Last year, defending champs Barbados Pride eliminated Guyana’s Jaguars at the semi-final stage of the regional limited overs tournament; a Jaguars’ team which the influenza bug had rendered toothless some of its key players.
Then, to add salt to the still raw wound, Barbados maintained their winning ways with a sensational come-from-behind win over the Guyanese last year in the first leg of the regional four-day competition, a Guyanese team that had won two matches outright and needed a mere 69 runs with 10 wickets in hand to claim a third triumph.
Today the Guyana team has a chance at revenge for those defeats while the Barbadians will be looking to continue their win streak.
However, after a comprehensive hammering of the Windwards Volcanoes in their first Group A match in this year’s Nagico Super 50 tournament, the hungry Guyana Jaguars will turn their attention to their nemesis and set about preventing the Bajans from a hat-trick of wins at their expense making today’s encounter a highly anticipated grudge match.
The Bajans are known to be highly susceptible to spin and in the match against the Windwards it was a lethal bowling display from left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul supported by mesmerizing spells from off-spinner Steven Jacobs and leggy Devendra Bishoo that did the trick.
Permaul’s spell of 4-12, Bishoo 2-11 and Jacobs’ 1-18 proved to be the difference between the Volcanoes exploding to the 228 runs needed to win or the actual result which saw them imploding for 85.
It remains to be seen how the Bajans will handle another toxic dose of all out spin.
Another positive stride made by the Jaguars was that their batsmen led by Rajendra Chandrika and Vishaul Singh showed the necessary temperament against testing bowling from the Windwards.
Chandrika scored a half century while Singh missed out on a maiden fifty by one run. Anthony Bramble who smoked an unbeaten 44 from 23, the skipper Chris Barnwell who chipped in with a decent 32 and all-rounder Raymon Reifer with an unbeaten 23 were also among the runs.
Skipper Barnwell will be hoping that the dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul gets going today and that the other batsmen try to bat on after getting useful starts.
Guyana left out Royston Crandon, Johnathan Foo and seamer Paul Wintz in the first match while Ronsford Beaton took a bit of stick in his only two overs.
The defending champions who in their opening match were scheduled to play against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) before the umpires decided to abandon the match after they deemed it hazardous for players will be faced with an upbeat Guyana side who are going to be bent on revenge.
The Bajans are no pushover when it comes to talent both young and old and with a batting line up the features Test opener Kraigg Brathwaite, Sharmarh Brooks, Shane Dowrich, Kirk Edwards, Ryan Hinds and skipper
Kevin Stout, they will be fancying their chances to disappoint the Guyanese again.
The erratic, controversial but wholehearted Tino Best will spearhead the bowling attack while Kenroy Williams, Hinds and Jomel Warrican will be called upon to bowl. The match starts at 13:30pm at the Queens Park Oval, Trinidad.
