Tony Becca
JAMAICA STARTED their campaign in the regional Carib Beer competition on a successful note by winning first innings lead over the Leeward Islands in a match that ended in a draw at Kensington Park on Monday.
It was a draw, however, that should not have been a draw.
With four runs needed to win the match Jamaica, with one wicket in hand, with the last pair of Odean Brown and Jerome Taylor batting well, to the disappointment of every one on the ground, accepted the offer of bad light and gave away a chance of winning the match and walking away with maximum 12 points.
While there was no question that the light was poor, it was not so bad that Brown and Taylor, on 14 and 12 respectively after posting a partnership of 25, could not have won the match for Jamaica.
According to captain Tamar Lambert, Brown was hit on the elbow by fast bowler Adam Sanford and could not hold the bat, the light was so bad that the batsmen could not see the ball, and that may well have been true.
The real reason, however, may well have been the fear of losing.
After leading on first innings, Jamaica may well have decided that while they could have won the match, with one wicket remaining they could also have lost it, and it was better to finish with six points than to go for victory and lose the match - a result that would have meant, not only that Jamaica would then have ended the game with four points instead of six but also that instead of three, the Leeward Islands would have finished with 12 points.
SEEMS STRANGE
While that makes sense, it still seems strange that Jamaica did not go for a victory that was one stroke away - especially remembering that Jamaica, replying to 196 in the first innings, were 193 for nine, and that with Andrew Richardson scoring 14 not out and Taylor 13, it was the last pair that handed them first innings lead while confidently adding 30 runs.
With four teams going into the semi-finals, Jamaica may not find themselves in a position to regret their decision not to go for victory, and hopefully they will not.
By not going for victory, however, by running for cover when, despite what they may say, the odds must have been in their favour, the defending champions not only embarrassed their fans.
They also went against all that is good in sport, and in doing so probably exposed a yellow streak.
Winning is not everything in sport, but to run away from winning, not to go for victory when victory beckons is certainly not good for sport and will not attract the fans - certainly not those who turn up to see their team win, or at least try to win.
After four days of close and exciting cricket, the match at Kensington Park will not be remembered for that, it will not be remembered for the bowling of Gareth Breese on the first morning, for Richardson's brilliant spell after tea, and but for a few exciting strokes, with the batsmen on both sides failing to impress, it will also not be remembered for the bowling of Omari Banks in Jamaica's first innings, or for the bowling of Carl Simons towards the end.
Unfortunately, bad light or no bad light, it will be remembered for Jamaica's failure to go for victory - for the day when Jamaica, the defending champions, lost their confidence and timidly backed away from a simple challenge.
