'Jamaica ready to defend title'

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

If the confidence being exuded by both teams is anything to go by, then this weekend's West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-Day Tournament's opening-round clash between Jamaica and Guyana at Alpart Sports Club, St Elizabeth, could provide cricket fans with a treat.

The game, which is slated to get under way today at 10 a.m., will see both teams putting out their best available XIs in a bid to get a winning start in what should yet again prove to be an exciting tournament.

Leading the way for Jamaica, who are three-time defending champions, will be batsmen Brendan Nash and Marlon Samuels, who are coming off centuries during the team's trial matches, and Wavell Hinds, who last season was the tournament's leading run-getter.

There will also be fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who took six wickets during the final trial match and seems to be returning to form, and all-rounder David Bernard Jr who, over the past couple of seasons, has been one of the team's most consistent performers.

New season, new challenges

"It's a new season with new challenges, but having prepared well over the past couple of weeks, I think we are ready to defend our crown," said skipper Tamar Lambert, who will be without Chris Gayle, Carlton Baugh Jr, Nikita Miller, and André Russell, who are away on West Indies duties.

"Guyana are a team that doesn't give anything away, and while they may have finished in the bottom half of the table last season, they tend to play as a team and as we can't take anything for granted."

Guyana, meanwhile, will be without the services of batting duo Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who are also on West Indies duties, and Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Travis Dowlin, due to injuries and drop in form. They will look to a cadre of young players.

Top among these will be captain Assad Fudadin, former West Indies U-19 captain Leon Johnson, WICB High Performance Centre's Rajendra Chandrika and wicketkeeper Derwin Christian, who scored a century against Jamaica last season.

They will also depend on the exploits of spinners Davendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul, who have represented the West Indies A in the past, and pacer Brandon Bess, who has Test match experience to his credit.

"We are without most of our senior players, yes, but I think we have an eager and pretty good side," said Fudadin, shortly after his team's arrival on Tuesday.

"Our preparation has been good, and if we play to our potential we can beat Jamaica," he added.

Other matches on this weekend include Leeward Islands versus England Lions at Warner Park in St Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago against Barbados at Guaracara Park in Trinidad, and the Combined Campuses & Colleges versus the Windward Islands at 3Ws Oval in Barbados.

Jamaica squad: Tamar Lambert (captain), David Bernard Jr, Bevon Brown, Odean Brown, Sheldon Cotterell, Wavell Hinds, Danza Hyatt, Simon Jackson, Brendan Nash, Andrew Richardson, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton.

Guyana squad: Assad Fudadin (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Shemroy Barrington, Ronsford Beaton, Brendon Bess, Rajendra Chandrika, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Leon Johnson, Veerasammy Permaul, Vishaul Singh.