West Indies: Battle at full strength (19 Feb 1998)

February 19, 1998

Battle at full strength

Gerald Reid, Freelance Writer

CRICKET: Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are expected to have a keenly contested match up when they face each other in the four day West Indies regional President's Cup cricket championships which begins this morning at Chedwin Park, starting at 10:00.

Jamaica and the Leeward Islands are joint leaders of the competition with 24 points each. Defending champions Barbados are third on 20 and Trinidad have 16 points.

Both Jamaica and Trinidad should be at their strongest with the inclusion of all the players who played in the third Test for the West Indies against England.

Jamaica and Trinidad starting 11 will not be named until just before the start of the match. Trinidad arrived yesterday along with the three Jamaicans who played for the West Indies in the third Test match in Trinidad which the home team lost by three wickets. This even the six Test series 1-1.

Both captains, Jamaica's Courtney Walsh and Trinidad and West Indies captain Brian Lara are very confident that they can achieve victory.

Walsh said, "this game promises to be a very competitive one as both Jamaica and Trinidad have won a game each. We would like to win and be sole leaders of the competition but Trinidad has a very strong team. I expect a good allround performance from the team."

The Jamaican captain said he has no knowledge on how the Chedwin Park pitch will play as it will be the first time he would be bowling on it.

A relaxed Lara said, "it is very important and also an international competition and everyone should take these matches very seriously. The game against Jamaica promises to be a very interesting and exciting one but I came here to win. I know with Walsh leading the team anything can happen as he is a very fine bowler.

"The Chedwin Park pitch is a very good batting strip and a lot of runs could be scored. When my turn comes at the crease I am going to stay in the middle and bat as long as I can and get as much runs I can," said the West Indies captain. Trinidad have made three changes to the team that lost in two days to the Leeward Islands. Coming in are opening batsman Anil Ballirum, spinner Rajendra Dhanraj and fast bowler Marlon Black.

The trio replaced Nigel Francis, Ken Hazel and Dennis Rampersad who did not performed well against the Leeward Islands in Trinidad and Tobago's second match.

"We brought in these players into the team as they did very well in the trials to merit their selections," Lara added.

The teams: Jamaica: Courtney Walsh (captain), James Adams (vice-captain), Robert Samuels, Leon Garrick, Franklyn Rose, Wavell Hinds, Tony Powell, Carl Wright, Andre Coley, Laurie Williams, Bryan Murphy and Gareth Breese.

Trinidad: Brian Lara (captain), Phil Simmonds, Anil Balliram, Suruj Ragoonath, Richard Smith, Darren Ganga, Lincoln Roberts, David Williams, Mervyn Dillom, Ian Bishop, Rajendra Dhanraj, Dinanath Ramnarine and Marlon Black

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