Boot batsmen who aren't firing

Orville Higgins, Contributor

The regional cricket season has ended for Jamaica, and for the first time in a long while, our senior team ended trophyless. Winning titles at the regional level was taken for granted by spectators and players alike, and finishing empty-handed has been a bitter pill to swallow.

This is not the time to panic or make drastic changes, but it is a moment for retrospection and for those in the cricket hierarchy to be honest among themselves in charting the way forward.

The bowling is not the problem. We were always capable of dismissing teams twice. So any plans for the team down the road must centre on our batsmen. This year, it was disastrous. Except for Baugh, no Jamaican batsman scored more than 300 runs. Except for Baugh, none averaged over 30. Besides him, the closest to 300 and a 30 average was Jermaine Blackwood, who ended with 285 at an average of 28.

The decision to drop Blackwood for the semi-final was harsh. No matter how we may feel about how careless he was getting out, there cannot be any justification for leaving him out for people with half his average.

In going forward, we must review how we select teams. There are too many underperforming sure picks in the Jamaica batting line-up. There are people who have played year in, year out in regional cricket with a 20-plus average in all the formats, and yet appear to be automatic picks. All that is doing is rewarding mediocrity.

We don't help these batsmen to excel if we keep picking them when they are failing. The public is talking about the failure of the batsmen this year, as if it's some kind of anomaly. It isn't. Except for Lambert, who barely scratches the surface at 30, none in the top six this season averages over 30 in regional cricket generally.

Think about this. Carlton Baugh has 12 first-class hundreds. In the squad that was playing regularly this year, there are 12 first-class hundreds, which means Baugh has as many hundreds as the rest of the squad combined! And yet these people are playing year after year.

The case has been made that these batsmen are the best in Jamaica and that the selectors don't have too many options outside. That argument does have merit. It is true that not too many others are knocking on the door with their Senior Cup performances or what they do in trial or practice matches.

But I can think of quite a few cases, of people who have performed well at trials and in club matches who can't get a look-in, or who are dispensed with quickly when they fail, and not given the same run as some others.

I have heard the argument that some clubs are preferred above others when it comes to national representation. I don't know whether that is true or not. I can't say that there has been a deliberate attempt to pick people from one club or other.

MANCHESTER MOST CONSISTENT

What is true, though, is that over the last four years, Manchester has been the most consistent team in Jamaica. They have won the two-day title three years in a row and were beaten finalists the following year. It could have been four straight, but Manchester were unfortunate that some of their key players in the last two-day final also had national Under-19 camp, and were not allowed to play.

Manchester are also the defending T20 all-island champions and have been perennial finalists or semi-finalists in the 50-over competition. Despite this, no Manchester player has been able to hold down a permanent place, and there have been seasons when no Manchester player gets a game at all.

Another problem is that the powers that be seem reluctant to drop players who have played for the West Indies. Once you have worn a West Indies cap, your name is almost automatically pencilled in. That culture must change. If the West Indies man isn't performing, he should know that his game is on the line like anybody else's. Especially if he wasn't a standout West Indies performer to begin with.

Cricket authorities must ensure that prior to tournaments, they have longer periods of preparation. Maybe it's also time for a batting consultant, or a special batting coach. Something has got to give.

Orville Higgins is a sportscaster and talk-show host on KLAS FM. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.