Barbados aim to secure title

Barbados will be looking to christen their newest first-class venue by earning the one point they need to win the Carib Beer Series from their final preliminary match against contenders Trinidad & Tobago.

The Carlton Sports Club on the outskirts of the capital will become the seventh ground in the island to host first-class matches, but this will not matter too much to the Barbadians, as they stand on the verge of yet another regional title.

The Barbadians top the standings with 36 points, after taking first innings points in drawn matches against Guyana and Windward Islands, before posting victories against Jamaica and Leeward Islands. T&T are tied for second with Guyana on 24 points, and will be looking to rebound from a shock defeat to the Windwards in their previous match to earn a victory that would give them their first regional first-class title in 21 years.

For Barbados, they only need to avoid defeat to claim the title, but head coach Hendy Springer has indicated that there is still a lot of work to be done. "The season is not finished until the last match is played," Springer told reporters. "We had set out this season to play some positive cricket, and to improve as well. We've been doing that for the majority of the time, and for this game, our preparation and our enthusiasm has not waned.

"We're going to go out there and try and make as many runs as possible and try to take wickets as quickly as possible. It is not going to be as easy as that, but that is what we are going to set out to do."

Springer outlined that though securing first innings points is the first target for his side, Barbados is not known for playing draw cricket, and their ultimate objective is to win. "If we get an opportunity to get first innings points, we will take it, but we're looking to get an outright win. "We want to play positive cricket, as opposed to playing sit-back, draw cricket. Of course, you don't want to lose, but if our cricket is going to improve as a team and as individuals, we've got to look to play winning cricket, and think about winning instead of thinking about not losing." The Barbadians will have to achieve their objectives without West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, who has not recovered sufficiently from a blow to his left knee by Leewards fast bowler Adam Sanford during last weekend's encounter.

On the other hand, T&T captain Daren Ganga is smiling broadly at the return of batting superstar Brian Lara and long-standing fast bowler Mervyn Dillon to fortify his side, after their setback against the Windwards. "We are obviously disappointed with our defeat, but we understand those things happen in cricket, and we need to get over it," said Ganga. "I think the players have done this. We've got two guys back into the squad, Brian and Mervyn. They are experienced guys. We are going to gain a lot of confidence from them being in the team. We've got one objective - that is to win. This is the only chance we have of winning the competition."

Ganga acknowledged however, that the Barbados side will not be an easy team to beat, but T&T will give it their best. "Barbados are a very good team, and they've been very consistent throughout the season," he said. "They would obviously be on a high, coming off a victory. We know they are no push-over team. They are playing at home. They will definitely have their tails up.

"As we've proven, good teams sometimes go through a bad game. We're going to ensure that we play cricket how it is supposed to be played, ensure that we play the basics, do the basics, and ensure that we plan properly for the Bajans. We're coming with the faith and the hope, and I'm sure the guys are ready to go."

T&T will be hoping for a repeat of last year's contest in Barbados, when they prevailed by 48 runs.

Barbados: Ryan Hinds (capt), Ryan Austin, Wayne Blackman, Ian Bradshaw, Patrick Browne, Fidel Edwards, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Nurse, Dale Richards, Floyd Reifer, Kirk Wilkinson; Reserves: Jason Bennett, Kirk Edwards.

Trinidad & Tobago Daren Ganga (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Rayad Emrit, Sherwin Ganga, Amit Jaggernauth, Richard Kelly, Gregory Mahabir, Dave Mohammed, Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons, Brian Lara, Mervyn Dillon, Imran Khan.