#BTColumn – Looking at likely Barbados first-class squad

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Picking the Barbados Pride team for their first two matches in the regional First-Class Championship should be quite interesting following the announcement of the West Indies squad for the two-Test tour to Zimbabwe.

Seven Barbados Pride players – Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican – are in the West Indies 15-man squad. Both Tests will be played in Bulawayo, starting February 4th and 12th.

Four of them – Brathwaite, Reifer, Chase and Warrican – played last year when there were 17 players as Barbados retained the title. Brathwaite, who was the captain, Reifer and Warrican turned out in all five matches and Chase in three.

The other members of the team with matches in brackets were: Shayne Moseley (five), Jonathan Carter (five), Shane Dowrich (five), Ramon Simmonds (four), Justin Greaves (three) Akeem Jordan (three), Keon Harding (three), Shamarh Brooks (two), Shamar Springer (two), Miguel Cummins (two), Shai Hope (one), Chemar Holder (one) and Chaim Holder (one).

Lest we forget, it was somewhat of a disjointed tournament. Barbados won their first two matches at Kensington Oval – by four wickets against Leeward Islands Hurricanes (February 9th to 12th) and by 10 wickets against Jamaica Scorpions (February 15th to 18th) before there was a three-month break.

The other matches in the first phase (four) were played in Trinidad, also in February.

In the second phase, all matches were played in Trinidad.

Barbados lost by five wickets to Guyana Harpy Eagles at Queen’s Park Oval (May 18th to 21st), defeated Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by an innings and 22 runs at Brian Lara Cricket Academy (May 25th to 27th) and climaxed with a draw against Windward Islands Volcanoes in a rain-hit match at Diego Martin Sporting Complex (June 1st to 4th).

The Points table showed: Barbados 76.2, Leeward Islands 72.6, Guyana 61.8, Trinidad & Tobago 54.2, Jamaica 43.8, Windward Islands 26.8.

This season, Barbados’ first two matches are in Antigua against Guyana at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (February 1st to 4th) and Jamaica at Coolidge Cricket Ground (February 8th to 11th). Other matches in the first two rounds are scheduled for Grenada before a break.

The last three rounds for all teams will be played in Trinidad (March 15th to April 1st).

Now, after two three-day matches in the Legends Series at Kensington Oval, batsmen dominated with five centuries and the same number of half-centuries including one who missed a hundred by three runs and two who fell in the 80s.

Summarised scores were:

January 12th, 13th, 14th: Match drawn.

Sir Garfield Sobers X1 535 all out (131.4 overs) (Jonathan Drakes 171 – 230 balls, 303 minutes, 26 fours, 1 six; Rashawn Worrell 140 – 271 balls, 357 minutes, 20 fours, 1 six; Zachary McCaskie 76 – 123 balls, 179 minutes, 11 fours; Shai Hope 27, Amari Goodridge 26, Demetrius Richards 23, Matthew Forde 18, Joshua Dorne 12, Marrodon Bend 11; Romario Greaves 3-82, Akeem Jordan 2-57, Camarie Boyce 2-97, Jair McAllister 1-51).

Sir Gordon Greenidge X1 435-9 (104 overs) (Nyeem Young 111 – 147 balls, 199 minutes, 14 fours, 4 sixes; Kemar Smith 89 – 66 balls, 84 minutes, 11 fours, 3 sixes; Shian Brathwaite 44, Akeem Springer 43, Jonathan Carter 35, Akeem Jordan 35, Nathan Sealy 20 not out, Kadeem Alleyne 18, Kyle Hope 10, Romario Greaves 10 not out; Jaden Lorde 4-94, Tariq O’Neale 2-72, Matthew Forde 2-86, Jaden Edmund 1-45).

January 17, 18, 19: Match drawn.

Sir Gordon Greenidge X1 296 all out (80.4 overs) (Hakeem Perryman 97 – 121 balls, 225 minutes, 15 fours, 1 six; Jonathan Carter 87 – 149 balls, 181 minutes, 11 fours, 1 six; Kadeem Alleyne 41, Camarie Boyce 20, Kemar Smith 12; Shamar Springer 3-50, Jamaine Bullen 2-24, Joshua Bishop 2-49, Matthew Jones 1-17, Chaim Holder 1-56, Keon Harding 1-61).

With a new captain in wicketkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich, Barbados will be aiming to stretch their record number of regional four-day titles to 25.

If we are to be guided by recent remarks from chairman of the Barbados selection committee, Henderson Broomes, one can expect a couple new players in the squad.

“Obviously as defending champions for the last two seasons, it would be nice to perform the hat-trick. However, personally that is not the only objective.

I see this season as one that is very important for the development of our next generation of players,” Broomes said.

“With a number of players expected to be unavailable because of West Indies duties, it gives the Hendy Broomes-led panel a perfect opportunity to expose some fresh talent.”

As such, the likes of batsmen Zachary McCaskie, Jonathan Drakes and Kevin Wickham and fast bowler Jair McAllister are expected to be in the squad.

They are all uncapped at the first-class level but three of them – the 26-year-old McCaskie, Drakes, 28, and 19-year-old Wickham – have played List A (50-over) matches.

McCaskie gets the nod as Moseley’s opening partner even though Rashawn Worrell must be a close contender.

Apart from his knock of 140 in the first Legends match, Worrell had a solid 2022 season for Carlton in the Elite division three-day Championship, scoring 500 runs including two centuries at an average of 45.45.

With a planned tour by a Barbados ‘A’ team to Dominica around the corner, he is sure to be in that squad.

Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope and Dowrich, all with international experience, give the batting a healthy look with Nicholas Kirton also as a contender.

Shamar Springer, who bowls medium-pace, fills the role as all-rounder.

Two of the fast bowlers are Keon Harding and Akeem Jordan, while the spinners are left-armer Camarie Boyce and Chaim Holder, who bowls off-breaks.

Notable omissions are veteran batsman Jonathan Carter and 21-year-old left-arm pacer Ramon Simmonds, who is currently representing Paarl Royals in the inaugural South Africa20 league.

Simmonds impressed in his debut first-class season last year, taking 12 wickets (Ave: 18.08).

Likely squad: Shane Dowrich (captain), Shayne Moseley, Zachary McCaskie, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Jonathan Drakes, Kevin Wickham, Nicholas Kirton, Shamar Springer, Akeem Jordan, Keon Harding, Camarie Boyce, Chaim Holder, Jair McAllister.