Sat | Jul 18, 2026

'All the way' Logie backs charges to win CT20

Published:Saturday | January 22, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Pause
Veronica Campbell-Brown reacts while sitting during the RJR Sports Foundation's National Sportsman and Sportsman of the Year Awards 2010, which took place inside the ballroom of The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, last night. Campbell-Brown won the Sportswoman of the Year Award. She won the 60m title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and set the fastest times over 100 metres (10.78 seconds) and 200 metres (21.98) last year. Gayle, who was not present at the function due to his participation in Australia's Big Bash Twenty20 tournament, won the Sportsman of the Year Award for the first time. He scored the third-highest score in Test cricket history, 333 against Sri Lanka last November, which was key to him earning the achievement. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Chris Gayle celebrates his triple century against Sri Lanka last year. - File
1
2

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's senior cricket team's head coach, Augustine 'Gus' Logie, says despite the hot-and-cold performances in the regional Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, he is confident that the team will go all the way and claim the title.

The Jamaicans, who entered the tournament as one of the favourites, narrowly qualified for the semi-finals after going down to a 17-run defeat against the Darren Sammy-led Windward Islands on Thursday night, in the second game of a double-header at Kensington Oval.

The defeat was their second in the group stage after an earlier loss to the Combined Campuses and Colleges.

However, based on a superior net run rate, Jamaica were able to advance ahead of England Twenty20 runners-up Somerset and Guyana, both of whom they defeated in Group A play.

Jamaica ended the first round with a record of two wins and two losses, and in today's semi-finals at Kensington Oval they will face either Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados, who up to press time were contesting their final Group B preliminary match.

"We have been rather hot and cold and are yet to find the magic formula to maintain two or three consistent performances," said Logie, shortly after the team's final training session yesterday.

"But we have been improving and getting it right and the team is now very much in semi-final mode.

"We have the quality players and are understanding the format a lot better and back ourselves to go all the way," he added.

Logie, who along with team manager and Jamaica's technical director Jimmy Adams, are overseeing the team, also said that for today's game there could be a few changes.

"We have been trying the Bernard initiative and it has not really worked out the way we wanted it to, so we are prepared to look at that again as we have options," he said.

"We have to look at getting more runs and try to stem the flow of wickets in our first six overs, which should improve our scoring rate and prevent us from playing catch-up cricket," he pointed out.

Pitch conditions

Logie also spoke about the pitch conditions in Barbados, which he says tends to favour Jamaica's style of play, another reason why he is optimistic about his team's chances.

"The conditions in Barbados are a bit more to what we are used to back home, as the balls tend to come on a bit more and the players can play more lateral shots," he explained.

"This is unlike the wicket in Antigua, and this is another reason why we are optimistic about our chances."

In Thursday's matchup Jamaica, after losing the toss, struggled to keep the Windward Islands under check and in the end could only restrict the men from the eastern Caribbean to 165 for five off their allotted overs.

Devon Smith (58 not out) and Keddy Lesporis (50) led the way for the Windwards, while bowling for Jamaica, pacers Krishmar Santokie and Jerome Taylor claimed three for 29 and two for 32, respectively, off the maximum four overs apiece.

In reply, Jamaica could only muster 148 for five off their allotment of overs, with captain Wavell Hinds topscoring with an unbeaten 54 and the tournament's topscorer so far, Marlon Samuels, getting 53.