Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
from Keith Holder
The Pride of Barbados squad selection for their first two matches in the regional first-class championship should be quite interesting following the announcement of the West Indies squad for the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe.
Seven Pride of Barbados players – captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican – are in the 15-man West Indies squad. Both Tests will be played in Bulawayo, starting on February 4 and 12.
Four of them – Brathwaite, Reifer, Chase and Warrican – played last year when there were 17 players as Barbados retained the title. Brathwaite, who was captain, Reifer and Warrican appeared in all five matches and Chase in three.
Other team members with bracket games were: Shayne Moseley (five), Jonathan Carter (five), Shane Dowrich (five), Ramon Simmonds (four), Justin Greaves (three) Akeem Jordan (three), Keon Harding (three ), Shamarh Brooks (two), Shamar Springer (two), Miguel Cummins (two), Shai Hope (one), Chemar Holder (one) and Chaim Holder (one).
Lest we forget, it was somewhat of a disjointed tour. Barbados won their first two matches at Kensington Oval – by four wickets against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes (February 9 to 12) and by 10 wickets against the Jamaica Scorpions (February 15 to 18) before having a three-month break.
The other matches in the first stage (four) were played in Trinidad, in February.
In the second phase all matches were played in Trinidad.
Barbados lost by five wickets to the Guyana Harpy Eagles at Queen’s Park Oval (May 18 to 21), beat Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by an innings and 22 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (May 25 to 27) and culminated with a draw against Windward. Volcano Islands in a rain-hit match at the Diego Martin Sports Complex (June 1 to 4).
The scoreboard showed: Barbados 76.2, Leeward Islands 72.6, Guyana 61.8, Trinidad & Tobago 54.2, Jamaica 43.8, Windward Islands 26.8.
This season, Barbados’ first two matches are in Antigua against Guyana at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (February 1 to 4) and Jamaica at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (February 8 to 11). The other matches in the first two rounds are scheduled in Grenada before the break.
The final three rounds for all teams will be played in Trinidad (March 15 to April 1).
Now, after two three-day matches in the Legends Series at Kensington Oval, the batsmen dominated with five centuries and the same number of half-centuries, including one who missed a hundred by three runs and two that fell in the 80s.
The summary results were:
January 12, 13, 14: The match is tied.
Sir Garfield Sobers X1 535 all out (131.4 overs) (Jonathan Drakes 171 – 230 balls, 303 minutes, 26 fours, 1 six; Rashawn Worrell 140 – 271 balls, 357 minutes, 20 fours, 1 Zachary McC6 – 16 balls, 179 minutes , 11 fours; Shai Hope 27, Amari Goodridge 26, Demetrius Richards 23, Matthew Forde 18, Joshua Dorne 12, Marrodon Bend 11; Romario Greaves 3-82, Akeem Jordan 2-57, Camarie Boyce 22-97, Camarie Boyce McAllister 1 -51).
Sir Gordon Greenidge X1 435-9 (104 overs) (Nyeem Young 111 – 147 balls, 199 mins, 14 fours, 4 sixes; Kemar Smith 89 – 66 balls, 84 mins, 11 fours, 3 sixes; Shian Brathwaite Springer 44, 43 , Jonathan Carter 35, Akeem Jordan 35, Nathan Sealy 20 not out, Kadeem Alleyne 18, Kyle Hope 10, Romario Greaves 10 not out; Jaden Lorde 4-94, Tariq O’Neale 2-72, Matthew Forde 2-86, Jaden Edmund 1-45).
January 17, 18, 19: The match is tied.
Sir Gordon Greenidge X1 296 all out (80.4 overs) (Hakeem Perryman 97 – 121 balls, 225 mins, 15 fours, 1 six; Jonathan Carter 87 – 149 balls, 181 mins, 11 fours, 1 six, Kadeem Alleyney 4 20 Kemar Smith 12; Shamar Springer 3-50, Jamaine Bullen 2-24, Joshua Bishop 2-49, Matthew Jones 1-17, Chaim Holder 1-56, Keon Harding 1-61).
Sir Charles Griffith X1 508-7 (114 overs) (Shayne Moseley 148 – 185 balls, 265 minutes, 19 fours, 3 sixes; Nicholas Kirton 120 – 163 balls, 256 minutes, 15 fours, 3 sixes; Shamar Springer 51 no – balls, 89 mins, 7 fours, 1 six; Leniko Boucher 46, Shanaldo Taylor 39, Kevin Wickham 29, Rivaldo Clarke 19, Jamaine Bullen 19 not out; Joshua Drakes 2-78, Kemar Smith 2-133, Camarie 1-1- 58, Akeem Jordan 1-64, Jair McAllister 1-80).
With a new captain in wicketkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich, Barbados will aim to extend their record four-day regional titles to 25.
If we are to go by the recent remarks from the chairman of the Barbados selection committee, Henderson Broomes, we can expect some new players in the squad.
“Obviously, as defending champions for the last two seasons, it would be nice to get a hat-trick. However, personally this is not the only objective.
I see this season as one that is very important for the development of the next generation of players,” said Broomes.
“With a number of players expected to be unavailable due to West Indies duties, this gives the Hendy Broomes-led panel a perfect opportunity to showcase some young talent.”
As such, players such as batsmen Zachary McCaskie, Jonathan Drakes and Kevin Wickham and fast bowler Jair McAllister are expected to be in the squad.
They are all underdogs at first-class level, but three of them – 26-year-old McCaskie, Drakes, 28 and 19-year-old Wickham – have played List A matches (50-plus).
McAllister, 26, regarded as the fastest player on the island at the moment, was in the Barbados squad for last season’s one-day tour to Antigua but was surprisingly not given a game.
McCaskie gets the nod as Moseley’s starting partner although Rashawn Worrell should be a close contender.
Apart from his knock of 140 in the Legends’ first match, Worrell had a solid 2022 season for Carlton in the three-day Elite division championship, scoring 500 runs including two centuries at an average of 45.45.
With a planned tour by a Barbados ‘A’ team to Dominica just around the corner, he is sure to be in that squad.
Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope and Dowrich, all with international experience, give the batting a healthy look with Nicholas Kirton also in contention.
Shamar Springer, who bowls medium pace, fills the role as an all-rounder.
Two of the fast bowlers are Keon Harding and Akeem Jordan, while the spinners are left-armer Camarie Boyce and Chaim Holder, who bowls off-breaks.
Notable absences are veteran batsman Jonathan Carter and 21-year-old left-armer Ramon Simmonds, who is currently representing Paarl Royals in the inaugural South Africa20 league.
Simmonds impressed in his debut first-class season last year, taking 12 wickets (Ave: 18.08).
Probable squad: Shane Dowrich (capt), Shayne Moseley, Zachary McCaskie, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Jonathan Drakes, Kevin Wickham, Nicholas Kirton, Shamar Springer, Akeem Jordan, Keon Harding, Camarie Boyce, Chaim Holder, Jair McAllister.
Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning sports journalist who has covered local, regional and international cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (renamed Elite in 2012) for four decades and provides statistics and history for the BCA website
(www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: [email protected]
Read our email. Quickly. Factual. Free.
Sign up and stay up to date with Barbados’ free latest news.
