Jamaicans in charge

If it were a crime in cricket to bludgeon bowlers, Jamaica would have been arrested, charged and convicted yesterday.

Without showing any pity on a Barbados side that was recently crowned Busta Cup champions, Leon Garrick and Wavell Hinds unmercifully punished Sherwin Campbell's team in a doublecentury partnership on the opening day of their Busta International Shield semifinal at Kensington Oval.

Jamaica, fielding eight players with international experience, ended the day on 293 for two against a Barbados team that also includes as many players to have represented the West Indies in either Tests or One-Day Internationals.

When stumps were drawn, little Garrick, fresh from a double-century in record first-wicket partnership with Chris Gayle, was unbeaten on 139 and seemingly headed for much more.

Hinds, seeking to cash in after missing out last weekend on his first appearance since returning from Australia with the West Indies team, was just as impressive in reaching his ninth first-class century.

It was especially notable the high number of boundaries that raced across what was the best outfield seen at Kensington this season. All told, 41 balls crossed the ropes and a high proportion of them were despatched with ferocious power. Barbados gained the solitary wicket of Gayle in the morning session and seemed unlikely to take another while Garrick and Hinds were going merrily along at a rate of threeand-a-half runs an over in a record stand.

The pair put on 203 to eclipse Jamaica's previous best second-wicket stand against Barbados - 128 between Herbert Chang and Jeff Dujon in 1979.

Once more, Barbados' cause was not helped by their inability to hold on to a few chances that came their way.

The most straightforward came soon after lunch when Garrick had a chance missed by Floyd Reifer at backward point.

By then the 24-year-old Garrick had already passed 50 for the sixth time this season and he went on to make the most of that miss and much sharper chance to a Campbell at slip when he was 35.

Not for the first time this season, Barbados' attack seemed to lack firing power and there were some who felt the pace of Patterson Thompson could have made a difference.

Be that as it may, there was very little that troubled the batsmen and it was only in the final hour-and-a-quarter that the scoring rate slowed down, largely because the highly-touted Marlon Samuels appeared to be out of sorts.

Samuels was a shadow of the batsman who created such a big impression on his international debut in Australia a few weeks ago and needed 58 balls for his ten runs.

Barbados were sure he was lbw when he went back and attempted to play across a ball from left-arm spinner Ryan Austin.

in the first hour-and-a-quarter yesterday Gayle clobbered a couple of fours before he was dismissed by Hendy Bryan to an alert first slip catch by Roland Holder after a diving Campbell parried the ball.

Gayle's 27 took his season aggregate to 748 runs, and by the close Garrick was just behind on 731 following the completion of his fourth first-class century.

It was an innings in which he showed he was a master in executing the extra-cover drive. It was a shot that earned a good few of his boundaries and there were occasions he was so certain of the result that he didn't bother to spoil the stroke by running.

Such is the confidence of a player who has achieved a huge personal comeback after he was ignored by the selectors for all of last season. The innings also made up for a double-duck he got in his first firstclass match against Barbados at Kensington in 1997.

Hinds is no stranger to runs on the ground. He made 165 and 52 in a Test match against Pakistan last year and completed a solid century yesterday that should assure of his Test place for the forthcoming series against South Africa.

Like Garrick, Hinds was also strong on the drive. There was also one over from Ryan Austin in which he lifted the off-spinner overhead with both shots nearly carrying for sixes.

There was no doubt, however, when he struck the day's only six by pulling Ian Bradshaw onto the Kensington Stand to move to 92. He duly reached his 100 off 162 balls, but gifted his hand the very next ball when he pushed Austin down the throat of deep mid-off.