Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY JAMAICA'S 14-man squad for the Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs tournament has now been selected and as expected, there were no surprises - not even one.
With Robert Samuels earlier returned as the captain, with nine players representing the West Indies inside the past year, with one player - Brenton Parchment - doing so well in the Carib Beer Series earlier this year, 11 players were automatic selections.
Based on their performances leading up to and during the practice matches, three players, batsman Shawn Findlay and fast bowlers Andrew Richardson and Evon McInnis, selected themselves.
As the leading batsman in the seven practice matches, Findlay scored 348 runs at an average of 49.71. On top of that, his 123 in game five at Melbourne Oval was one of only two centuries - the other coming from Parchment who scored 119, also in game five, while finishing with 229 runs in three innings for an average of 76.33.
LEADING BOWLER
As the leading bowler, McInnis took 12 wickets at an average of 20.25; and right behind him was Richardson with 10 at 19.80.
In any language, those are good figures and with no one, certainly not any of those who needed to score runs or take wickets in order to be selected, even coming close, the selection of each one was unquestionable.
What was really impressive about all three, however, was the quality they demonstrated while demanding a place in the squad. They were so good, and particularly so Findlay and McInnis, that on another day, without so many West Indies players around, they would not have been "sure picks" only for the squad but also for the 11 in Jamaica's opening match.
A tall, aggressive left-hander, Findlay looked the part. He is good all around the wicket, but his driving is something special - particularly when he goes onto the front foot.
Some batsmen, including some highly rated ones, are strokeless whenever the ball does not come onto the bat. Not so for Findlay.
Apart from driving half volleys, from fast bowlers or slow bowlers, between long-off and long-on and oftentimes for six, the 19-year-old Findlay is so balanced, his timing so good that even if he goes forward and the ball is pitched a bit shorter he can still drive.
That is what makes him so commanding.
It will be tough for Findlay to get into the 11, but if he does get in and gets going bowlers, fast or slow, may shy away from bowling at him.
GOOD COMPETITOR
Four years older than Findlay, McInnis was the pick of the bowlers. There were times when he was as fast as any and that means that he is fast. He also gets the ball to cut off the seam, he bowls a lovely yorker and he seems to be a good competitor.
With a batsman like Findlay and fast bowlers like Richardson and McInnis around but unlikely to get into the 11 - certainly for the first few matches, Jamaica must be backing themselves to win the title, and with a little luck, they should do so.
Looking at the line-up, with Chris Gayle and Parchment to be followed by Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Ricardo Powell and Robert Samuels, David Bernard Jnr., Gareth Breese and Carlton Baugh Jnr., the batting goes down to number nine, and with fast bowlers Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor to be supported by the medium-pace of Bernard and Hinds, the offspin of Breese, Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Ricardo Powell, the captain will not be short of bowlers.
ABUNDANCE OF TALENT
On paper, Jamaica really look good. There is an abundance of talent - no question about that. There are some skilled players in the team - and again, no question about that. What is important, however, is what happens in the middle, and hopefully the players will play well. To do that, however, all the players, each and every one of them, will have to give it their best shot.
Commitment could well be the key to winning the title, and after weeks of preparation in the nets and in the middle, apart from some fine tuning in the nets, the next week should be spent building team spirit so that unlike the final rounds of the Carib Beer Series earlier this year, it will be Jamaica first for all the players.
