Do or die for Bajans

Barbados' déjà vu story of crashing out at the semifinal stage of the Red Stripe Bowl will come to an end today if Sherwin Campbell is serious about his words.

And the Barbados captain has never been known to make wild predictions.

But he and his team know that the critical public back home will want to hear no excuses if they do not overcome Trinidad and Tobago at the Kaiser Sports Club on the scenic north coast of Jamaica.

For three successive seasons, Barbados have qualified for the semifinals and after each match, they had to get on a plane and head back home before the championship final.

We've been there (semifinals) so many times before and have faulted at the end, Campbell told WEEKENDSPORT.

This year we are going to try hard to go to the final. Most of the guys are senior players and we've been over and over this too many times. I think we are going to go all the way this year.

The intention is not only to advance to Sunday's final, but to capture a regional limited-overs title that has eluded Barbados since 1988.

They know, however, that Trinidad and Tobago will be no cake-walk with the presence of Brian Lara, Daren Ganga, Mervyn Dillon, Marlon Black and new captain Dinanath Ramnarine.

They are playing well and we cannot under estimate them, Campbell said.

Trinidad and Tobago used the same 11 players throughout the preliminaries in which they maintained a 100 per cent winning record on the way to topping Zone A and manager Ian Bishop was quietly confident of making their first final since 1996.

Both teams would fancy themselves. Without taking sides, I would say that Trinidad and Tobago have a well-balanced team, Bishop said.

Balance is the key word. We've got some batsmen making runs, but we're quite happy as well to see a balance between our spin bowlers and our faster bowlers.

At the same time, Bishop admitted that Barbados would be a threat.

We're looking forward to a good game of cricket. We've always had some good battles against Barbados and I don't think this one will be any different.

It's been somewhat of a turn around for Trinidad and Tobago in the shorter form of the game this year. They made no impression in the last two seasons when they could not get past the preliminaries.

There has a good deal of planning by the coach. Phil Simmons has trained the guys well and refined their techniques and mindset, Bishop gave as one of the reasons for their success this year.

Not a single Barbados batsman could manage an aggregate of 100 runs in their three preliminary matches in Guyana.

The Barbados captain's three innings brought him 48 runs, but he is in no way bothered by his form.

The confidence is there. It's just a matter of spending some more time in the middle and everything will just flow from there. I am not too much worried about my form at the moment, Campbell said.

I have to make that extra effort to concentrate a little bit harder. I have to carry on, not only for the benefit of myself, but for the benefit of the team.

It's semifinals and you have to win, no matter who you play against. It is matter of going out there and getting the job done, Campbell said.

Venue: Kaiser Sports Club, Discovery Bay

Barbados (from) Sherwin Campbell (captain), Adrian Griffith, Dale Richards, Floyd Reifer, Ryan Hinds, Courtney Browne, Ian Bradshaw, Hendy Bryan, Sulieman Benn, Pedro Collins, Kurt Wilkinson, Ryan Nurse, Carlo Morris.

Trinidad & Tobago (likely) Dinanath Ramnarine (captain), Daren Ganga, Andy Jackson, Lincoln Roberts, Brian Lara, Richard Smith, Keno Mason, Dave Mohammed, Mervyn Dillon, Darrell Brown, Marlon Black.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (Jamaica), Eddie Nicholls (Guyana).

Match referee: Hugh Perry.

Playing times (Jamaica time): 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1:45 p.m. to close (scheduled 5:15 p.m.). East Caribbean one hour ahead.