ALL IS NOT lost for Barbados in Twenty20 cricket.
Despite losing four of their six matches and crashing out of the Caribbean Twenty20 without qualifying for the semi-final play-off or the final, head coach Emmerson Trotman said there were some positives during the tournament which was won for the third straight year by Trinidad and Tobago.
“We have seen the maturity of young [Shane Dowrich]. After assessing the conditions and the way he went about his job, he deserves credit, while Kyle Mayers has a bright future for Barbados and the West Indies. He is very positive,” Trotman told MIDWEEK SPORT in an interview last weekend.
“Ashley Nurse was very confident and played one or two matured innings,” he added.
In the six matches, Dowrich scored 88 runs at an average of 22 and a strike rate of just 62.85 with a highest score of 21 off 37 balls against Trinidad and Tobago.
Mayers, in his first senior tournament for Barbados, scored 93 runs at an average of 23.23 with a strike rate of 114.81. His highest score was a quickfire 37 off 21 balls versus the Windward Islands with four sixes.
Nurse topped the batting averages (60.00) as he was only dismissed once. He had the best strike rate of 136.36 and also took four wickets an an average of 17.50 despite sending down only 12 overs at an economy rate of 5.83.
Trotman believes there is room for improvement in the play of debutant opener Justin Brathwaite, who was the only Barbadian to score more than a 100 runs (104 runs, average 17:33, strike rate: 130) and had the highest individual score of 42.
“He is very positive. As he goes along and matures and becomes more selective in his stroke play, he will improve as a player for the future,” the head coach said.
Looking ahead to the 2013 Super50 and Regional 4-Day Tournament, Trotman is confident Barbados will do well.
“We got some very good talent around like the Hope brothers {Kyle and Shai], [Rashidi] Boucher, Jason Holder, Kirk Edwards and Kraigg [Brathwaite], so why can’t we be successful?” he asked.
Trotman reckons the Barbados fast-bowling attack will still be strong even although Kemar Roach, Tino Best and Jason Holder will miss the early matches because of the West Indies’ One-Day tour to Australia.
“I don’t see that as a setback. It would be nice to have the West Indies players around but we have enough good fast bowlers to replace them.
“Fidel [Edwards] is still here while we have the likes of Carlos Brathwaite, Christopher Jordan, Javon Searles and Miquel Cummins, who all played last year,” he said.
“There are also some other fast bowlers, who have been invited to trials, so we are not short of fast bowlers,” added Trotman.
Barbados play Jamaica in the first round of the Super50 at Kensington Oval on February 7, followed by the four-day match against the same opponents from?February 9 to 12. (EZS)
