Regional First-Class Cricket Wounded Jaguars must come out fighting to dent B’dos Pride Teams clash at Providence from today

Feb 28, 2019 News, Sports

The Bajans inspect the pitch which should favour spin today. (Sean Devers photo)

By Sean Devers
Four-times defending Champions Guyana Jaguars began this season with four consecutive wins before losing three of their last four leaving them in a precarious position; needing to win their last two games to be assured of a record equalling fifth successive title.
Today from 09:30hrs the wounded Jaguars must come out with more positive intent if they hope to dent the Barbados Pride on a Providence track which had some grass on it yesterday but which should favour spin today.
Despite their two-match losing streak Jaguars still hold the lead with 117.2 points from eight matches but Pride with 90.6 point are third on the points table but like Leewards Hurricane (in second place with 93.4 points) they both have an extra game to play.
Jaguars replaced injured pacer Clinton Pestano with Jamaican off-spinner Ramaal Lewis in the only change to their squad and could play Lewis and the left-arm spin pair of Veerasammy Permaul and Gudakesh Motie if they suspect the pitch will turn from early in the game.
Pride have an unchanged squad and their batting should hinge on the work of the inform Johnathon Carter who has 552 runs with an unbeaten century and four fifties from seven matches.
However, Tion Walcott and Shane Moseley are the only other batsmen in the young squad with 300 runs for Barbados who won their last game against the Windwards for their fourth win from seven matches.
Pacers Miguel Cummins (17) and Marquino Mindley (12) could have their work cut on what should be a slow track despite the grass on, but Barbados’s leading wicket taker Jomel Warrican (24) who 21 wickets in seven Tests, could do the bulk of the bowling today.
Barbados Coach, 64-year-old Emmerson Trotman who scored the first ever Regional 50-over century, an even unbeaten 100 against Guyana at Bourda, feels a lot will depend on the experienced Carter to shepherd the young guns against a team which he feels is a strong unit and much respected by Bajans.

B’dos Pride say a prayer before practice yesterday.

He said the team’s strength is it’s all round ability, adding that while it is still possible for them to win the title they will take one game at a time.
They last time the teams met, Barbados were beaten in their own backyard this season, while the last occasion the Jaguars lost to the Bajans was in 2014, when set 68 to win Guyana collapsed for 66.
Guyana’s last game was an embarrassing two-day defeat at Sabina Park and with one game less than their main challengers, Skipper Leon Johnson has to step up and contribute and bat with a more positive mind set.
Johnson has scored three fifties in what has been a disappointing season for him and will needed to work on his conversion rate; he has only converted five of his 41 scores of 50 into hundreds and he needs a big hundred in a game that could end inside three days.
Anthony Bramble is Jaguars’ leading run scorer with 475 runs including two hundreds but he has fallen away badly, while Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the only other batsman with 400 runs (464), needs to find the gaps more and be more consistent since he has not reached 40 in his last seven innings.
Vishaul Singh, with three fifties, could bat at three, while Chris Barnwell, who has two fifties in six matches, could also be a number three option.
Sherfane Rutherford has played a string of reckless shots since his 54 in his 106 runs in five matches and could lose his place in the team, while Chanderpaul Hemraj has not managed much since his century and will want to convert a start into something meaningful at the top of the order today.

Off spinner Ramal Lewis is the only change in the Jaguars squad and should relish the Providence pitch.

The all-rounders’ contributionhas bailed out the top order on too many occasions with Romario Shepherd (2 fifties) and Raymon Reifer (161 runs including a fifty from four matches) hoping to continue this trend.
Without Pestano and Keemo Paul (both injured) the fast bowling should be done by Shepherd (28 wickets), Reifer and Barnwell, while the tournament’s second leading wicket taker Permaul (34) will spearhead what could be a three-prong spin attack.
The Guyana Team will come from:
1. Tagenarine Chanderpaul
2. Chandrapaul Hemraj
3. Raymon Reifer
4. Leon Johnson (C)
5. Vishaul Singh
6. Anthony Bramble (wk)/ (VC)
7. Christopher Barnwell
8. Romario Shepherd
9. Veerasammy Permaul
10. Gudakesh Motie
11. Akshaya Persaud
12. Sherfane Rutherford
13. Ramaal Lewis
Coaching Staff:
Rayon Griffith – Head Coach
Shivnarine Chanderpaul – Assistant Coach
Neil Barry Jnr – Physiotherapist