New-look?Barbados have suffered a major blow with the loss of big fast-bowling all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite for the opening Regional Super50 day-night cricket match against defending champions Jamaica at Kensington Oval from 2 p.m. today.
Brathwaite, 24, was ruled out after injuring his right ankle during a training drill on Monday and will also miss the four-day match against the same opponents that starts on Saturday.
He has been replaced by West Indies’ Under-19 all-rounder Justin Greaves in the 13-man squad for today’s match while Kevin Stoute, who was previously in only the one-day team, has been added to the first-class squad.
Last year, the unlucky Brathwaite also suffered a leg injury while fielding in the Caribbean Twenty20 and his loss will further weaken the bowling attack, already missing Fidel Edwards, Tino Best and Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn and all-rounders Dwayne Smith and Ryan Hinds.
The pacy English-based county professional Christopher Jordan and Javon Searles will now spearhead the attack.
With the talented Greaves unlikely to make the starting 11, they will be backed up by the slippery medium pace of newcomer Kyle Mayers, Stoute and possibly Jonathan Carter.
Orthodox batsman Kirk Edwards returns as captain, taking over from all-rounder Kenroy Williams, who retains his place in a team where there are only four survivors from Barbados’ last regional 50-over match against Guyana in 2011 when they lost by 48 runs.
Apart from hard-hitting left-hander Mayers, the other newcomers are stylish middle order batsman Kyle Hope, while former Surrey player Jordan and diminutive wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, who has played nine List A matches for West Indies Under-19s, the High Performance Centre and West Indies “A” but will be representing Barbados in this format for the first time.
Kraigg Brathwaite, who was selected for this format back in 2010 when the tournament was played in Jamaica after playing for the West Indies Under-19s in 2009, is also making a return to the one-day side. Twenty20 off-spinner Ashley Nurse will be having his second 50-over match for Barbados.
Brathwaite will be partnered by either Rashidi Boucher or Stoute at the top of the order with Edwards, Carter, Hope and Williams occupying the middle order slots.
The Barbados batsmen will be up against Jamaica’s experienced spin twins Nikita Miller and Odean Brown as well as pacers Andrew Richardson and Sheldon Cotterrell and seasoned swing-bowling all-rounder David Bernard Jr.
In the absence of Chris Gayle, the injured Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt, Andre Russell, Brenton Parchment and Donovan Pagon, the Jamaica batting will revolve around captain Tamar Lambert, Bernard and returning wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.
Two former Combined Campuses and Colleges players, Simon Jackson and Nkrumah Bonner, are the likely openers while Jamaica will be hoping rookies Jermaine Blackwood, Andre McCarthy, Yannick Elliott, Jamie Merchant and Zeniffe Fowler step up to the plate.
It is uncertain how the pitch will play as no competitive cricket has been played at the venue since the Sagicor T20 final in early December last year.
In other matches, Leeward Islands oppose Guyana at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and Windward Islands square off with Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia.
