Scorpions hope to start fast against T&T
Coach banks on seniors in truncated four-day season
Published:Wednesday | February 9, 2022 | 12:11 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
AFTER A full season was eliminated due to the pandemic, regional four-day cricket will mark a return starting today with three matches across two countries.
The Jamaica Scorpions will bow into action against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad with the first ball set to bowl off at 9 a.m. Jamaica time.
Over in Barbados, the hosts and defending champions, Pride, will face the Leeward Island Hurricanes at the Kensington Oval while the Guyana Harpy Eagles take on the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Jamaica Scorpions head coach Andre Coley outlined that his players are eager to get out on the park, to finally get some competitive cricket under their belts, and that with a curtailed five-round championship this season, the key to success will be to get off to a good start.
“Whether it is 10, seven or five rounds, you really want to start well in any tournament. Back in the day, it was only five rounds and this might be the best thing because everyone knows they don’t have a lot of time to play with and they can’t take anyone for granted and really should make sure we start well,” said Coley.
Coley alluded to the fact that when the regional four day only had five rounds, Jamaica dominated, winning five straight championships between 2007 and 2012.
Once again, it is the old guards who will be relied upon to carry the bulk of the load for the Scorpions, with captain John Campbell, Jermaine Blackwood and Paul Palmer expected to lead the batting. With the ball, Derval Green, Marquino Mindley and Nicholson Gordon are expected to carry the mantle.
“The understanding is that most of the senior players will have to do the heavy lifting. What is going to be key is matchups. Most senior players within each team will have to match up well against their opposition and that is the message to our players,” said Coley.
Runs were a premium at the top of the order in the last tournament, with the bulk of the Scorpions scoring coming from the middle order which included Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner and Palmer. Coley is, however, hoping for that to change and has put the responsibility of that on his recruits, openers Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Romaine Morris and Brad Barnes.
“The discussion we had with our senior batters is that if they can replicate what they did last season, along with some production from the younger guys, then we should have more consistency around our batting this time around.”