The West Indies Cricket Board’s Regional 50-over Tournament will start Oct. 14 in Jamaica with eight teams participating.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four.
Group A
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, and Combined Campuses & Colleges.
Group B
Barbados, Guyana, Leeward Islands, and Sagicor HPC.
Chris Gayle is back as captain for Jamaica replacing Jamar Lambert. Marlon Samuels is also in the Jamaica squad along with Brendan Nash and Nikita Miller.
This event will be played at Sabina Park, Chedwin Park and Trelawny Multi Purpose Stadium. On the opening day, host Jamaica will take on the Windward Islands and Trinidad & Tobago will play the Combined Campuses & Colleges.
The two semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22. The final is set for Sunday, Oct. 24.
Totally Outmatched
Apart from a little blunder from the Guyana selectors regarding the team that visited South Africa for the Airtel Champions League, the team was totally out played by much more experienced players and players who have playing much more of that type of cricket on a far more competitive basis. Guyana won the regional tournament defeating Barbados in the final thus qualifying to compete in the Airtel Champions League.
Senior Players Fail
With The Bat
Both of the Guyanese opening batsmen Travis Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon failed miserably in South Africa.
Dowlin played all four matches but his opening partner was dropped for the last game and the right-handed Richard Ramdeen replaced him and performed well. With just four games to be played in order to qualify for a semi-final spot, more changes should have been made to the team after the first two games.
Bad Choice
Replacing Lennox Cush for a seam bowler was total nonsense. The Guyanese selectors may have forgotton that the team was competing in an international event away from the Caribbean and much more expertise in decision making was necessary.
Different Playing Conditions
Playing Twenty/20 cricket in South Africa is not competing on a wicket at the Guyana Stadium or Kensington Oval in Barbados. Things are totally different on those conditions and wickets. Lennox Cush bowled four overs for 13 runs in the first match and he was dropped for the second game.
Coach Statement
Without Merit
Guyana’s Head Coach Ravindranauth Seeram said that Cush had been chosen by the selectors as a bowler. He made that statement during the Twenty/20 tournament in the Caribbean before Guyana won. The reason for Cush batting so late down the order has been debated repeatedly. Cush is an allrounder and he has the ability to hit very well in limited over matches, which he has proven over and over.
