No unity in Jamaica team, say players

Andre Russell and Shawn Findlay have said that a lack of unity in the Jamaica team cost them the Caribbean T20 final against Trinidad & Tobago. Russell, the West Indies fast-bowling allrounder, said the players did not behave professionally because they were playing as individuals rather than as a team.

"As a team it is about sticking together and we are kind of lacking in that department at the moment," Russell told the Jamaican Gleaner. "It's not professional for players to go on the field and some are doing one thing and some are doing another. We need to work together more as a team and if we can do that then just like how we win the other tournaments we can win the T20 as well."

Jamaica are the current champions in West Indies' first-class and domestic 50-over competitions, and beat T&T easily in the Regional Super50 tournament final in October 2011; but they were thrashed by the same team in the Caribbean T20 final, which also cost them a place in the lucrative Champions League T20. Findlay, the Jamaica batsman, said the reversal in fortunes was due to division in the team.

"The team spirit was not the best," Findlay said. "Some of the players were not pulling for each other as we wanted it to be. We are not unified as we should be. On match days you tend to have one set of players pulling to one side and the others to a next. You're never going to win a tournament like that.

"When we won the Super50 tournament everybody was gelling together. We know we can win Twenty20 tournaments if we get to gel, as it is the gelling and chemistry that teams like Trinidad have over us."

David Bernard, the Jamaica captain, was less scathing of the team and said what was needed was more practice playing Twenty20 cricket. "A better preparation period, including the playing of more Twenty20 competitions and matches going into the next tournament, will go a long way towards helping us to get better," Bernard said. "But to do this more resources are needed and one can only hope that the Jamaican Cricket Association can get the support from corporate Jamaica to do this going forward."