Guyana, Barbados looking to improve in WICB Regional 4-Day clash  
… Barnwell and Gajanand Singh in Guyana  squad
JUST two points separate hosts Guyana and  opponents Barbados as they head into their fourth round clash in this year’s West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Regional four-day tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, from today.
Both teams had an intense net session using the practice pitch at the venue yesterday, following which both teams’ coaches asked for improved performance from their charges, with Barbados’ Vasbert Drakes calling on his bowlers to take 20 wickets for the first time this year, while Guyana’s Mark Harper asked for better scores from his batsmen.
While Guyana have lost two of their three matches to date, including a three-day humiliation at the hands of the Windward Islands in the last round, Barbados were held to draws by their first three opponents, including a high-scoring matchup against England’s ‘A’ team also known as the England Lions, Guyana’s next opponents.
The visitors batting lineup will be led by 18-year-old Kraigg Brathwaite, who unlike many young batsmen his age, has displayed the ability to concentrate for long periods, converting his half-centuries into three figure scores.
Braithwaite is at present averaging 44.58 from his 12 first class matches where he has aggregated 758 runs with two centuries and three half-centuries, after making his debut against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC), where he had scores of 73 and 33, even though Barbados lost the match by five wickets.
Brathwaite can expect valuable batting support from Dale Richards, Sharmarh Brooks, skipper Ryan Hinds, Kevin Stoute, Jason Haynes, Roston Chase and even West Indies Under-19 fast  bowler Jason Holder who showed he is no rabbit with the bat, with his 41 against Jamaica in the last round.
The 18-year-old Holder had earlier taken his first five-wicket haul (5-58) in Jamaica’s 324, but as Drakes pointed out, his batsmen are doing the job while the bowlers are not doing their part to their full potential.
The experienced Pedro Collins and Fidel Edwards, along with Stoute, Brooks, Hinds and leg-spinner Ryan Layne will take charge of the visitors’ bowling attack against their opponents’ batting lineup that is lacking self-belief and confidence.
Having dropped all-rounder Christopher Barnwell for the first three matches, the selectors named the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) all-rounder  along with his newly established Trinidad club mate Gajanand Singh.
According to a press release from the Guyana Cricket Board, Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Esaun Crandon are all out due to injuries, while opener Shemroy Barrington has once again been relegated to the standby list after the first three matches.
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Harper reiterated Fudadin’s call made earlier in the week, by asking his players to believe in themselves, especially the batsmen who need to put a decent total on the board for the bowlers to bowl at.
Both Chandrika and Barrington weathered a storm from Jamaica’s Jermaine Taylor in the first round, before Guyana lost the game, while the former and Brandon Bess, who played one Test match for the West Indies against South Africa last year, added 44 valuable runs for the tenth wicket against the Windwards in the previous round.
That aside, all the batsmen have been getting starts but found it difficult to carry on and hopefully against the Barbadians, whose bowling lineup has been strong on paper but weak in the field, they should find form.
Leon Johnson and Steven Jacobs are two former West Indies Under-19 captains whose progress in the gentleman’s game has been at a standstill in comparison to some of their Caribbean counterparts who played with them, for example Brooks.
Both of them, if given the opportunity to play in this match, along with Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Gajanand and Vishal Singh (no relation), will be expected to shoulder Guyana’s batting which has been spineless to date.
Wicketkeeper/batsman Derwin Christian has been holding his own with the bat, but he has also gifted his wicket away with impetuous shots, while West Indies ‘A’ team spin twins Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul have been proving to be sturdy customers with the bat.
Bess’s bowling has come on over the years after a struggle two years ago and having taken his first five-wicket haul at this level, he should be brimming with confidence going into this match as Guyana’s new-ball handler.
Whether he will have the fiery Ronsford Beaton at the other end or Barnwell is left to be seen, since Esaun Crandon is not in the lineup, but what is known for sure is both Bishoo and Permaul will be asked to do the bulk of the bowling, since Barbados is susceptible to spin.
Teams
Guyana from: Assad Fudadin (captain), Rajendra Chandrika, Leon Johnson, Gajanand Singh, Royston Crandon, Vishal Singh, Christopher Barnwell,   Derwin Christian, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Brandon Bess, Steven Jacobs and Ronsford Beaton.
Barbados from: Ryan Hinds (captain), Shane Dowrich, Jason Holder, Fidel Edwards, Sharmarh Brooks, Kevin Stoute, Dale Richards, Pedro Collins, Jason Haynes, Roston Chase, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kyle Hope and Ryan Layne.