GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Title-holders Trinidad and Tobago will launch the defence of their title against Guyana, in what is expected to be a keenly contested affair when the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Under-19 one-day championship bowls off here today. The Steven Katwaroo-led side finished second behind champions Jamaica in the three-day phase which concluded last Saturday, and will be looking to improve on this performance in the game’s shorter version in the fixture which will be played at Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda.
Jamaica, meanwhile, will clash with Barbados at the Guyana National Stadium while dethroned three-day champions Windward Islands face Leeward Islands at the Demerara Cricket Club.
T&T will fancy their chances especially with the likes of Katwaroo, Savion Lara, Kieron Joseph, Akeal Hosein and Emmanuel Lett in their batting line-up, while left-arm spinner Derone Davis, along with Jovan Ali and Idrees Mohammed, should continue to threaten on the spin-friendly Guyana pitches.
Guyana, meanwhile, have struggled batting-wise with Chandrapaul Hemraj and Kwame Crosse the only Guyanese to register half-centuries in the three-day format.
In the bowling department, spin will be Guyana’s strength with first-class leg-spinner Amir Khan, left-arm spinners Anthony Adams and Gudakesh Kanhai-Motie expected to do the bulk of the work.
Dominant Jamaica will be looking to make a clean sweep of the tournament when they engage Barbados, whom they trounced en route to the three-day title.
John Campbell, Ramon Senior, Teswayne Creary and Oshane Walters will be keen to contribute with the bat for Jamaica while their leg-spinning captain Donovan Nelson will lead their bowling attack.
Barbados will depend on Test opener and skipper Kraigg Brathwaite to bat through the innings while other more flamboyant batsmen like Anthony Alleyne, Kyle Mayers, Shane Parris and wicketkeeper Mario Rampersaud will want to bat around him.
Left-arm fast bowler Jerome Jones and his new-ball partner Justin Greaves will be a handful along with off-spinner Chaim Holder.
In the other game, the Leewards will want to redeem themselves after finishing bottom of the table in the three-day segment and they will depend on their burly captain Rakheem Cornwall who is a big hitter and will be dangerous in the shorter format if he gets going.
The Windwards have been disappointing but captain Kavem Hodge and Sunil Ambris, who finished among the top three-day run-scorers, will look to transform the side’s fortunes.