Red Stripe Bowl: Jamaica muffed two lovely chances (13 October 1998)

13 October 1998

Red Stripe Bowl: Jamaica muffed two lovely chances

Tony Becca

The preliminary round of the Red Stripe Bowl limited-over cricket tournament is over, and it's now on to the semi-finals where Guyana will be up against Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago will take on the Leeward Islands, and the winners contesting the final.

After 12 matches - six in Zone One and six in Zone Two, the disappointment, from Jamaica's point of view, and moreso because they are the hosts of the semi-finals and the final, is that Jamaica will not be at Kaiser for the final four weekend.

That however, is nobody's fault but their own, and although the fans are disappointed, the organisers and the sponsors need not worry.

Based on last year's experience when good crowds turned up to see Guyana versus Trinidad and Tobago in one of the semi-final matches and Guyana against the Leeward Islands in the final, Jamaica's absence may hardly affect the attendance at the matches.

Jamaica's failure to make it to the semi-finals should, however, be cause for concern to those vested with the development of the game in Jamaica - not simply because they failed to win a place in the top four but because they had two lovely opportunities to do so and muffed them both.

Apart from some loose fielding on both occasions, they allowed the opportunities to slip through their fingers, not because of undisciplined batting or poor bowling but because of both - poor, thoughtless batting at the vital stage on one day, poor bowling, and fielding, at the crucial point on the following day.

Going into the penultimate round of the zone, Jamaica needed to defeat the Leeward Islands to guarantee a place in the semi-finals.

Although their bowlers, and fielders, limited the opposition to 181 for seven, their batsmen, apparently on the way at 162 for six in the 46th over, carelessly lost four wickets for four runs in nine deliveries, and dived to defeat at 166 all out with three overs still to be bowled.

There was no need to hurry, yet they got out swinging, leg before wicket playing across the line of the ball, and running sharp singles.

Going into the final match still with a chance, Jamaica, after scoring 209 for nine, needed, not only to win the game but also to restrict Barbados to under 197.

After recovering from the assault of Philo Wallace and cornering them at 174 for seven with three overs to go and all the top batsmen gone, however, Jamaica, although they won the match, allowed Barbados to get away with fast bowler Franklyn Rose conceding 14 runs in the first of those three overs.

On one day, therefore, it was the batsmen who failed to deliver when the match was on the line. The other day, it was the bowlers, along with the fielders, who failed to deliver with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.

Whose fault is it?

To some fans, it is the selectors. To others, it is the players.

It cannot, however, be the selectors. Selectors can only select from what is available, and unlike previous occasions when they were criticised for not selecting those who, regardless of age, technique or style, performed, this time around they gave everyone a chance.

The fault, it appears, lies with the players - not only because, like the other territories, the general standard of Jamaica's cricket is low, not only because some of them are not technically good enough to perform at this level, but also because some of them do not have the capacity to either perform at this level or to perform under pressure.

Maybe had ace fast bowler Courtney Walsh been available, Jamaica would have been on their way to Kaiser. The reality of the past week, however, is that Jamaica need some better players - certainly, despite the promise of Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, and, lest we forget, Leon Garrick, some better batsmen.

Jamaica, as was the case a few years ago, also need players who know how to win - especially when they find themselves in a winning position.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)