SETTING AND SUSTAINING STANDARDS!
That’s the ultimate desire of the Barbados cricket team, with its blend of youth and experience this season, says head coach Vasbert Drakes.
And Drakes believes the second-round Headley-Weekes first-class match against the England Lions (”A” Team) starting at Kensington Oval today, is a perfect opportunity for the players to showcase their cricketing skills.
“Obviously, the guys are aware that England has a very professional unit,” he told WEEKEND SPORT after the team had its final training session in the nets at Kensington yesterday morning.
“They have been playing very good cricket judging from the last game [which they won by an innings and 120 runs against the Leeward Islands] so we are very mindful of that fact.
“We therefore have to make sure we set some standards and try to maintain them throughout the course of the four days that we are going to be playing – if rain permits us,” he added.
“Our main objective when we bat in the first innings is to score over 300 runs.
“We are wary of the England set-up but we are not intimidated by them. Their guys play county cricket, and you have guys that are between 17 and 19 years old, and they would’ve played 50 to 60 (first-class) games, so they would be a little more experienced.
“But cricket is played on the day, so we as a team will be going out there and look to set some targets and looking to hit them,” Drakes said.
Like Barbados, there are several emerging young players in the England Lions’ line-up such as Glamorgan’s 19-year-old left-arm spinner Danny Briggs and 20-year-old seamer James Harris, Leicestershire’s
19-year-old pacer Nathan Buck, Durham’s left-handed batsman Ben Stokes, also 19, and 21-year-old Worcestershire batsman James Taylor, who has six first-class centuries.
Drakes said he was heartened by Barbados’ solid batting performance against Trinidad and Tobago, when they scored 395 in the first innings and 234 for three, batting a second time with 18-year-old schoolboy Kraigg Brathwaite fashioning a maiden century for Barbados, his second at the first-class level.
Captain Ryan Hinds and Kirk Edwards missed first innings centuries, falling for 94 and 93, respectively.
“Batting wise, we have set some targets for the season where our top six batsmen are going to look to average 35-plus, and if you look at the stats, they have achieved those objectives. It is just a matter of reassessing and staying focused,” he reasoned.
The coach welcomed the return of West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who spent the last year recuperating following surgery for a back injury, and said the pitch could favour the pacers.
“Any good cricket wicket should have something for the batsmen and something for the bowlers.
“I’m not a curator but judging from looking at the pitch, it looks like a pretty decent cricket pitch, so regardless of if we bat first or bowl first, the main objective is to set some standard, and in the bowling department, create some pressure and obviously try to maintain it,” Drakes noted.
“You have someone like Fidel, who is a quality bowler worldwide. [He] is obviously going to be a great asset, and if Pedro Collins bowls in the manner in which he is capable of doing, I think we have two quality bowlers up front,” he said.
The coach also believes lanky 6ft, 6in fast bowler Jason Holder could make a big impact on home turf, noting he bowled really well on a placid Guaracara Park pitch.
The coach noted that leg-spinner Shamarh Brooks was unlucky in the first match when two catches were missed off his bowling in his first seven overs.
“It is just a matter of him getting the opportunity to bowl and bowl with the confidence.
I think if the guys had taken those catches, you probably would see a different Shamarh Brooks.
“He has definitely turned the tide from a batting perspective, scoring 60-odd with great maturity in his batting.
“He’s a great fielder and we are basically going to give him that confidence and create that environment where he can keep on growing as a spinner,” Drakes said.
Meanwhile, coach of the England Lions, Mick Newell, said they would be looking to build from their first match victory when they posted 533 for six declared and routed the Leewards for 306 and 127, with South African-born left-arm paceman Jade Dernbach grabbing a cheap five-wicket haul
“We played some good cricket and we are obviously looking forward very much to playing on one of the world’s great cricketing grounds here and hopefully putting on a very good show with a side that we hope can beat Barbados,” Newell said.
Teams
Barbados (from) – Ryan Hinds (captain), Dale Richards, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kirk Edwards, Kyle Hope, Kevin Stoute, Shamarh Brooks,Shane Dowrich, Jason Holder, Fidel Edwards, Pedro Collins, Jason Haynes, Roston Chase.
England “A” (from): James Hildreth (captain), Adam Lyth, Jimmy Adams, Andrew Gale, James Taylor, Craig Kieswetter, Ben Stokes, James Harris, Danny Briggs, Jade Dernbach, Nathan Buck, Maurice Chambers, Liam Plunkett, Johnny Bairstow.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Goaland Greaves Match referee: Mervyn Jones.
Reserve umpire: Ricardo Brathwaite.
