Samuels keen to develop world-class talent

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's Under-19 coach, Robert Samuels, says while it is his desire to win titles, it is not his only focus as he is equally interested in developing players for the highest level.

"It's not only about titles and trophies. What I am trying to do is produce cricketers who will be able to produce, (cricketers) that will be able to perform at higher levels," said Samuels.

"Once I continue to get a chance to do what I am doing and get more time to mould a team together, titles will come," he added.

Samuels was speaking against the backdrop of questions about his team's failure to win a title, shortly after their arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport on Thursday, on their return from the just-concluded West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)/TCL Group Under-19 tournament in St Lucia.

Second occasion

It was the second consecutive occasion that Samuels, as head coach, led Jamaica's junior team at a tournament, following a stint in 2007 when the team finished in the lower half of the table.

Jamaica entered this year's championship among the favourites, having won the double last season and retaining six members of that squad. Three of the six also represented the West Indies at the ICC Youth World Cup earlier this year.

However, the Jamaicans disappointed by finishing fourth in the three-day competition and second in the one-day series.

The Windward Islands won the three-dayers and Trinidad and Tobago took the one-dayers.

Samuels, 39, who played six Tests and eight one-day international for the West Indies, was given the opportunity to coach the team this year after Andre Coley, the previous coach, was summoned by the WICB to be part of its Sagicor High Performance Centre.

Although keen to harness world-rated talent, Samuels expressed disappointment with the team's placings and pointed to some possible reasons for the failures.

"One must remember we had hiccups as it relates to pre-season training compared to last year. A fire at Sabina was one such factor. The team usually started training for the tournament in April, and this year we didn't start until June," he said.

"We didn't have much time for tactical work and so forth. But having said that, we had the players and should have done better."

He further added that a slow start to the competition did not help.

"We got off to a slow start and produced our best performances in our final two games," he said.

"What you found was that our openers and top-order batsmen were doing relatively well, but our middle order were not holding our own. So we had to be constantly chopping and changing in trying to find the winning combination. In the end it came, but it came a little bit too late."

All-rounder Jermaine Blackwood, who scored the only double century of the tournament, ended as the team's highest run-scorer, while leg-spinner Donovan Nelson, who took most wickets in the one-day competition, led the bowling.