By Rajiv Bisnauth

GUYANA Jaguars skipper Leon Johnson, has stoutly defended his six-bowler strategy, blaming his top-order batsmen, who failed to deliver while chasing 260 runs for victory in their NAGICO Super50 semi-final game against hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday evening.

Johnson said he would not say that he missed an extra batsman as they chose to field the best team available.
“We fielded the best team available, but having said that the total was very gettable,” Johnson said.
The West Indies batsman added: “The wicket got better in the night, but we didn’t start well, we never got the chase going; there was little urgency at the top, and to add to that, we dropped two crucial catches when Bravo [Darren] was at the crease, so that too had contributed to our defeat”. Johnson explained.
The Jaguars innings got off to a slow start. They were 42-3 mid-way through the 20th over.
Johnson and wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble forged a 65-run partnership, which gave the innings the much-needed impetus.
However, when both batsmen were dismissed at 119-5, the remaining batsmen found scoring very difficult. They eventually reached 205-9 from 48.3 overs as Steven Jacobs was unable to bat due to injury.
“Certainly, we were slow out of the traps, and that cost us. It’s very disappointing to lose,” Johnson disclosed.
The Red Force spin trio of Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Narsingh Deonarine and Akeal Hosein, then shared seven wickets between them on a helpful Queen’s Park Oval pitch to tame the Jaguars.
However, while Johnson was disappointed not to reach the final, he praised the team, especially the bowling department.
“I taught we did well during the first six games. Our bowling was good throughout, but our batting, the major concern is the dot balls, so we have another year to plan,” Johnson concluded.
Guyana have not won a Regional One-Day title in nine years. Their last of nine titles was during the 2005-06 season, when they defeated Barbados by seven runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.