( L - R ) LARA AND HINDS
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):
BARBADOS WILL be looking to christen their newest first-class venue by earning the one point they need to win the Carib Beer Series from their final preliminary match against contenders Trinidad & Tobago, starting today.
The Carlton Sports Club on the outskirts of the capital will become the seventh ground in the island to host first-class matches.
The Barbadians top the standings with 36 points. Trinidad & Tobago are tied for second with Guyana on 24 points and will be looking to rebound from a shock defeat to the Windwards in their previous match to earn a victory that would give them their first regional first-class title in 21 years.
NEED TO AVOID DEFEAT
For Barbados, they only need to avoid defeat to claim the title, but head coach Hendy Springer has indicated that there is still a lot of work to be done.
"The season is not finished until the last match is played," Springer told reporters.
"We're going to go out there and try and make as many runs as possible and try to take wickets as quickly as possible. It is not going to be as easy as that, but that is what we are going to set out to do."
Springer outlined that though securing first innings points is the first target for his side, Barbados is not known for playing draw cricket, and their ultimate objective is to win.
"If we get an opportunity to get first innings points, we will take it, but we're looking to get an outright win," he said.
SMITH OUT
The Barbadians, to be captained by Ryan Hinds, who hit back-to-back centuries in the last game, will have to achieve their objectives without West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, who has not recovered sufficiently from a blow to his left knee by Leewards fast bowler Adam Sanford during last weekend's encounter.
On the other hand, T&T captain Daren Ganga is smiling broadly at the return of batting superstar Brian Lara and long-standing fast bowler Mervyn Dillon to fortify his side, after their setback against the Windwards.
"We are obviously disappointed with our defeat, but we understand those things happen in cricket, and we need to get over it," said Ganga.
"I think the players have done this. We've got two guys back into the squad, Brian and Mervyn. They are experienced guys. We are going to gain a lot of confidence from them being in the team. We've got one objective - that is to win."
This is the only chance we have of winning the competition.
"As we've proven, good teams sometimes go through a bad game. We're going to ensure that we play cricket how it is supposed to be played, ensure that we play the basics, do the basics, and ensure that we plan properly for the Bajans.
"We're coming with the faith and the hope, and I'm sure the guys are ready to go."
T&T will be hoping for a repeat of last year's contest in Barbados, when they prevailed by 48 runs.
