ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The 2014-15 West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament opens this coming Friday, and two teams that have seen their standing in the game move in the opposite direction will be looking to make an impact.
Windward Islands Volcanoes, once considered the Cinderella side of the regional game, have started to trend upwards in recent years as a number of promising players have started to establish themselves and brought more consistency to their play.
Leeward Islands however, have failed to find the fire that made them one of the most feared sides in the in the regional game in the 1990s and will be looking to rekindle that flame that brought so much success two decades ago.
Windwards finished third after the round-robin last season and toppled second-placed Trinidad & Tobago Red Force to reach the Final Challenge, where Jamaica got the better of them in a drawn match at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.
Leewards finished sixth after the round-robin, managing to earn a couple of impressive victories in an otherwise disappointing season.
Both teams travel for their opening matches in this new season – Volcanoes face hosts Jamaica at Sabina Park in a repeat of last season’s Final Challenge, and the Leewards meet hosts Guyana Jaguars at the Guyana National Stadium in a battle between last season’s two strugglers.
WICB Media continues its countdown to the start of the tournament, presenting key quotes from head coaches Ian Allen of Windwards Volcanoes and Ridley Jacobs of the Leewards Franchise.
IAN ALLEN
On trying to continue moving upwards:
What we will be trying to do is to try and maintain the momentum that we had last season which carried us to the Final. We are looking for the players that contributed to that performance to do the same, so we are looking for even more improvement.
On the reason for the turnaround in performances:
There is a belief in the players and the programmes that we have put in place to mitigate against the problems we had of coming together from different islands. What happened previously, we had to do a lot of work when we came together for tournaments which took time away from dealing with the tactical planning. What happens now is that a training programme has been organised and sent out to the players, so now when we assemble we can focus on winning matches. I think the communication and camaraderie of the players have also contributed to our performances. They have bought into what we have tried to instill in them with regards to performance and it is now beginning to pay off, creating healthy competitive environment inside the team.
On how does he maintain the intensity over such a long season:
The players all had fitness programmes to follow prior to us coming together and this will help significantly along with working smartly in the nets, so that the players can have adequate rest. With the franchise-styled system now taking root, we hope that the players will pay more attention to their game and doing all the things that will help them improve.
On the 10-round format:
I think it is great. We were not playing enough first-class matches and this is why our players have not been playing competitively at the international level. Now, if a player fails to make an impact in the early part of the season, he has a chance to go back to the drawing board and come back into the set-up, so I welcome this and I hope the players will take every opportunity to prove themselves.
On the where the strength in his team lies:
Over the years, our bowling has been our main strength, but I believe our batsmen are beginning to get close. Over the last decade, Devon Smith has carried our batting, but now other players are beginning to step up. Last season, Sunil Ambris scored two hundreds in his first season and other players made contributions at important times. We need to be smart about the way we play and not put ourselves under any pressure and take one match at a time.
On the players to watch:
Tyrone Theophile was one of our most improved players last season and we want to see them continue moving forward. Keddy Lesporis has another chance to establish himself at this level. Sunil Ambris needs to follow up a good first season with another strong performance.
RIDLEY JACOBS
On how he views the season ahead for his side:
It’s a good opportunity for most of our players. We have a few young players who will have the opportunity to be in the first-class set-up and make a name for themselves.
On why Leewards have struggled in recent seasons:
I think that leadership was the reason for our poor performances in times past. I have seen these players and I don’t think they lack ability and talent. I think that the people who were working with these guys were not honest with them, teaching them the simple and basic things they need to achieve and that is why I am here to make things happen for them and their cricket. If I cannot make things happen like the days of yore when we were winning tournaments and having players go onto represent the West Indies team then I should not be here.
On how does he maintain the intensity over such a long season:
I think the bond I build with these players has to be good. You have to have a good relationship with these players who will basically be away from their homes for a long time, so you have to live as a family and enjoy the moments. There will be good times and bad times, but is how we deal with these times is what matters most to make sure they are enjoying what they are doing.
On the longer format for the R4Day tournament:
It is one which will have guys playing more cricket.Over the years a lot of the players and even administrators spoke about the tournaments being too short, so it is good from the West Indies administration thinking about the initiative of having the players playing more cricket which is important and help them learn their craft.
On how does Kieran Powell’s absence affect the strength of the team:
Powell’s absence will affect us somewhat based on his experience and we all know of his capabilities, but at the same time it creates the opportunity for a young player to take that mantle and step up as there is a vacancy for a young player. We have some young players who are eager to fill the gap created by the absence of Powell.
On where the depth of his team is strongest:
Think we have a balance team and I think our bowling can be our strength given the surfaces around the region. In times past, our batting was generally our strength and now that I am in charge I am looking to ensure we can make things happen again with our batting and things will turn out different from what used to happen before. We want to see our batsmen applying themselves and giving the bowlers big totals to defend.
On the players he expect to make a big leap in this season:
I think Devon Thomas has been there for a while and he is the captain now, so we will be looking for him to play an important role, along with his deputy Jahmar Hamilton. Austin Richards Jr is making a comeback and Jacques Taylor is another technically sound player and we expect them to go out there and execute properly. We have experienced players like Gavin Tonge and Anthony Martin to add some stability to the line-up. You know people say Martin is too old, but he’s 31 and I think it is a good age, and he is still bowling well.