamaica is 236-7 in 2005 when they last won the title. But things could change tonight since the outfield is lightening fast despite the rain here this week and the track looks like a 270 pitch.
Jamaica held the record for ‘highest total at the Oval’ for one day with their 282-5 against the Windward Islands before Guyana scored 301-3 (only their 2nd 300 total at this level) against Ireland the next day in this year’s competition.
In 1980 Timor Mohamed became the first Guyanese to score a ton in regional 50 overs cricket and his elegant 104 against Jamaica is the only time a Guyanese has reached three-figures against Jamaica and today the South Americans will hope that the top order can score a lot quicker than they did in their first two games.
No Guyanese has scored a hundred since Narsingh Deonarine’s unbeaten 102 against Barbados in 2009 and it could prove difficult for any of the middle order batsmen to do so today if the openers persist with their ultra defensive mode.
The top order faced too many ‘dot balls’ before being dismissed, leaving Skipper Christopher Barnwell and the bespectacled Leon Johnson, two of their most entertaining batsmen, to rescue Guyana from slow starts, in the last few overs.
Guyana’s most capped player at this level, Shiv Chanderpaul (83) missed the last match due to injury but is expected back today. Either Assad Fudadin or Trevon Griffith (both with fifties in the competition) could make way for his return or the players who have not played could get a knock.
Ramnaresh Sarwan has the most runs in this year’s tournament (151) and one more century puts him level with Brian Lara’s record four. He has returned to form at the right time but will know if he will play today, since like Fudadin, he has the ‘flu’. Barnwell (strike rate of 141.7) and Johnson (151.1) have batted brilliantly in both matches when they arrived in the closing stages of the innings.
The biggest disappointment so far must be the non production of Deonarine who is arguably one of the most attractive batsmen in the tournament. He has two runs from his two innings and it will not come as a shock if he loses his place to Royston Crandon.
Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul and Sarwan are among the eight Guyanese with five-wicket hauls at this level but nobody has done so in this competition although the genuine pace of Montserrat-born Essequibo fast bowler Ronsford Beaton has set tongues wagging.
He is Guyana’s leading wicket-taker with five scalps. His new ball partner Paul Wintz (4) has also impressed with his ‘seam movement’, while Permaul (4) and Bishoo (3) have offered useful spin support although Bishoo has been guilty of bowling too short at times.
At 20, former West Indies youth left-hander John Campbell minimized the loss of Chris Gayle to injury, with a stunning 71 in only his second match at this level for Jamaica and is one of the players to watch in this tournament.
The burly Tamar Lambert (88) and Andre McCarthy (93) missed out on maiden tons against the Windwards in the first match but only three Jamaicans have managed fifties with Lambert (115) the only one with over a hundred runs for his team.
Nkrumah Bonner, who scored 110 against Barbados last year, is the only player in side with a century (Gayle has 3) but he has made just 23 runs this year and along with Horace Miller and Skipper Dave Bernard will hope for big scores.
Andre Russell and Wicket-Keeper Carlton Baugh have made crucial runs at the ‘death’ for their team and are dangerous contenders with the bat, while come-back kid, pacer Jerome Taylor was good enough to score a Test century.
Off-spinner Lambert (4) and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller (3) have bowled well for Jamaica but if the pitch is another ‘green top’ like the last one Guyana played on, then Taylor, who returned with an impressive 3-wicket spell against Ireland after not playing for the West Indies in almost four years, could provide a stern test for the Guyana Malta Supreme batsmen.
Russell, Andrew Richardson, Bernard and Jamaica’s latest Test pacer Sheldon Cotterell are all fast bowling options at Jamaica’s disposal.
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