WICB First-Class Franchise cricket…Jaguars expected to prevail against Jamaica today at Providence

Mar 06, 2015 Sports

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By Sean Devers
On a National Holiday to celebrate the Hindu festival of Phagwah, a keen contest is

anticipated at Providence as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Four-Day first-Class Franchise resumes with eighth round matches today.
Guyana National Stadium is the venue for the 67th contest between leaders the Guyana Jaguars on 107 points and Jamaica on South American soil in a game that could be affected by rain judging from the Weather forecast for the next four days. The South American based team hunt an 11th First-Class win against the team from Reggie Country, who has beaten Guyana 24 times.
On the back of an unprecedented four consecutive wins on ‘the road’ including a rare victory in Jamaica, the Jaguars will start as favorites and will be strengthened by the return of Test left-hander Assad Fudadin, who missed the last three matches due to a broken finger sustained in South Africa last December, while Skipper Leon Johnson, the inform Narsingh Deonarine and the prolific Shiv Chanderpaul, have all played at the highest level.
In addition to the Test foursome, the elegant Rajendra Chandrika will hope to give the Jaguars a firm foundation and finally get a three-figure score while Vice-Captain Vishaul Singh, Raymond Reifer, Chris Barnwell and Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble will also be eager to convert good starts to big scores.
Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo could also contribute with the bat down the

order as they have demonstrated throughout the tournament.
If they bat first the Jaguars should endeavor to get a massive total and accumulate maximum batting points since rain could be a factor in this contest.
If the game is drawn with the home side getting batting and bowling points it would be advantageous to them because of the points-gap between the Jaguars and the second placed team.
Deonarine has two centuries while Singh is the other Guyanese centurion in the Competition with a maiden ton against T&T’s Red Force. Both of Deonarine’s hundreds were made at Providence against the Leewards and the Windwards respectively in Guyana’s first two matches while his 90 against Barbados in Barbados was top class.
The bulk of the bowling will be taken care of by left-arm spinner Permaul, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 46 scalps, leg-spinner Bishoo (36 wickets) and Deonarine. West Indies ‘A’ team fast bowler Ronsford Beaton, Keon Joseph, Barnwell and Bajan left-arm seamer Reifer will provide pace options.
Without Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Nikita Miller, Marlon Samuels, Sheldon Cotterell and Jerome Taylor, who are all in the World Cup squad, Jamaica are the hardest hit team in the competition by the loss of players due to West Indies commitments and they will depend on Skipper Tamar Lambert, Jeremy Blackwood, Chadwick Walton, John Campbell, David Bernard and Shacaya Thomas with the bat.
Leg-spinner Damian Jacobs is Jamaica’s leading wicket taker while fellow leg-spinner Odean Browne is also in the squad. Former West Indies youth pacer Jason Dawes and 20-year-old pacer Marquino Mindley are wonderful fast bowling prospects for Jamaica and Mindley had a five-wicket haul when the teams last met in Jamaica.
On that occasion Guyana beat Jamaica for the first time in Jamaica since their 2006 win at Chedwin Park but the low and slow Providence track will provide a totally different track than the one with pace and bounce at Sabina Park.
It is unlikely that the Jaguars will play a four-prong pace attack as they did in Jamaica since the pitch here should prove hard work for the pacers and shot makers. Players like Chanderpaul, Fudadin, Singh and Lambert are best suited to bat on a track like the one at Providence.
The last time Guyana won a title at First-Class level, Jamaica were the opposition in the 2002 Busta International Shield when, led by a classy innings from Skipper Carl Hooper, Guyana took first innings points in the final at Sabina Park.
It was also against Jamaica that Chanderpaul recorded a masterful 303 in 1996, which is still the highest First-Class score in Regional cricket. But it was Jamaica who bowled out Guyana for 41 in 1986 which remains their lowest total at this level.
Guyana’s first title was won in 1973 but it has been 17 years since the Guyanese have not won a Regional First-Class title and the last of Guyana’s six Regional First-Class Championship wins was achieved in 1998 when they shared the title with the Leewards.
Jamaica have won 11 titles since 1969 including five in a row from 2008 but they can no longer win this title, while Guyana are in a great position to take championship honors this year since are 25 points ahead of nearest rivals, Barbados. The maximum points that any team could get from a win (with bonus points) is 20 and an outright win in the match could virtually assure the Jaguars the title with two matches to go.
The game is scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs today and admission is free. Although the Orange and green stands are being rehabilitated, a sizable gathering should be present today, especially since a massive turnout is anticipated to attend the Phagwah day activates on the Tarmac of the Stadium from 11:00hrs today.
Squads: Jaguars: Leon Johnson (Capt), Rajendra Chandrika, Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Keon Joseph, Ronsford Beaton
Jamaica: Tamar Lambert (Capt), David Bernard Jnr, Damion Jacobs, John Campbell, Brandon King, Gavon Brown, Chadwick Walton, Jason Dawes, Odean Brown, Jermaine Blackwood, Marquino Mindley, Shacoya Thomas, Cassius Burton.

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