Tony Becca
Tony Becca
THE 2004 regional limited-overs cricket tournament is over and as a contest it was one of if not the best of all time.
It had favourites losing to underdogs in a preliminary round that saw a number of surprising results, with the four semi-finalists each winning three matches and losing two, and it had the unheralded Trinidad and Tobago walking away with the title after knocking off Barbados in the semi-finals and Guyana in the final.
With a number of teams, some of whom, like the Leeward Islands against Jamaica, Barbados against Jamaica, and Guyana against Trinidad and Tobago in the final, still lost, some of whom, like Trinidad and Tobago versus Jamaica and in the final, went on to win, rallying after early collapses, the tournament was also packed with drama, and with so many matches going to the wire, with the Windward Islands, the outsiders who made it to the semi-finals after defeating Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands, clipping the Leeward Islands by one wicket and then Trinidad and Tobago by one run, it was also filled with excitement - with nail-biting finishes.
RUNAWAY VICTORIES
Unlike previous years when a number of weak teams were involved, there were few runaway victories, hardly a one-sided match, and after taking the bold but sensible decision to omit the weak teams and to make the regional tournament a contest for the best, the West Indies Cricket Board and its Cricket Committee should be applauded for a wonderful move - a move that made every match in the preliminary round an important one.
This year there was no mismatch - not one instance of the strong preening themselves against the weak, piling up huge scores and reducing the regional competition to a farce.
With scores like Barbados 208 for nine and Trinidad and Tobago 210 for seven, Jamaica 206 and Trinidad and Tobago 209 for eight, Windward Islands 219 and Trinidad and Tobago 218 for nine, the Leeward Islands 228 for nine and the Windward Islands 229 for nine, Trinidad and Tobago 219 and the Leeward Islands 211, and Barbados 276 for five off 50 overs and Trinidad and Tobago 256 for five off 46.2 before bad light stopped play, the matches, this year were close and exciting from start to finish.
Apart from the absence of
so many players, including Ramnaresh Sarwan of Guyana, Brian Lara and Dwayne Bravo of Trinidad and Tobago, there were, however, two disappointments - the failure of batsmen such as Christopher Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith, Ricardo Powell, Sylvester Joseph, Shazam Babwah, Narsingh Deonarine and Sewnarine Chattergoon to fire and the careless, reckless strokes to wide, very wide deliveries, that led to the dismissal of some of the young batsmen.
POTENTIAL
As so often happens in both the regional four-day and limited-overs competitions, however, there were a few youngsters who made up for those disappointments and who hinted that with hard work, proper discipline and a little luck, they could serve West Indies cricket well when they come to the age of maturity.
One such youngster is wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin of Trinidad, another is wicketkeeper Darwin Christian of Guyana, another is Damodar Daesrath of Guyana - a batsman who plays well off both the front foot and the back foot, a batsman whose stroke selection is wonderful, and a batsman who strokes the ball with confidence.
Another is Sherwin Ganga of Trinidad and Tobago - a batsman who seems well organised, is full of confidence, and who does not buckle under pressure, and another is Xavier Marshall of Jamaica - a batsman who has all the strokes, a batsman who uses his feet, a batsman who loves to attack, a batsman who is not afraid of the bowler, and a batsman who performs regardless of the pace of the pitch.
