JOHN’S, Antigua – White flannels, red balls and familiar names will feature when the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament resumes this weekend.
Players like Devendra Bishoo, Rajindra Chandrika, Jermaine Blackwood, as well as Kraigg Brathwaite, Carlos Brathwaite, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope and Kemar Roach will all line for their respective franchises with five rounds of matches remaining in the Tournament.
With half of the season completed prior to the break for Christmas and New Year’s holidays, plus the NAGICO Super50 Tournament, the six regional franchise teams will now commence the return legs of the season and some will be eyeing revenge on their opponents from the first leg of matches.
The second half of the season begins tomorrow, when strugglers Leeward Islands Hurricanes host title-hopefuls Jamaica Scorpions at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
The following day, keen rivalry is on the cards for the other two matches that feature reigning R4Day champions Guyana Jaguars facing newly-minted NAGICO Super50 champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Guyana National Stadium and title-contenders Barbados Pride tackling the feisty Windward Islands Volcanoes at Kensington Oval.
In North Sound, Antigua: The Hurricanes will look to reward new captain Nkrumah Bonner, their Jamaican draft choice, by taking the sting out of the Scorpions and blowing them off course.
Bonner takes over from Steve Liburd, whose omission is one of three changes for the hosts – currently rooted to the bottom of the table on 13 points – in a bid to collect their maiden victory of the season against a visiting side that has been inconsistent and are third on 53 points.
When the two sides met earlier in the season, the Scorpions surged to a three-wicket victory inside three days on home soil at Sabina Park, for their seventh win in eight matches over the Hurricanes – and they will expect this trend to continue.
This will be the first time ever the two sides will meet at the VRCG and the Hurricanes can take comfort in the knowledge that the last time they beat the Scorpions, it took place about seven kilometres away at the Antigua Recreation Ground – albeit in 2000.
In Providence, Guyana: The Jaguars will want to deliver a strong dose of reality and bring the Red Force back down to earth.
The home team ended the first half of the season in pole position on 85 points and will try to keep the distance between them and the chasing pack, including the visitors – fourth on 37 points.
As the Jaguars swept all comers in the first half of the season, the Red Force were part of the carnage they left behind for just their second win over them in the last decade.
But the Jaguars failed to topple the side from the two-island republic in this corresponding fixture last season and this will be uppermost in the minds of the Red Force in a bid to slow down the leaders.
In Bridgetown, Barbados: The Pride – boosted by the return of five West Indies Test players – will aim to keep within reach of the leaders, but the Volcanoes will look for an explosive start to their revival in the Tournament.
The hosts are 22 points adrift of the leaders, and will have to come out of their shell and play aggressively to cut into that deficit against opponents that have typically been feisty against them.
A depleted Pride side turned the Volcanoes into ashes when they romped to a 181-run victory earlier in the season for their second win in the last three matches between the two sides.
But the Volcanoes – weakened by the absence of veteran opener Devon Smith, due to personal reasons – can take heart in knowing they have not lost at this venue in four of their last five trips.
Squads:
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions
(AT VIVIAN RICHARDS CRICKET GROUND, ANTIGUA)
HURRICANES (from): Nkrumah Bonner (captain, Quinton Boatswain, Nelson Boland, Rahkeem Cornwall, Daron Cruickshank, Colin Hamer, Jahmar Hamilton, Montcin Hodge, Jeremiah Louis, Orlando Peters, Sherwin Peters, Jacques Taylor, Gavin Tonge
IN–Cruickshank, Hodge, Louis; OUT–Steve Liburd, Chesney Hughes, Shane Jeffers
SCORPIONS (from): Paul Palmer Jr (captain), Carlton Baugh Jr, Dave Bernard Jr, Jermaine Blackwood, John Campbell, Sheldon Cottrell, Kirk Edwards, Damion Jacobs, Andre McCarthy, Nikita Miller, Marquino Mindley, Devon Thomas, Shacaya Thomas
IN–Blackwood, Shacaya Thomas; OUT–Nicholson Gordon, Tamar Lambert
UMPIRES: Lennox Abraham (Dominica), Danesh Ramdhanie (Trinidad & Tobago)
MATCH REFEREE: Vanroy Burnes
RESERVE UMPIRE: Bernard Joseph
Guyana Jaguars vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force
(AT THE GUYANA NATIONAL STADIUM)
JAGUARS (from): Leon Johnson (captain), Ronsford Beaton, Anthony Bramble, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rajindra Chandrika, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Raymon Reifer, Vishaul Singh
IN–Bishoo, Chandrika; OUT–Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Steven Jacobs
RED FORCE (from): Jason Mohammed (captain), Yannic Cariah, Narsingh Deonarine, Rayad Emrit, Kyle Hope, Akeal Hosein, Jon-Russ Jagessar, Steven Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Yannick Ottley, Marlon Richards, Jeremy Solozano
IN–Emrit, Jagessar, Lewis; OUT–Bryan Charles, Uthman Mohammed, Kjorn Ottley
UMPIRES: Nandkumar Shivsankar, Verdayne Smith (Jamaica)
MATCH REFEREE: Reon King
STANDBY UMPIRE: Shannon Crawford
Barbados Pride vs Windward Islands Volcanoes
(AT KENSINGTON OVAL, BARBADOS)
PRIDE (from): Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Kyle Corbin, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Kevin Stoute
IN–Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Dowrich, Hope, Roach; OUT–Tino Best, Kemar Brathwaite, Justin Greaves, Mario Rampersaud, Hayden Walsh Jr
VOLCANOES (from): Liam Sebastien (captain), Sunil Ambris, Alston Bobb, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Kavem Hodge, Keddy Lesporis, Mervyn Matthew, Kevin McClean, Kenroy Peters, Jerlani Robinson, Shane Shillingford, Tyrone Theophile
IN–Hodge, Lesporis, Robinson; OUT–Miles Bascombe, Dalton Polius, Devon Smith
UMPIRES: Leslie Reifer Jr, Christopher Taylor (Jamaica)
MATCH REFEREE: Mervyn Jones
STANDBY UMPIRE: Ryan Willoughby