Tony BeccaTHE INAUGURAL Busta cricket series is over, it was a lovely, exciting tournament.
Congratulations to the West Indies Board for inviting a visiting A team and the West Indies B team to participate in it, for changing their minds and ensuring that only one of the territories could have won the regional title.
Also, for the incentive of US$50,000 each to the first batsman to score 1,000 runs and the first bowler to take 60 wickets.
The participation of the England A team certainly added something to the tournament, because of the change which prevented the visiting team from winning the regional title, there were two titles up for grabs.
The first was the Busta Cup for the region's six territorial teams and the other, the Busta International Shield, for all eight participants. Apart from encouraging excellence, although the Board did not have to pay out the cash, the incentives certainly added to the excitement.
The success of the tournament, however, was because of the action on the field and congratulations should also go to Barbados for winning the Cup, to Jamaica for winning the Shield, to Guyana for challenging for both titles and to the likes of batsmen Carl Hooper, Christopher Gayle and Leon Garrick, and bowlers such as Dinanath Ramnarine and Gareth Breese who were the star performers.
By reaching the semi-finals of the Shield, Barbados could have won the double and although they finished empty-handed, Guyana, who finished level on points with Barbados in the race for the Cup and contested the Shield final, could also have done so.
So too, however, could Jamaica, and after gaining only first innings points from Barbados and dropping first innings points to Guyana in the preliminary round when the Cup was decided, after defeating Barbados in the semi-finals of the Shield and leading Guyana on first innings in the final, they should be disappointed they did not win both titles.
While rain probably robbed Jamaica of victory against the Leeward Islands, they should have defeated Barbados. Instead of going for victory, however, they backed off, they batted too cautiously in the second innings and, as it was proven in the end, they declared too late.
Although that was only Jamaica's second match, although anything could have happened later on, and although, even if things still went the way they did afterwards, they would have ended up tied with Guyana, victory in that match would have handed them six more points, it would have left Barbados with three less, and that could have made all the difference.
One title is better than none, however, and but for their feeble effort against England A, Jamaica, winners of the Red Stripe Bowl in 1999 and the Busta Cup in 2000, should be happy with their performance.
At one stage or another every member of the team made at least one worthwhile contribution, and Gayle, with 945 runs and three centuries, Garrick, with 801 runs and two centuries, Hinds with two centuries in three matches and offspinner Breese with 36 wickets - including five in one innings versus the Windward Islands, six and three against Barbados, and three and seven versus Barbados - were the top performers.
On top of that, Gayle, with 208, and Garrick, with 200, shared a record, unbroken opening stand of 425 against West Indies B, Garrick, with 172, and Hinds, with 101, shared a second-wicket partnership of 203 as Jamaica dashed to 259 for one against Barbados in the semi-finals of the Shield, and Gayle, with 125, and Hinds, with 100, shared a second-wicket partnership of 147 against Guyana as Jamaica eased to 229 for one in the decisive first innings of the final.
In praising the players, manager Linden Wright, coach Robert Haynes, trainer David Bernard, and selectors Ruddy Williams (chairman), Wright, Courtney Daley and acting captain Robert Samuels who, to their credit, looked at the opposition, looked at the pitch and selected the best team on all but one occasion.
There should be a special toast to Robert Samuels - not only because he did so well while acting as captain, but also because of his unselfishness.
The one occasion the selectors did not select the best team was for the semi-final of the Shield.
With all the players available, including captain James Adams, the selectors did not have the heart to drop the man who had led the team so well for so long, who had played two valuable innings, and instead of picking a balanced team, they went for a line-up of seven batsmen, the wicketkeeper and only three specialist bowlers.
Looking at the balance before the team left for Barbados, Robert Samuels offered to stand down so Breese, who took nine wickets against Barbados at Kensington Oval in the preliminary round, could play, the selectors said no, and he said OK.
At the team meeting on the night before the game, however, he told the tour selectors, pick Breese in the interest of the team.
Breese took 10 wickets and bowled Jamaica to victory.
