Hinds blames inexperience for Twenty20 flop

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Following their disappointing third place finish in the just concluded Caribbean Twenty20 Cricket competition, Jamaica's captain Wavell Hinds said limited exposure and lack of knowledge in this format of the game was their major downfall in the tournament.

Jamaica, the favourites to win the tournament, were beaten by eventual champions Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals last Saturday.

"A lot of the guys were pretty much inexperienced as to how to deal with critical moments in a Twenty20 game, which is a fast-paced game and so that in itself would have let us down," said Hinds.

"We are very disappointed ... because I thought the kind of preparations that went on before we left the shores of Jamaica would have put us in good stead and would have also given us the confidence to go out and put up a better performance than we did," Hinds reflected.

He added that local authorities need to put a system in place to help our players to understand what Twenty20 cricket is about and this, he said, will help in their quest to win the competition next year.

"... A lot of the guys gained experience from this tournament," he said. "However, I think we are in better stead now and it is no secret that we need to play more Twenty20 games here in Jamaica and try to give the guys more opportunity to go through the different phases of cricket on a daily basis," he stated.

A learning opportunity

Hinds continued: "I think that was a learning opportunity for most of our players because a lot of information and a lot of education have been garnered throughout the tournament about Twenty20 Cricket and I hope the players hold it close to their hearts and put it into their memories, so that they can use it next time."

Hinds had high praise for the tournament's leading run scorer Marlon Samuels and fellow countryman and medium pacer Krishmar Santokie.

"I thought a few of the guys performed really well. Santokie did a very good job and Marlon Samuels has shown that he is growing, after his layoff from cricket, because he scored the most runs in the tournament," Hinds pointed out.