Sarwan ... "has the respect of the players".
COOLIDGE, Antigua:
JAMAICA'S CRICKETERS head for Antigua again today with one thing in mind - the Stanford Twenty20 tournament's US$1 million prize money.
Jamaica will first take on Guyana in a semi-final on Saturday, knowing that a win over the team which knocked them out of the last tournament would give them at least US$500,000, which will go to the second-placed team.
So far in the tournament, which started on January 26, Jamaica and Guyana have pulled the biggest crowds as visiting teams, and it was no surprise when the Stanford 20/20 website reported on Monday that - "Stanford 20/20 would like to advise fans that tickets for semi-final two on February 23 (Guyana vs Jamaica) and the final on February 24 have been completely sold out."
From St. Mary's in the west to the capital of St. John's and back to Coolidge, on every corner - in the barber shops, beauty salons, buses, at hotels, bars and clubs, people are talking about the Jamaica-Guyana clash.
And most are backing Jamaica to win.
Responses
"Mi wah Jamaica bang (beat) dem you si," a nail technician said.
A barber in St. John's, who was asking his friend about Antigua's defeat on Sunday night, said, "Mi no want Guyana fi win ... mi a back Jamaica all di way."
"They beat us, so I want Jamaica to beat them," said one bus driver. But, saying that, both captains are predicting an exciting game.
After Jamaica's eight-wicket quarter-final win over Nevis, Chris Gayle said: "Guyana is a more experienced team so it's going to be a tougher task."
But he is confident. "It doesn't matter which team comes, we just have to stick to the basics and play good cricket," he said.
An exciting game
Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan said: "I think it's going to be an exciting game ... obviously, Jamaica is the strongest team in the tournament. "We played them last year so we got a fair understanding of what they are capable of doing, so it's going to be a really good game and we are looking forward to it," he said.
He, however, believes if they get past Jamaica they will win the tournament again.
"We are pretty confident (of going all the way). Obviously, Jamaica are going to be the biggest test. If we can get past them, then we stand a very good chance of winning the tournament," he said.
Jamaica squad: Chris Gayle (captain), Brenton Parchment, Xavier Marshall, Shawn Findlay, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Carlton Baugh, Dave Bernard, Nikita Miller, Odean Brown, Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor.